Digital Extra: The Station Fire

On the revised list, 44 clubs must also install alarms that automatically notify the fire department of an emergency.

01:00 AM EST on Friday, December 31, 2004

BY MARK ARSENAULT
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- More inspections by the state fire marshal's office have trimmed the list of Rhode Island nightclubs that need sprinklers by more than 20 percent: from 95 clubs named by the marshal two weeks ago, to 74 clubs in a revised list issued this week.

Of those 74 clubs that need sprinklers under the new state fire code, 44 must also install alarms that automatically notify the fire department of an emergency, according to Fire Marshal Irving J. Owens.

The Journal on Dec. 16 published the marshal's list of 177 Rhode Island businesses that fit the legal definition of nightclub -- essentially a place of assembly with entertainment, that makes most of its money on beverages and cover charges, rather than food. Owens' list was broken down into categories, identifying nightclubs that needed sprinklers, alarms or both under the fire code passed after The Station disaster of 2003.

A number of business owners complained to the marshal's office that they did not belong on his list, or were listed in the wrong category. After his office investigated the complaints, and completed inspections of other borderline cases, the marshal pared the list of Rhode Island businesses that fit the legal definition of nightclub by 17 -- to 160 clubs, Owens said.

The original list had been compiled from information from local fire departments and reports of state inspectors. Inspectors had leaned toward including borderline cases in the original list, Owens said. A few more changes are possible, he said.

In addition to the clubs that need sprinklers, 13 clubs that meet the sprinkler requirement must install municipally connected fire alarms -- the same number as on the original list.

The marshal's survey found that 73 nightclubs currently meet both the sprinkler and fire alarm requirements in the code.

The list does not include large theaters that could come under the sprinkler law. Owens has said that his office is concentrating first on nightclubs, and promised that "all the others will be addressed accordingly."

The Station nightclub fire, on Feb. 20, 2003, killed 100 people, injured about 200 and provoked an overhaul of the state's fire code.

Places of assembly with occupancies above the threshold of 300 patrons will probably need sprinklers under the law. A lower threshold of 150 patrons applies to businesses that fit the legal definition of a nightclub. Nightclubs with maximum occupancies of between 150 and 300 people have until July 1, 2006, to install sprinklers. Larger places of assembly are to install sprinklers by next July.

In the 2004 legislative session, the General Assembly gave the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review the authority to push the sprinkler deadlines as far back as 2008.

Owens said yesterday that the state may need a better way to define nightclubs that is not based predominantly on the ratio of food and beverage sales. Fire inspectors are not accountants, and business owners don't always have instant access to recent revenue numbers, he said.

"I'm talking to the governor's office now to see what in the law should be changed or tweaked," he said.

Fire marshal's list of nightclubs

As of Tuesday, 160 nightclubs in Rhode Island were inspected by local fire departments or were the subject of a nighttime operational survey by the Rhode Island Division of State Fire Marshal. Below is a list of those establishments, revised by the fire marshal since the original list published two weeks ago.

A: Comply with both sprinkler system and fire alarm requirements -- 73.

B: Need both a sprinkler system and municipally connected fire alarm system -- 44.

C: Need sprinkler system -- 30.

D: Need a municipally connected fire alarm system -- 13.

BRISTOL

A. Judge Roy Bean's, 1 State St.

A. Gillary's Tavern, 18 Thames St.

A. J.G. Goff's, 251 Thames St.

A. Elbow Room, 29 State St.

A. Common Pub, 421 Wood St.

C. Topside Lounge, 805 Hope St.

BURRILLVILLE

A. Casa Fernandes, 299 Spring Lake Rd.

A. Tuffy's Bar and Grill, 1120 Victory Highway

B. Village Barn, 953 Victory Highway

B. Bella, 1992 Victory Highway

CENTRAL FALLS

A. Casey Club, 20 Claremont St.

A. Tropicana Club, 134 Cowden St.

A. Mill River Club, 51 Central St.

C. Lefebvre Post, 416 Hunt St.

COVENTRY

B. Coventry VFW, 29 S. Main St.

B. Kim Holly's, 17 Sandy Bottom Rd.

CRANSTON

A. Mardi Gras, 1500 Oaklawn Ave.

A. Rhodes on-the-Pawtuxet, 60 Rhodes Place

A. Shark's Bar and Grill, 505 Atwood Ave.

A. West End Cafe, 39 Phenix Ave.

CUMBERLAND

A. Valley View Pub, 46 Carpenter St.

B. Drop Zone, Mendon Road

C. Blackstone Nightclub, 131 Mendon Rd.

EAST GREENWICH

A. The Harborside, 38-40 Water St.

EAST PROVIDENCE

A. Bovi's Tavern, 209 Taunton Ave.

A. 133 Club, 22 Warren Ave.

A. 305 Club, 305 Lyon Ave.

A. Merrill Lounge, 535 North Broadway

B. Comedy Connection, 39 Warren Ave.

GLOCESTER

A. Pinewood Pub, 16 Terry Lane

A. White Horse Sports Pub, 812 Putnam Pike

JAMESTOWN

C. P.A.C., 138 Narragansett Ave.

C. Narragansett Cafe, 25 Narragansett Ave.

C. Conanicut Yacht Club, 40 Bay View Drive

C. Rec Center, 41 Conanicus Ave.

JOHNSTON

B. South Beach, 200 George Waterman Rd.

B. Silvio's, 133 Greenville Ave.

B. Playoffs, 1200 Hartford Ave.

C. 1025 Club, 1025 Plainfield St.

LINCOLN

C. LaCabana, 141 Reservoir Ave.

NARRAGANSETT

A. Village Inn, 1 Beach St.

A. Black Point, 11 Burnside Ave.

A. Bon Vue Inn, 1230 Ocean Rd.

A. Dunes Club, 137 Boston Neck Rd.

A. George's, 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd.

A. The Wheelhouse, 294 Great Island Rd.

A. The Towers, 35 Ocean Rd.

A. Coast Guard House, 40 Ocean Rd.

C. Okie's, 140 Point Judith Rd.

C. Lighthouse, 307 Great Is1and Rd.

C. Ocean Club, 360 South Pier Rd.

D. Finbacks, 33 State St.

NEW SHOREHAM

A. Ballards, Water Street

A. The National Hotel, Water Street

C. Captain Nick's, Ocean Avenue

C. Club Soda, Connecticut Avenue

C. Spring House, Spring Street

C. Yellow Kittens, Corn Neck Road

NEWPORT

A. Christies of Newport, 351 Thames St.

A. One Pelham East, 270 Thames St.

A. The Landing, 30 Bowens Wharf

A. Rhino Bar and Grill

B. Elks Club, 141 Pelham St.

B. The Garden, 206 Thames St.

B. The Boat Dockside, 25 Waites Wharf

B. Jimmy's Saloon, 37 Memorial Blvd.

B. Riverbelle/On the Rocks, 8 Broadway

D. Clark Cooke House, 26 Bannisters Wharf

D. Newport Blues Cafe, 286 Thames St.

NORTH KINGSTOWN

A. Gilian's Ale House, 6835 Post Rd.

B. Red Rock Bar and Grille, 6105 Post Rd.

C. Wickford Tavern, 235 Tower Hill Rd.

C. All American Bar and Grille, 7570 Post Rd.

PAWTUCKET

A. Club 2000, 329 Barton St.

B. Macondo, 242 Middle St.

B. Mingo's, 473 Mineral Spring Ave.

B. K.C.'s Tap, 530 Broadway

C. German Hall, 78 Carter Ave.

D. Tommy's Lounge, 99 India St.

PORTSMOUTH

B. Common Fence Point Community Hall, 933 Anthony Rd.

C. Steel Horse Saloon, 506 Park Ave.

PROVIDENCE

A. Dark Lady, 124 Snow St.

A. Nobody's, 18 Bassett St.

A. Hot Club, 575 S. Water St.

A. Mirage, 90 Summer St.

A. Royal Roost, 1 Sabin St.

A. DeJaVue, 101 Richmond St.

A. Keg Room, 101 Richmond St.

A. Olives, 108 N. Main St.

A. Ultra, 172 Pine St.

A. The Complex, 180 Pine St.

A. Desperados, 180 Pine St.

A. The Strand, 181 Washington St.

A. The Living Room, 23 Rathbone St.

A. Kamp, 235 Promenade St.

A. Personal Service, 257 Allens Ave.

A. Fantasies, 28 Sims Ave.

A. Mirabar, 35 Richmond St.

A. Cadillac Lounge, 361 Charles St.

A. RiRa, 50 Exchange St.

A. Challenges, 50 Pine St.

A. Gallery Insane, 7 Dike St.

A. Jovans, 7 Portland St.

A. Club Baby Head, 73 Richmond St.

A. Giza, 95 Hartford Ave.

A. Restaurant Prov, 99 Chestnut St.

B. Mediterraneo, 134 Atwells Ave.

B. Club Mambo, 1070 Broad St.

B. LaFrangancia, 1206 Broad St.

B. Remi's, 203 Westminster St.

B. Patrick's Pub, 381 Smith St.

B. Eagles, 383 Admiral St.

B. Bevo, 566 S. Main St.

B. Elmhurst Pub, 670 Smith St.

B. Babylon, 679 Valley St.

B. Snubs, 887 N. Main St.

B. The Bar, 93-95 Clemence St.

B. El Danubio, 971 Broad St.

C. Sportsman's Inn, 122 Fountain St.

C. Foxy Lady, 318 Chalkstone Ave.

C. Fish Company, 515 S. Main St.

D. Cheaters, 245 Allens Ave.

D. Snookers, 145 Clifford St.

D. The Call, 15 Elbow St.

D. Platforms, 165 Poe St.

D. Jerkey's, 71 Richmond St.

D. Club Hell, 73 Richmond St.

D. Pulse, 86 Crary St.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN

B. Larchwood Inn, 521 Main St.

B. Ocean Mist, 895A Matunuck Beach Rd.

D. Danny B's, 733 Kingstown Rd.

TIVERTON

B. Lil Bear Lounge, 983 Main Rd.

WARWICK

A. Barry's, 1473 Warwick Ave.

A. Sports View Lounge, 170 Jefferson Blvd.

A. Dave's Bar and Grill, 2339 Post Rd.

A. Boston Billiards, 33 Lambert Lind Hwy.

B. Rocky Point Pub, 1705 West Shore Rd.

B. Harp and Shamrock, 557 Warwick Ave.

B. ShaNaNa's, 731 Airport Rd.

C. Paragon, 1149 Division St.

C. Copperfields, 1551 Warwick Ave.

C. Rebar, 2299 Post Rd.

WESTERLY

A. Andrea Hotel, 89 Atlantic Ave.

A. Venice Restaurant, 165 Shore Rd.

B. Knickerbockers, 35 Railroad Ave.

B. White Rock Inn, 105 White Rock Rd.

B. Sandy's Lighthouse, 148 Atlantic Ave.

C. Watch Hill Inn, 38 Bay St.

C. Paddy's, 153-159 At1antic Ave.

WEST WARWICK

B. Portuguese American Sports Pub, 21 Bridge St.

B. West Warwick Lodge of Elks, 60 Clyde St.

B. Cowesett Inn, 226 Cowesett Ave.

B. Phenix Sportsmen's Club, 715 Main St.

C. Holy Ghost Society, 11 Ventura St.

C. West Valley Inn, 4 Blossom St.

D. Evelyn's Villa, 272 Cowesett Ave.

WOONSOCKET

A. Huggies, 33 Arnold St.

A. K2U, 579 Front St.

A. Box Seats, 350 River St.

A. Boilermakers, 81 Allen St.