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FIRE PROBE
The National Institute of Standards & Technology announced last week that it will undertake an inquiry into the deadly nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I. The work will be done under the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act--a law that authorizes NIST to "assess building performance and emergency response and evacuation procedures in the wake of any building failure that has resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed the potential for substantial loss of life."
The primary objectives of NIST's investigation into the fire that killed 97 people on Feb. 20 include determining the condition of the nightclub prior to the fire; using computer models to reconstruct the fire ignition, spread, and survivability; evaluating whether a sprinkler system would have affected survivability; and analyzing the emergency evacuation. The results may be used to make recommendations for specific changes in building codes, standards, and practices. The decision to investigate was based on the report of two NIST fire experts deployed to the scene within 48 hours of the tragedy. The investigation will be conducted in cooperation with state and local agencies as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. This is the first investigation initiated under NCST since the act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on Oct. 1, 2002, although the ongoing investigation of the World Trade Center disaster was moved under the act after its signing. |
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