Fla. Firefighters, Club Owners Brace For Spring Break in Panama City Beach

March 05--PANAMA CITY BEACH -- As Spring Break begins, local fire officials and business owners are taking a fresh look at their safety procedures.

Last month brought a grim reminder about the cost of failure to adequately prepare for an emergency, said Capt. Joe Cocco of the Panama City Beach Fire Department. On Feb. 20, 2003, a nightclub in Rhode Island was featuring the band Great White when the club went up in flames because of a problem with the band's pyrotechnics, killing 100 people. Hundreds more were severely burned. Just two months ago, more than 200 people died in a similar fire at a nightclub in Brazil.

Cocco said there was a series of problems in both clubs that led to the death toll. In both instance,s club owners had placed noise-reducing -- but highly flameable -- foam insulation around the ceiling and walls, Cocco said. There were too few exits -- the Brazil club had only one -- and no one had a plan to get people out. Video from inside the nightclub during the fire shows the blaze burned for some time before the concertgoers realized there was a problem.

"In less than five minutes those people were seriously in trouble," Cocco said.

Local club owners such as Patrick Pfeffer, the owner of Club La Vela, say the club has safety measures in place to prevent a tragic fire.

"A fire of the magnitude of the one that occurred at the nightclub in Brazil ... is very unlikely to happen at a place like Club La Vela," Pfeffer wrote in an email to The News Herald. "Not only are we operating under very strict safety guidelines that prohibit any kind of open flame -- so indoor pyrotechnics like they had in the Brazil for example are a big no-no -- but we also have a fire warning system that automatically turns off the sound in all the rooms and voice-guides people to the nearest fire exits. Those exits are numerous, easy to identify, always open and well lit even in the event of a power outage."

Cocco said measures like these can and will prevent a tragedy, but clubgoers also must take responsibility for their personal safety. He urged club patrons to have a plan to escape the building, have a place to meet up with friends or family if you are separated and remain aware of crowd size.

"Does the club feel overcrowded to them? Does it feel like a can of sardines?" Cocco said. "That should be your first indication that might not be a safe place to be. You gotta use good common sense."

Fires aren't the only concern at a nightclub; all too often people do foolish things with guns. Pfeffer wrote that along with fire safety, club officials work hard to keep weapons out.

"We take serious precautions to keep our patrons safe by providing parking lot security teams that roam around all night to prevent loitering and other problems. Additionally, all patrons who enter the club are checked at the door not just for guns, but for anything that could be used as a weapon, including brass knuckles, pocketknives or anything else that's sharp or dangerous," Pfeffer wrote. "During the busy season, Club La Vela always has visible off-duty and on-duty police on site."

The police protection serves two purposes, Pfeffer added.

"First, it let's people know that the police are right there and have a strong presence on property," he wrote. "Second, having police right there facilitates easy arrests in case someone breaks the law. This alone, I think, will make people think twice before doing something stupid."

LEARN MORE

The Panama City Beach Fire Department offers free training for business owners on fire safety. For more information call 233-5120.