A federal draft report released this month encouraged Providence nightclubs to take a closer look at their compliance with fire safety regulations and consider making recommended - but often expensive - improvements.
The report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology is the result of a two-year investigation into The Station nightclub fire of 2003 that claimed 100 lives in West Warwick and sparked a nationwide debate over fire safety in public spaces.
The 12 recommendations include mandatory installation of sprinklers in all nightclubs and restrictions on the use of flammables and pyrotechnics. The report calls for continued research into the human response to emergencies.
In the $500,000 study of The Station fire, a team of fire safety experts collected data from the nightclub's site, interviewed local authorities and used computer models to simulate the fire, according to William Grosshandler, chief of the Fire Research Division at NIST.
"We found that (The Station's) scenario was unique. There was a complicated field system where the fire quickly ignited foam in the building, and quickly moved to (the building's) plywood," Grosshandler said.
The NIST probe found that the main contributors to the disaster were a dangerous mix of building materials, the inability to suppress early stages of the fire and the inadequacy of exits.
Sprinklers, which were not required in 2003, were not installed at The Station.
"We obviously know that sprinklers work. The question was how fast fires grow to outrun sprinklers," Grosshandler said.
Armando Dias, general manager of Viva/Paragon, a popular spot for Brown students, said the report's recommendations were reasonable.
"Who wants their building to go up in smoke?" Dias said. "A lot of things in the report - basic things like fire extinguishers, sprinklers - often end up on the back burner. We think about taking care of business instead of losing sleep about fire regulations. But (they are) important. (They) need to be checked and inspected," Dias said.
But Dias said getting clubs in compliance with fire codes can be an expensive undertaking that has little direct effect on the experiences of patrons.
"Fortunately, (Viva/Paragon) is in compliance so (these regulations) won't be a huge investment. For clubs that are not in compliance, I can see how it will be a huge investment. It's not like when you put up a new bar. It's not something customers can see and appreciate. That's why I guess there would be some resistance," Dias said.
Other area clubs said they are consistently inspected for compliance with fire safety codes.
As for the next stage in implementing the NIST recommendations, Grosshandler said much is left to the evaluation of local communities and individual nightclubs.
"The report will be available for public comment for two to three weeks, and then afterwards any factual errors will be corrected. This is still only the start of the process, and our goal is to help local communities adapt to these changes," Grosshandler said.
It will be up to local governments to decide whether to change their fire codes to conform to the recommendations. NIST is a non-regulatory federal agency.
Grosshandler also recognized the potential cost of implementation of the recommendations to club owners, but underscored that public safety should always be a priority.
"It is true that there is an expense involved and choices are left up to local communities, (but) there is a certain expectation the public deserves to have when in a public space, that the building is safe. ... Clubs will certainly be able to make their points at hearings in the future."
Dias underscored that given the tragedy of The Station fire, there is an obvious need to make sure all clubs are in compliance with safety codes.
"What needs to be fixed, you fix it. That's how business goes," Dias said.
