Following the fire in North Macedonia, that fatally injured 59 people and injured another 155 in a nightclub, the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) has pointed out that the automatic fire sprinkler systems are the only active part of fire protection measures installed in a building that have the ability to control and contain a fire before the arrival of the fire department.
The NFSA has discussed how when all other fire prevention and fire protection deficiencies are overcome by the fire, partners in protection are all that is left. They have also explained the comparison between the fire in North Macedonia and the Station Nightclub fire in America, which occurred in Rhode Island in February of 2003.
Fire sprinklers and firefighters are partners in protection; mitigating the impact of fire on occupants, building owners, communities and firefighters.
Containing the fire to the object or area where it starts is the best way to save lives and protect property. This preserves business continuity, maintains economic viability, reduces the risk to firefighters and reduces the impact to the environment for all communities.
The NFSA has expressed its sympathy for the victims of the North Macedonia fire and hopes that this tragedy will serve as a reminder that we must stay vigilant in our efforts to retrofit occupancies like these in the United States. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 provides a tax incentive for building owners to retrofit their buildings with fire sprinklers.
NFSA President, Shane Ray commented: “I was a fire lieutenant in Brentwood, TN when the Station Night Club happened. I remember almost every fire department in America with a nightclub in its community put fire departments on inspection duty to ensure that didn’t happen there.
“Six months later, very few fire departments did company inspections of those occupancies.
“Over 20 years later, the codes and standards are now under attack more than I’ve ever experienced in my career because political decisions are being made on codes and standards that ignore the proven process of code development and fail to listen to input from fire officials that are still active in the process.”
Rob Feeney, a survivor of the Station Nightclub Fire and now an Onset Fire Department Captain and Common Voices Advocate shared: “As a survivor of The Station Nightclub Fire, tragedies like this take us back to that moment that we lost so much.
“We have worked so hard with our advocacy efforts, and we continue to fight to raise awareness of the importance of codes, standards and the installation of fire sprinklers.”
The NFSA has discussed the fire in a nightclub in North Macedonia and how this compares to the 2003 Rhode Island fire in Station Nightclub. They have addressed the importance of automatic fire sprinkler systems and how they are a partner in protection to firefighters
