Local nightclubs react to recent tragedies in Rhode Island, Chicago

In the wake of the tragic events at night clubs in Chicago and Rhode Island in the last week, most local bars and clubs say they feel confident in the safety of their establishments.\nEven though the two incidents were different in nature, the behavior of the patrons was similar, and they both had the same results.\n"It's sad, very sad," Joel Buzzard, manager of Kilroy's Sports Bar said. "But it is understandable how that could happen. With the crowds we had during the NCAA's we know what could happen with a crowd that size."\nThe Chicago incident occurred on Feb. 17, when a fight broke out in the second floor of the E2 nightclub. A security guard doused the crowd with pepper spray in order to disperse it. This resulted in a massive stampede towards the exit at the bottom of a narrow staircase, and caused 21 people to die from being crushed.\nLess than a week later, a night club in Rhode Island burned to the ground because of pyrotechnics from the group Great White's show. The band had just began their first song, when the pyrotechnics ignited foam ceiling tiles, and according to fire officials, the entire building was engulfed within three minutes. The most current death total is at 97, with approximately 42 of those victims having been identified. \n"Anytime, whether there is the pyrotechnics or mace, you are asking for trouble because people react so violently to that type of stuff," Buzzard said.\nIn the event that an emergency of this magnitude were to happen at Sports, Buzzard said they feel they are well equipped to handle the situation. \nThey have sets of doors throughout the establishment that would allow people to exit quickly. There are two outdoor patios that could be used to get people outside immediately, and there are exits that are not normally used but are available if needed. \nThe bar was also certified by the fire marshal last April, when the capacity was posted in each room, and their safety equipment was certified as well. \nBear's Place, located near the corner of Third Street and Jordan Avenue, is also well equipped in the case of an emergency of this sort. \n"We have three exits," said Bear's Night Manager Lee Goergen. "Two of those are fire exits, and one is our main entrance and exit. But the two fire exits cannot be entered, just exited out of. And they are open at all times during business hours."\nGoergen said Bear's is up to fire codes as far as he knows, and added that the fire marshal visits at least once a year, if not two.\nOnce in his 20 years of working at Bear's has Goergen seen anything that could have sparked an event of Rhode Island's magnitude. \n"Once we had a band use pyrotechnics," he said. "They had sparklers, and they were contained but still close to the ceiling. It made the room pretty smoky, but we aren't set up for that."\nNothing resulted from that incident at Bear's but, as is being investigated in the Rhode Island case, the band did not ask permission to use the pyrotechnics. \nThe Rhode Island incident is the seventh deadliest public assembly fire in U.S. history according to the National Fire Protection Agency Web site. It was also the fourth deadliest night club fire in U.S. history. \nThe NFPA has suggestions to help prevent public assembly fires, some of the which could have aided in the incidents in Chicago and Rhode Island. It says that on-site fire protection should include fire alarm systems, automatic sprinkler systems and portable fire extinguishers. For safe exiting, all public places should take into consideration the occupant load. This helps determine the number of exits and sizes of those exits. Each public assembly area should have at least two exits, and the main entrance/exit should be able to accommodate half the occupant load. Also, the buildings should include exit signs and emergency lighting, and post occupancy maximums.