01:00 AM EST on Thursday, February 26, 2004

PROVIDENCE -- The state fire marshal's office, which had seen its staff dwindle prior to The Station fire, would gain five fire inspectors under Governor Carcieri's 2005 budget proposal.

When the West Warwick nightclub fire broke out on Feb. 20, 2003, the office had authorization for 21 full-time positions, but just 14 people were on the job. Since then, Carcieri has filled those vacancies, and six new jobs were added in the budget for the fiscal year ending in 2004.

Now, the governor is recommending an additional $232,781 to hire five more inspectors, which would give the office 32 staff members. "Governor Carcieri recognizes that in the wake of The Station fire, it is critical to ensure we have enough personnel at the state fire marshal's office to protect public safety," spokesman Jeff Neal said.

Fire Marshal Irving J. Owens said the additional inspectors would allow the office to begin inspecting clubs at night to see if they are exceeding legal capacities. Until now, the office has not had enough staff to do unannounced spot checks during clubs' peak hours, he said. Besides checking on nightclubs, the new hires "will do all general inspections and help individual cities and towns when they run into trouble," he said.

-- EDWARD FITZPATRICK