Gainesville Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Steve Hesson said he has read of several code violations that contributed to deaths in the Oakland blaze, which include a lack of emergency exits, alarms and water sprinklers and people living in the non-residential building.
Hesson, 45, also the city's fire marshal, said the fire department works with Gainesville police and code enforcement to avoid capacity issues at bars, nightclubs and concerts. He said he has no issue evacuating people from a building if it's over capacity as a safety precaution, but hasn't done so in almost six months.
"A lot of people think we exaggerate (the dangers), but we do not," Hesson said.
According to Florida's fire prevention code, the allotted space in a furnished setting is 15 square feet per person. In a standing-room event, such as a concert, the space a person should be able to move is about 7 square feet.
Although the Oakland deaths were not caused by capacity issues, but rather the difficulty in finding exits in a two-story, makeshift-maze arts studio, Hesson said, the warehouse was not intended to hold individuals for large gatherings, as it did the night of the incident. Plus, he said, the building should have had a fire alarm and at least five water sprinklers to warn those inside.
"Whenever those things go off, you don't ask what's going on," he said. "You evacuate."
Exit strategies are not needed solely for fires, Hesson said, referencing the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that left 49 dead. People often leave through the same entrances they used upon arrival and when emergencies happen, people can't find other exits. The exit they do know, he said, becomes congested and can put people in danger.
Hesson said his team has been actively working with business owners to enforce the rules and holds five classes a year with crowd managers to enforce the rules, too, but sometimes owners are unclear about the rules.
Gainesville Fire Rescue has issued three citations for overcrowding this year. The number of warnings is much higher, Hesson said. Fire officials often find that people sneak in or doormen allow people into bars or clubs without properly counting bodies as required, Hesson said. The first offense is a $250 fine and the second, for the same offense, is $500.
"When we check the numbers of what they count at the door, they're under," He said. "But when we count, they're over."
Alachua County's Fire Rescue Chief, Bill Northcutt, said anytime a business is sold or changes its service use, an inspection is made to ensure the building is fit for the intended use. He said the county doesn't experience as many "changes of use" as Gainesville, but often experiences issues with people sleeping in their business buildings.
The city's head of code enforcement, Chris Cooper, said his department issues warnings before fines, in keeping with city policy. Cooper couldn't recall any recently ordered evacuations, but said a lack of fire alarms is a constant battle.
Since Jan. 1, code enforcement has had 35 cases pertaining to smoke/fire detectors in residential properties, six of which are active cases, Cooper wrote in an email. In all of them, inspectors found either too few fire alarms or inoperable alarms. Two of the 35 cases, he wrote, have "running fines until compliance is achieved."
Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe said the city conducts regular fire inspections to avoid such tragedies and the fire department's rating of "two" from the Insurance Services Office should reassure people that the risk of fire deaths here is relatively low. The lower the rating, the better the department, he said.
The city also encourages locals to use 311GNV, an app which allows residents to report everything from overgrown grass to suspicious or dangerous activity.
"It will get to the right department and right person," Poe said.
Although the fire department, GPD and code enforcement can have bars and nightclubs restrict the number of patrons for safety reasons, Hesson said, business owners need to be proactive as well.
"We're not looking to put anyone out of business," he said. "We're just trying to work with the business owner or person to make it safe. It's definitely a delicate balance."
Contact reporter Andrew Caplan at andrew.caplan@gvillesun.com or on Twitter @AACaplan.
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