FIRE SAFETY IN PLACES OF ASSEMBLY

All too often changes in fire-related codes, ordinances or laws have come about after a tragedy has occurred. Six hundred and three people lost their lives at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago in 1903. In 1942 four hundred and ninety two lives were lost when a fire, believed to have been started by a lighted match, spread through the Coconut Grove nightclub in Boston, Massachusetts. At the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta Georgia, one hundred and nineteen people died when an open stairway permitted the rapid spread of heat and smoke up the stairs from floor to floor. The Happy Land Dance Club in the Bronx in 1990 had a fire that took 87 lives. The list goes on; the United States historically has had one of the highest fire loss rates of the industrialized world. Each year fire kills more Americans than all other natural emergencies combined, including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. Fire is the third leading cause of accidental death in the home. The total annual cost to the American public from fires is close to $30 billion. In response to these chilling figures, fire departments throughout the United States are taking aggressive steps to protect their communities. Clark County Fire Department is no different. Our Fire Prevention Bureau is responsible for the inspection and the enforcement of the codes that affect the places of public assembly in our area.

In places of assembly, additional precautions are taken to slow the spread of fire and smoke as well as to reduce the level of panic in an emergency situation. Any decorative material that may cause the fire to spread, must be treated with a flame retardant coating and renewed as often as necessary to maintain the level of fire retardant. So, all those drapes, hanging fabrics or silk and plastic plants will not help the fire to spread through out the building, if they have been treated and maintained properly.

When your property is scheduled to host a special event or a convention, plans showing the set-up of the room must be submitted to the fire prevention bureau for review and approval prior to the set-up date of the event. This allows us the opportunity to insure that any items brought in for the event meet our standards. For example, liquid or gas fueled vehicles on display within an assembly area (including casinos) must have their batteries disconnected in an approved manner. The fuel in the fuel tank can not exceed 25 litres or ¼ tank, whichever is less. The fuel tank opening has to be locked and sealed to prevent the escape of fuel vapors. The vehicle can not be fueled inside the building and must not obstruct the exit routes from that building. Loose seats or folding chairs that are brought into a room must be bound together in groups of three or more, if the seating capacity is expected to be three hundred people or more. Reviewing the plans affords us the chance to assure that booths or tables do not block nor obstruct fire fighting appliances and exits. We can check aisle widths, have the property install additional fire extinguishers if needed and check on numerous other items that could possibly present a fire or life safety hazard during the event.

If the fire inspector assigned to your property feels that it is in the best interest of public safety, they may require individual(s) to act as a fire-watch. Individuals(s) assigned to this position are subject to the orders of the local Fire Department; they must be in uniform, and their sole duty is to be on the look out for fire. They need to check the fire fighting equipment out before the event starts, as well as, during the event and be familiar with its use.

Any room that has an occupant load of fifty or more has to have a sign in a conspicuous place near the main exit, showing the maximum number of people allowed in that room. Many lives have been lost when a property has allowed overcrowding of its rooms, which in turn allows the fire exits to become clogged as people flee for the safety of the exterior of the building.

Candles and other open-flame, such as flaming foods or a beverage are also covered under the Uniform Fire Code (U.F.C) and enforced by the fire prevention bureau. Generally speaking, they are not allowed in places of public assembly, unless they have been tested and approved by the fire prevention bureau. There are some exceptions, (i.e. a Sterno can under a coffee pot). Provided the fire inspector has been made aware of the flame and any guidelines that the inspector may have made are being followed by the property, they should not present a problem. Candles do provide a certain atmosphere and are in use in many dining areas, restaurants and cafes, or are used during special events. As I said earlier, provided they have been subjected to the testing procedure found in the U.F.C. and approved by the local Fire Department, they should not present any problems. However, there have been times when candles, Sterno cans or other types of open flame have been rejected by the inspector. It varies on a case-by-case basis.

Those using open-flame in their act on-stage or during a pyrotechnic display have a separate set of regulations that they must follow. Insurance, State certification, and permits issued by the local Fire Department are a few examples.

But what if something should happen? What if a regulation was not strictly enforced or perhaps overlooked? How do the people involved in the emergency find their way out of your property?

Under emergency conditions, most people are likely to try to leave the building using the same route they came in by, completely ignoring alternate exiting paths. Panic is contagious and once it starts, known exits may become quickly blocked by a Alog-jam@ of human bodies. Conspicuously marking all exits and having your employees participate in periodic fire drills, help the building occupants to become familiar with all ways out of the building. Employees can then assist guests to leave quickly in emergencies.

Exit signs are installed throughout the building to clearly indicate the direction of progress. If the exit itself is not easily identified, they must be marked by the use of additional signs or perhaps lights. Exits and their corridors must be completely unobstructed at all times. Storage of boxes, racks, Queen Mary=s, room service tables and other items can not be placed in the required width of any exit or exit corridor. Proper illumination must be provided throughout the exit path and be hooked into a emergency power source, such as storage batteries or an on-site generator. Thinking back to the Iroquois Theater fire, the exits there were improperly marked and no fire extinguishers were provided.

In order to slow the spread of fire and smoke throughout the property, fire rated doors are used in exiting paths. These doors must be self or automatic closing at all times. Do not let someone block your door open with wooden blocks nor potted plants, or my favorite, using a fire extinguisher to block open a fire door. If they are properly maintained, these doors will add precious minutes to your escape time. Exit doors must be openable from the inside without having to use a key or special knowledge. Simply turning a knob or pushing a lever must open the door in the direction of exit travel. Remember the Coconut Grove fire? Authorities at the time said more than three hundred lives could have been saved if the doors had opened outward instead of having the two revolving doors at the main entrance.

Over the years, great progress has been made in fire prevention and suppression. Sprinkler systems, alarms, detection devices and awareness have all improved. Still the annual toll in loss of life and monetary damage to properties from fires in Worldwide continues at a high level. Help your property prepare for their next emergency. Develop an in-house fire hazard inspection program, work with your safety committee to eliminate hazards or violations. Prevention of the start of the fire or its= spread is the truest sense of fire prevention.

As always, what you read in my articles in this paper can not cover every situation that may occur at your property. The codes do allow exceptions when approved by the local fire department and codes, ordinances and laws change as needed. Should you have any questions regarding the places of assembly in your property or would like to have a fire inspector take a look at a particular problem area, please give the your local Fire Prevention Bureau a call.

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Created on ... December 02, 2000