Published Saturday, February 22, 2003
By Mike Roknick
Thursday night's tragic fire at a Rhode Island nightclub, which is being blamed on a pyrotechnic display, could easily have been avoided had fire and licensing regulations been followed, said the co-owner of an area fireworks company.
"This didn't have to happen,'' said Michael J. Fox, co-owner of Pyrotecnico Inc. of New Castle. "Indoor pyrotechnics can be done very safely when the event has been properly permitted by a local authority.''
Club officials said Friday that the special effects were used without permission. Rock band Great White's performance was accompanied by a pyrotechnic display, which witnesses said shot sparks toward the ceiling and ignited the roof and walls. Singer Jack Russell said the band's manager checked with the club before the show and the use of pyrotechnics was approved.
While the club recently passed a fire inspection, it didn't have a city permit for pyrotechnics, said the fire chief in West Warwick, where the club was located. That alone, said Fox, a former firefighter, should have stopped the fireworks display.
With his company conducting more than 100 indoor pyrotechnic displays annually, Fox said he was stunned that anyone would have attempted a display at the nightclub.
"Rhode Island has one of the nation's strictest permitting requirements for pyrotechnics. It's amazing this happened,'' Fox said.
Almost all states have regulations governing outdoor and indoor pyrotechnics by using the National Fire Protection Association's code. Under the code, the company or individual shooting off the fireworks must obtain a permit from a local authority, usually a fire department.
"You have a meeting with the local authority at the venue where the pyrotechnics is going to be and you discuss exactly what products you're going to use and where,'' Fox said.
Discussions always lead to ceiling height and how high the sparkles or flames from the display will shoot.
"If a fire marshal isn't familiar with the product you're using, he'll ask you to conduct a test before he'll issue a permit,'' Fox said. "If you have a 10-foot ceiling, you want to make sure the sparkles only go up 5 feet.''
In addition to ensuring that a presenter has the required insurance, a fire marshal will review the building's exits, Fox said, and nightclub and theater owners must document that any curtains near the stage are made of fire-resistant material.
"Whenever you have pyrotechnics inside, there's a different set of rules for evacuation,'' Fox said.
From watching videotape of the event on TV, Fox said he believes whoever set off the flame-projection device was using propane rather than a powder- based material. The powder is similar to reloading rifle powder, which burns almost instantly, like "magic dust'' used by magicians. By contrast, propane gives off far more intensive heat and burns much longer.
"It looked to me like they were using propane - those things looked like they burned forever,'' Fox said. "It looked to me like it hit the ceiling and spread. Once the ceiling caught fire it's going to go right up through the building.''
Fox noted that sparkle fireworks also are indoor and outdoor specific. Outdoor sparkles have cheap metal filings that burn very hot for a long time; indoor sparkles use titanium filings that burn quickly and emit less smoke, but are much more expensive.
"Some people try to take the outdoor ones and bring them inside because they're cheaper,'' Fox said.
Known as the "Fireworks Capital of the United States,'' New Castle is also home to Zambelli Internationale Fireworks. Owner George Zambelli said his company methodically plans any fireworks event, particularly when it's indoors.
"We're very cautious, we only use tested products and work with the local fire department,'' Zambelli said.
While fireworks have been around for hundreds of years, the use of indoor pyrotechnics is relatively new. It has gained a following in the last 20 years. It's too early to say what impact Thursday's fire will have on the industry, Fox said.
"There's a bunch of nervous phone calls flowing around, but I haven't had any cancellations yet,'' he said. "It's not fair to say indoor fireworks aren't safe. There's thousands of shows done every year with no problem - but they're done by the book.''