Station Tragedy Recalled

Last month marked the one-year anniversary of one of the largest U.S. nightclub death tolls in recent years. A mid-February, 2003 fire killed 100 at the Station, a live rock-and-roll music venue in West Warwick, R.I.

This event, as well as a recent high-rise fire in downtown Chicago, has spurred new discussion on the subject of fire and life safety in U.S. buildings, as well as the importance of sprinklers.

But while suppression is important, Bill McHugh, executive director the Firestop Contractors International Association, Wheaton, Ill., in a recent appearance before Chicago's City Council—which is considering a new high-rise safety ordinance—testified that compartmentation is also crucial, and it is a reliable and relatively cost-effective method for preventing the spread of fire and smoke.

"If the Station had hourly-rated, non-combustible soundproofing walls and better exits, the disaster may have been reduced," McHugh said.

For more, go to csemag.com, click the red Fire button on the left, and select "Fire Safety in Nightclubs" and "FCIA Promotes 'Triad' Solution."