[Kate Parker Adams]

I'm sure most of you have heard about the Rhode Island nightclub fire last 
night, as well as the stampede in Chicago over the weekend.  The latest 
death toll in Rhode Island is 96 dead, 34 critically injured.

Since most of us powderworkers go to clubs several times a year or more and 
a few here even get to take the stage, I think a NMOC public service thread 
is in order.

I clipped the info below from a Boston Globe online article - it discusses 
personal safety in a nightclub setting.  Of course there is sometimes 
little you can do about a bad situation - but knowing where the emergency 
exits are can make the difference between life and death when time is 
short.  If anyone has anything to add here, please go ahead.

I'm just thankful the Oils wouldn't be so wreckless and stupid as Great 
White was with their pyrotechnics in an old firetrap.

In safety,
Kate

Excerpted from the Boston Globe 
http://boston.com/news/daily/21/nightclub_safety.htmSafety

Experts said there are few good options for people caught in a panicked 
crowd; the best advice, they said, is to avoid getting into a stampede in 
the first place.

"People need to take ownership of their safety," said Division Chief 
Theodore Saunders of the Baltimore Fire Department. "Look around, identify 
where the exits are."

Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Harold Hairston said nightclub and theater 
patrons should not only formulate an exit plan but also be prepared to 
telephone authorities if they see something at the venue that looks unsafe. 
He said his department is ready to dispatch inspectors for spot checks.

Gary Keith urged people to react swiftly if they sense something is amiss.
"If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't right," he said. "Move toward 
the exit immediately, in an orderly fashion. You can always come back in 
later."