Safe clubs, safe crowds

City Newspaper wasn’t at the
recent meeting between public officials and concerned nightclub owners. And
most nightclub owners we followed up with wouldn’t speak on the record. Even
the one elected official we’ve spoken with about the meeting preferred
anonymity.

            But the elected official said the “big issue” tackled at the meeting was the city’s
aggressive efforts to mobilize fire-safety inspection units to conduct random
“license premises checks.”

            In response to the deadly February
20 fire in a Rhode Island nightclub, Rochester’s fire department has stepped up
its presence in local bars. This has been a source of comfort for some club
owners. To others, it’s simply a hassle. But, asks the elected official we
spoke with, “How can you argue with the Fire Marshall making sure places are
safe?”

            Fire officials maintained their
increased details in local clubs for about a month after the Rhode Island fire,
and “caught some legitimate things which the owners have rectified,” says the
elected official.

            During their visits, inspectors
checked operating licenses, exit access, and overall building safety. But their
“big issue,” says Rochester Fire Department Captain Dan McBride, is making sure
the clubs don’t exceed occupancy limits.

            The elected official breaks it down
this way: “They’ve [fire inspectors] been coming out to do premises checks when
the places are hoppin’. And some of the club owners feel that if they’re
checking licenses, they can come at 3 or 4 in the afternoon.” They’d rather the
inspections occur when it’s not so busy.

            But Milestones owner Mike O’Leary,
the only club owner willing to speak on the record, understands the fire department’s
approach.

            “If you’re going to come in and
check occupancy, when are you going to do it? At 10 in the morning?”

            According to McBride, the random
visits are a necessary response to a frequently random industry. For example:
Deliveries will be left in hallways that were previously clear. A club moves
furniture for a dance floor and blocks an exit. Happy-hour bands set up in
clubs that don’t have bandstands, and inadvertently obstruct exits.

            “After Rhode Island, a number of
clubs contacted us because they were interested in getting the message out that
their places were safe relative to the building,” McBride says.

            Nobody seems to argue with this. But
occupancy is another issue, and some club owners stress the realities of their
business. Even when risking a fine.

            “I’m more conscious of being caught
than actually going over my capacity,” says one owner.

            “If we all had to stick to our
occupancy every night,” says another club owner, “we’d be out of business.”

            McBride doesn’t see it that way.

            “There’s been a big push in recent
years to develop a nightlife here,” he says. “All you need are a couple of bad
situations and you’re killing a big industry in the city.”

This article appears in May 21-27, 2003.