Sorry if I seemed one sided. I do agree that each person has the responsibility for themselves in regards to safety. That is one of the reasons I don't patronize those establishments any longer.

With that said, however, we need to remember that the majority of people are not in the survival mind set. Most people flock to a crowd by nature and then bend to peer pressure, and the crowd mentality to the point where their safety in peril. I am sure that the videographer (who happened to be focused on club safety) was viewed as an odd duck by the audience as he fled out the door at the early stage of the fire. It is for reasons like this that many fire safety codes (and other laws) are enacted; to protect people from themselves. You and I may not need them but a lot of people do.


Personally, I hope that this event will cause a closer scrutiny of the laws affecting fire protection devices such as sprinklers and automatic ventilation systems in older buildings. These regulations seem to keep this equipment out of the buildings that need them the most.

Chris