I wrote:
<< Or you need some kind of distraction to get you excited, such as the
pyrotechnics set off by the band Great White in Rhode Island >>
Then Kakki responded:
<< I wanted to say something but it's hard. It is so unspeakably horrible
and unprintable as to what I feel about that band. The only thing good that
will come out of it will be future laws and awareness for something like this
to hopefully never happen again. >>
Me again:
Before I say anything, let me begin by shouting this:
CHECK OUT THE EXIT SIGNS WHENEVER YOU GO TO ANY CLUB, RESTAURANT OR MUSIC
VENUE! It only takes a couple of seconds to scan the perimeters for signs. In
the event of a fire, you could save your own life and help others get out
alive.
Apparently, most, if not all, of the people involved in this tragedy panicked
and tried to get out through the main entrance, rather than using the three
or four fire doors in the club.
Here's a brief synopsis of the story of the fire at The Station nightclub in
West Warwick, Rhode Island that has claimed just under 100 lives so far, with
scores more in hospitals throughout the region:
The club is owned by two brothers named Derdarian. One of the brothers, Jeff,
is very well known because he had been a TV reporter in Providence and then
at the NBC affiliate in Boston. In fact, he had just left his post in Boston
for his new job at the club a few weeks before the fire.
A "legal expert" for the local CBS news affiliate said on last night's
broadcast that this tragedy is the result of a confluence of many factors
that all came together on that fateful night. For example, the band's
pyrotechnics guy was unlicensed. The club's interior walls and ceiling were
covered in a non-flame retardant foam (which is less expensive than the
fireproof kind) to help reduce noise levels that had been a source of
complaints from neighbors. There was no sprinkler system (which would have
cost about $20,000). And the place had let in more people than the legal
limit allows that night.
This story has, of course, dominated local news since the fire happened about
a week and a half ago. Even if the club owners, the foam insulation company,
the town of West Warwick and the band Great White are all found to be at
fault in this, there will never be enough insurance coverage to adequately
compensate for the loss of life and all the injuries.
You're right, Kakki, the only good thing that will come of this is the
awareness it is bringing to fire safety issues. Already two nightclubs in
Boston have been closed temporarily for fire code violations. I hope this
trend spreads throughout the US and the world. It often takes tragedy on a
grand scale like this to make changes, so maybe that's the best we can hope
for. But I guess, as humans, we need to be reminded about stuff like this
over and over again. After all, one of the worst fire catastrophes in US
history -- the Coconut Grove fire -- occurred in 1942 right here in Boston.
That tragedy claimed more than 400 lives . . . but it happened so long ago,
it's all but forgotten.
--Bob
