The Rhode Island Night Club Fire

The Rhode Island night club fire of Thursday February 20th 2003 was a catastrophe that should not have ever happened. One would have thought that after the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston and the subsequent laws governing building codes and inspections that night club fires and high losses of life would be a thing of the past. But laws are only as good as those who are required to implement and inspect buildings.

In this case, the owners tried to mitigate sound with flammable egg-crate packing material. The band didn't use a Rhode Island state registered pyrotechnics technician. The West Warwick inspectors didn't test the 'sound proofing' for flammability. Disasters of this magnitude are usually not due to one error, but a sequence of contributing errors that all come together at once. If the sound proofing had been flame retardant, the fire would not have spread as quickly. If the band had hired the required state registered pyrotechnics technician, the tech would have noticed that the pyro's sparks flew too high for the low ceiling club and might have advised against using it. The tech would have made sure fire extinguishers were on stage to put out any fire on the sound proofing. If the inspectors had tested the sound proofing, they would have ordered its removal and replacement with fire retardant sound proofing instead.

As I said "laws are only as good as those who are required to implement and inspect". Club patrons are at the mercy of club owners, managers and state inspectors and take their very lives in the hands when frequenting both clubs AND restaurants. It is also incumbent upon those very club and restaurant patrons to be on guard for their own safety and always know were the closest exits are before choosing a seat or where to stand. Their very lives are always at stake.

03/01/03 ( 1552 )
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 IT IS NOT QUITE A YEAR AND I STILL FEEL SORROW FOR THE LIVES THAT WERE LOST IN THAT TRAGEDY OF FANS OF GREAT WHITE, FANS THAT LOVE THE GIFT GOD HAS GIVEN US, THE GIFT OF MUSIC!!!!!!
      AS A HUGE MUSIC FAN AND A ATTENDEE OF MANY CONCERTS, I STILL WONDER IF THEM VICTIMS WOULD SAY "LET THE MUSIC PLAY ON!"? LIVES ARE LOST EVERY DAY, TRAGECLLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY, BUT THAT GIFT OF MUSIC WILL NEVER DIE. THE MUSIC WILL PLAY ON
    AS I RECALL THE ROLLING STONES AND THE WHO HAVE HAD TRAGEC MISHAPS AT THERE CONCERTS. AS THEY SHOW THERE REGRETS AND SORROW, THEY STILL DELIVER THE MESSAGE OF SONG AND DANCE AND HAVE BECAME STRONGER AS A WHOLE. I HAD A CHANCE TO MEET JACK RUSSEL OF GREAT WHITE DURING THE TRIXTER/KISS TOUR AND FOUND JACK TO BE VERY DOWN TO EARTH AND VERY HUMBLE. I HELD A SHORT CONVERSATION WITH HIM AS HE AUTOGRAPHED MY ALBUM RECOVERY LIVE (OUT OF PRINT ALBUM. THAT WAS THE FIRST ALBUM I HAD EVER HEARD OF GREAT WHITE). HE WAS A TRUE ROCK AND ROLLER AND LOVED WHAT HE DOES FOR A LIVING. HIS BAND NEVER WANTED TO HARM. I ADMIRE HIM FOR THAT NIGHT THE FIRE HAPPENED AND SENT HIS PRAYERS TO THE FAMILIES ON NATIONAL T.V. AND SAID THAT THE NIGHTCLUB KNEW ABOUT THE SMALL PYROS THAT THEY WERE USING FOR THE SHOW. NOW THAT THERE ARE LAWYERS INVOLVED, THE LIES AND MADE-UP STORIES WILL COME OUT, JUST TO POINT THE FINGER AT THE INNOCENT AND PRAISE THE GUILTY. WITH MONEY, GREED WILL TAKE OVER AND THE VICTIMS WILL BE SET ASIDE.
    TODAY THE TRIAL HAS BEEN SET AND I STILL FEEL FOR THE VICTIMS AS I LIVE 800 MILES AWAY. MY HEART SINCERLY GOES OUT TO GREAT WHITE, THE BAND THAT CARRIED THE GIFT OF LOVE FOR THE MUSIC THAT THEY PLAYED. I JUST HOPE THAT THIS BAND WILL NOT DIE , FOR I AM SURE THE 100 GREAT WHITE CONCERT GOERS THAT LOST THERE LIFE WOULD SAY"LET THE MUSIC PLAY OF" FOR IT WILL, EVEN WHEN I AM GONE!!!!
    I HAVE NO IDEA WHO I AM SENDING THIS TO AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO WRITE BACK. I HOPE I HAVE NOT OFFENDED FOR OPINION IS 100% FREEDOM OF SPEECH. GREAT WHITE WAS A BAND THAT I WAS PROUD TO SEE AS FOR MANY OF THE BANDS THAT I HAVE SEEN OVER YEARS. I WOULD SEE GREAT WHITE AND SHOW MY SUPPORT FOR THE MUSIC THEY PLAY.
    AS FOR AS THE STATION, WELL ........YOU NEED TO FACE THE MUSIC!!!!!!!!! SINCERLY DENNIS / AUDIO   12/9/03