Flames shoot out from the stage to the sound of ear-splitting rock music, causing a raucous cheer from the crowd. Without warning, those screams turn from enthusiasm to pain - there are people on fire, clothing in flames, igniting everything they touch.
It doesn't take long before everyone realizes this is not part of the act and rush the front door. Panicked, many don't notice the people they are trampling to get there.
By now the ceiling is on fire, too. Crumbling and burning, it begins to fall on the terrified mass of flesh and fabric. The conflagration is everywhere as hundreds of people press against one another. Many have already died, others shriek for their parents, loved ones, friends or God to save them.
Nearly 100 people were killed in a nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., last week, only days after dozens lost their lives in a Chicago establishment. Both involved a panicked and frenzied evacuation, and both should never have happened.
In Chicago, the club was not even allowed to be operating at the time police officers released a pepper spray-like chemical agent into the crowd resulting in deaths from trampling as patrons fled. Two questions that have not been answered persist: first, why did the police feel it necessary to use a weapon designed for riot control indoors in a tightly packed place? Second, what was that club doing open in the first place?
In Rhode Island, the story is equally grim. The rock band Great White was performing at The Station nightclub, when they set off the pyrotechnic display which caused the disaster. The band claims they were given permission to set off the effects, but the club's management flatly denies their assertion. Four other clubs have said they had similar problems with a defiant Great White when the pyrotechnics issue came up. This leads to one simple question: Where was The Station's management in scouting their acts? Furthermore, when the pyrotechnics had previously been a concern, perhaps something in their contract ought to prohibit its use, particularly when management knew that they had no sprinkler system, as well as flammable ceiling tiles.
The second-guessing can and will go on for many months as the investigation continues, and years for the families and friends of the victims. But for everyone else, it's time to take a close look at our own safety when we go out.
Live music is as popular in Buffalo as it is anywhere else in America or Canada, and the venues range from the gigantic, like HSBC Arena or UB's own Alumni Arena, to the intimate, like The Backstage Pub on Pearl Street.
Backstage Pub manager Rodney Tarmley said he believes last week's incidents have caused a change in the way many clubs handle safety issues.
"It was an eye-opener," he said. "Before last week, maybe nine out of 10 didn't announce where emergency exits were."
Tarmley said that henceforth, more emphasis would likely be given to notifying guests where the emergency exits are.
This emphasis on notification must be the only option for venue managers, and one that should not have cost the lives of 118 innocent people. It is deeply troubling that only now the possibility of a panicked rush to a single exit was brought to the attention of the management of these establishments.
"We're the safest establishment in Buffalo," said Emily Kelly, operations manager of the Tralfamadore (Tralf) on Main Street and a UB alumna. "We have three emergency exits, two of which have double doors. In fact, even our curtain is flame retardant."
During performances, she said, two Power Point projectors are on and showing maps that direct the way to the exits for the audience.
The dedication to the safety of its patrons shown by the Tralf must be standard if tragedies are to be avoided in the future. Establishments and event staff absolutely must take responsibility upon themselves to notify guests of exits and emergency procedure should the unexpected occur.
In the end, though, "It is a partnership," said Peggy Abbass, music coordinator for the University Union Activities Board, "between the patron and the venue. The patron must familiarize themselves with where the exits are, and cannot expect to leave the same way they came in."
UUAB, who puts together a number of musical events on campus during the year, has allowed pyrotechnics only once - the last Fall Fest, with LL Cool J and Ja Rule. According to Abbass, they only allow certified professionals to handle the devices, and they are constantly overseen by a fire marshal who makes sure that proper procedure is followed in the setting off of these displays.
UUAB event staff is also given special procedures on how to handle emergency situations as far as leading guests safely out of a place like Alumni Arena, which has many possible exits, if needed.
While these efforts are to be applauded, they are to be expected, too. There is no possible justification for the deaths of the people in Chicago and West Warwick last week. Safety must be a venue's highest priority, and patrons must make themselves aware of the fastest and best way to escape if disaster strikes.
There is no doubt that people affected by these tragedies will not fail to locate emergency exits in the future, nor will nightclubs and other live music venues fail to make these exits accessible from now on. Still, it is staggering that this wisdom had to be purchased by the lives of people now only identifiable through dental records.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
