Every so often, the unexpected happens. Anyone who enters public assembly buildings needs to be prepared. Before you enter. After you enter. During an emergency.

The Station nightclub fire
A fire at The Station nightclub in W. Warwick, RI, on February 20, 2003, claimed 100 lives and is the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. Since that fire, NFPA has enacted tough new code provisions for fire sprinklers and crowd management in nightclub-type venues. Those provisions mark sweeping changes to the codes and standards governing safety in assembly occupancies.

Related reports from NFPA Journal®:

• Two presentations at the 2007 NFPA conference examine the code changes, research, and legislation related to nightclub fires. (May/June 2007)
• The message of the Texas State Fire Marshal's office to college students is "Have an Exit Strategy." (May/June 2007)
• Experts call for adding fire inspectors, improving their competency, and enlisting engine companies to achieve regular, quality inspections of nightclubs and similar public assembly properties. (March 2004)
• In the year since the fire at The Station, NFPA has made sweeping changes to the codes governing safety in assembly occupancies. (Jan/Feb 2004)
• Experts discuss factors contributing to the tragic loss of life at The Station nightclub and at Chicago's E2 club. (July 2003)

Deadliest public assembly and nightclub fires

• Ten deadliest fires in U.S. history
• Ten deadliest fires outside the U.S. since 1970

NFPA reports

• NFPA Case Study: Nightclub fires (PDF, 3 MB)
  This 2006 case study reviews historic fires in assembly occupancies as well as The Station nightclub fire and the response of NFPA to this tragedy. In addition, changes made in RI and MA as well as an investigation completed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology are summarized.
• "U.S. Fires in Selected Occupancies: Eating and Drinking Establishments" (PDF, 164 KB) , February 2007
  Includes restaurants, cafeterias or diners, nightclubs or dinner theaters, taverns, and lunchrooms, snack bars, or fast food facilities excluding delicatessens.

More resources

• Watch a NIST video that recreates The Station nightclub fire in a real-scale environment.
• Final NIST Rhode Island Nightclub Fire Report (June 2005)
• Information on the inspection of assembly occupancies (PDF, 2.2 MB) from the eighth edition of NFPA's Fire and Life Safety Inspection Manual . Provides the basis for ongoing inspections of existing buildings regardless of use or occupancy. Also download an inspection checklist for assembly occupancies (PDF, 48 KB)which can be used as the basis for inspection if a jurisdiction does not otherwise have a prepared list available.
• Chapter 3, Codes and Standards for the Built Environment (PDF, 241 KB) from the 19th edition of NFPA's Fire Protection Handbook. Provides information about the history and role of regulations in the built environment, standards organizations, and enforcement, along with information about standards developing organizations, both nationally and internationally.