Stop, drop and roll shouldn’t be the newest dance craze.
A deadly fire at a Brazil nightclub last week cast fire safety into the spotlight, but students and local residents can feel secure in that Gainesville clubs must uphold rules set by Gainesville Fire Rescue.
Brazil’s Kiss nightclub had expired fire and municipal licenses, only had one exit and was over capacity by hundreds of people. That, in addition to a pyrotechnic display, are thought to be the causes of a deadly inferno that took the lives of nearly 240 people.
In Gainesville, though, all clubs are required to undergo an annual inspection from the fire department in addition to unannounced night inspections from department officials, said JoAnne Rice, assistant fire chief at Gainesville Fire Rescue.
During night inspections, officials check if the club is keeping track of how many people are coming in and out and if bouncers know what their occupant load is. They also check if all emergency lighting works and if all exits are accessible.
Clubs are also required to train their employees through the fire department to become crowd managers. Crowd managers are taught how to plan and execute an evacuation in case of an emergency while also handling people in the club.
“In case of an emergency, we want people to be able to get out – it’s imperative,” Rice said. “Overcrowding leads to imminent danger.”
Rice said once the club has 50 people present, it needs a crowd manager. An extra crowd manager must be present for every additional 250 people.
In a nightclub or bar the ratio is one person per seven square feet. When sitting at a bar, the ratio decreases to one person per 18 square inches, Rice said.
Simons Nightclub general manager Mike Paper said Simons is undergoing a construction project to broaden the passageway and add an additional room, raising the club’s capacity by 200 people.
“Some of our decisions here were affected by the Brazil disaster,” Paper said.
Establishments are required to have a minimum of two exits. Larger clubs like Simons have more than 10 exits to accommodate crowds.
Spannk and 2nd Street Speakeasy, both owned by Danny Robinson, have at least two outdoor exits, along with a hallway that connects the two clubs.
Additional fire safety precautions include an approved safety plan by the fire marshal. Every six months, the clubs are fire treated, which makes fabrics inside the club fire-retardant.
“You’ve got to, if you don’t, then something like [Brazil] can happen. It’s horrific,” Robinson said.
