Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement, Case Study Example

The “Report of the Technical Investigation of the Station Nightclub Fire” discusses a fire that occurred on February 20, 2003 at a nightclub in Warwick, Rhode Island. In addition to describing the investigation, this report proposes several ways in which the nightclub could alter its standards and practices to decrease the likelihood of fire. This investigation is imperative because the fire led to a high number of casualties and there is also a need to determine which aspects of the building prevented nightclub attendees from safely exiting the building. This investigation was a landmark case because it demonstrated a severe need to adopt building and fire codes and state and local agencies began to adopt and enforce these codes as well.

In the final report, the investigation team recommended ten policies and actions that would improve fire safety for a number of buildings. These included the need to influence state and local law enforcement to consider the importance of building and fire codes and to uphold these codes as law. Specifically, the team recommended that the fire codes used to regulate nightclubs be adopted at all nightclubs and updated based on the individual needs of each building. In addition, a major issue at the Station Nightclub is that there were not enough automatic fire sprinklers to create a safe environment for egress. Installing these sprinklers would have reduced the severity of the fire and allowed more people to escape and it is even possible that these sprinklers could have extinguished the source of the fire before it became problematic. Instead, the sprinklers were not sufficient to decrease the extent of the fire. Therefore the investigation team recommends that the requirements for the installation of automatic fire sprinklers be strengthened because this is an excellent first line of defense against a fire.

The third policy that the investigation team recommended be followed is that it is important to increase the time that occupants of a burning building have to safely leave. As discussed above, the installation of sprinklers can assist in this process. In addition, the way that the building is designed is a major factor in this case; exit signs must be clearly labelled so occupants know what to do in case of a fire and it would be helpful to have fire escape plans posted on doors. Furthermore, the size of building dictates how long the fire will take to spread; therefore, it is important to uphold building capacity limitations. Since the building in question is a nightclub, it was using many flammable materials as a part of its entertainment scheme. Flexible polyurethane foam was among these chemicals in addition to other others that catch fire easily and are not as simple to extinguish. Although the fire safety team does not believe these chemicals should be banned altogether in every situation, their use should be restricted and those that use them should be licensed and aware of their potential hazards. An associated factor in this case would be limiting the use of pyrotechnics.

Lastly, the investigation team recommends that additional research be undertaken to specifically define which changes are needed to the building and fire codes and the best ways to go about making these decisions. The specific studies recommended by the investigation team are to conduct a portable fire extinguisher survey to determine how many are needed in each type of building, to determine the fire safety knowledge and egress plans of staff in various buildings and to determine how to enhance this knowledge, to better understand human behavior in emergency situations, to better understand how fire spreads and ways in which it could be stopped, and to confirm or reject understandings about fire safety that are computer generated.

Although it seems somewhat intuitive to provide reasonable means of egress in all buildings, the Station Nightclub fire reminded the citizens of Rhode Island of the importance of this. All doors that provide paths to the outside should be clearly labelled so that in time of an emergency, occupants are aware of how to exist and can be encouraged to do so in an orderly fashion. A nightclub fire is a particularly difficult situation because one could expect that there is overcrowding. To ensure safe egress, it is essential that the nightclub establishes what a safe occupant capacity is and uphold this limitation. This will reduce chaos and confusion in case of fire and allow the egress of the maximal number of people. It is essential for the building occupancy maximum to include workers as well as attendees.

It is important to allow fire safety professionals and law enforcement to visit buildings to determine if they are up to code. This type of inspection will include whether the maximum building occupancy is upheld, whether exits are accessible or obstructed, the use of flammable substances and whether there is a licensed individual that supervises this use, and whether fire exits exist and are clearly marked. It would also be helpful to determine if the building has a fire escape plan and whether there has been a fire drill so that all employees know what to do in case of an emergency. Ultimately, it is essential to create and implement a fire and building safety code, but it is equally as important to enforce these rules through occasional inspection.