Safety improved in MA nightclubs

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of the deadly Rhode Island nightclub fire, that killed 100 people. Ever since this tragedy, Massachusetts has made some changes to safety regulations in over 700 venues.

These changes are all part of the landmark legislation known as the "Massachusetts Fire and Safety Act".

 In 2003, a "Task Force on Building and Fire Safety" was created; it was made up of fire and building officials, club owners, and parents who lost their children in the Rhode Island fire back in 2003. Together, this group produced a report making 34 safety recommendations which include:

• sprinklering existing nightclubs with a capacity of 100 or more;
• sprinklering new nightclubs with a capacity of 50 or more;
• requiring trained crowd managers when clubs are open;
• completion of daily safety checks;
• banning the use of indoor pyrotechnics except under limited circumstances;
• tying liquor license renewal to safety inspections by fire and building officials;
• creating enhanced penalties for violating building and fire codes and for knowingly putting the public at risk, and
• creating a streamlined ticketing system for enforcing fire and building codes.

Since August 2004, those changes were nearly all put into place at clubs across the state.

The hope is that these newer safety regulations can prevent a tragedy, like the one in Rhode Island, from ever happening again.