March 3, 2003—In February, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) called its Technical Committee on Assembly Occupancies to convene in Quincy, Mass., for an immediate review of the safety issues relevant in public assembly buildings.
The review focuses on building safety in light of two deadly nightclub incidents. On February 17, 21 patrons were killed in a crowd crush in Chicago. The second incident occurred on February 20 in Rhode Island where 96 people were killed in a fire.
The issues NFPA is calling for a review of are:
- The minimum thresholds for requiring automatic fire sprinkler protection;
- Allowable interior finish and decorations;
- Adequate egress;
- Exiting arrangements;
- Retroactive application of code requirements; and
- Inspection and permitting.
