Great White & The fire at "Station Night Club"
Here is an e-mail we received about the band Great White.
My brother is a survivor of the Station Nightclub Fire. On his way to the concert that night, he said to his wife, "This place is an accident waiting to happen. Somebody is going to get hurt in there someday." He believed that it was a fire trap, but of course, he had no idea how bad. Ninety nine people died in the fire that night.
Now, many people are pointing fingers at the band, Great White, and there is no denying their responsibility. They stupidly allowed indoor fireworks to be used in a too small room by an unlicensed person. Many survivors and their families share this one belief- what did you expect from a heavy metal band? They're not known for their brains. Besides, they may have caused the fire, but if the club had been up to code, nobody would have been hurt.
Why did the building become a fireball within 3 minutes? Two reasons: Jeffrey and Michael Derderian. Their fatal greed is the sole cause of death in that fire. Much like Lizzie Grubman's feelings that she was above all laws, the Derderians believed that they were as well. Unfortunately, the courts seem to agree with them, so it is up to the people to show them morality until they understand right from wrong- only then can their own consciences begin to punish them for their crimes.
I will carefully separate fact from opinion here, but this is the list of crimes committed by the Derderians.
FACT: Michael Derderian was a certified and practicing insurance agent. In spite of that, the club that he and his brother owned for over two years had never carried worker's compensation insurance as mandated by state law. Not ever, not for any employee.
FACT: Jeffrey Derderian was also a local news reporter on television. While working at Boston Channel 7, he did a story about egg crate mattress covers and their dangers. In the story that aired, he said that the stuff was dangerously flammable and should not even be used in pillows or bedding. He referred to the material as, "solid gasoline." The material was used as soundproofing around the stage of his club and was installed while he was the club's owner. The company that sold him the material claims that it was clearly marked flammable and that non-flammable egg crate material was available for about twice as much, or $500-$1,000 more. The flammable egg crates burned as fast as gasoline and produced a toxic, black smoke. The Derderians refused to tell hospital officials what was in the club, hindering treatment of severe lung injuries to hundreds of survivors- because of legal reasons.
FACT: The club painted the hanging ceiling tiles in the club black for ambiance. They used a highly flammable tar substance to paint the tiles. This tar burned like gasoline and dripped, burning, onto anyone underneath, like napalm. OPINION: Ceiling tile is very difficult to paint. It absorbs the paint quickly and requires many, many coats. Tar would not be so easily absorbed, and an unscrupulous man might paint the tiles with tar to save time and money on paint.
FACT: The club was required by law to have sprinklers, but did not. There was some confusion about this initially, but at the time the club changed from a restaurant to a nightclub, the so-called "grandfather laws" that the Derderians are trying to hide behind no longer applied. Experienced fire protection persons recognized this fact immediately- it is a common and in no way obscure law regarding "change of occupancy."
FACT: An employee that escaped took the cash box. Jeffrey Derderian took the box from her and went around the back of the building. The box was found empty the next day.
FACT: The club had had issues with overcrowding in the past. Codes allowed the building to have about 400 people inside, if all tables and chairs were removed. The club advertised an occupancy of 550. UNSUBSTANTIATED: Some indications are that the club even exceeded the 550 limit it set for itself. On the night of the fire, some of the people had actual concert tickets. By the time my brother's friends bought their tickets, they were issued business cards that said "Ticket" on the back. By the time my brother decided to attend, he was only able to get a piece of an old flyer from a previous show with the word "Ticket" on it. 99 people died and 185 were hospitalized that night. There is no way of knowing how many escaped and were not hospitalized. Some estimates range as low as 300 (the club owners) and as high as 700 people attended the concert.
FACT: The club had hosted other bands who had pyrotechnic displays- some larger. Some claim that it was common knowledge that the club allowed pyrotechnics. Photos of the fire show several large boxes, clearly labeled "explosives," and the setup was done in the presence of club management.
What am I hoping to accomplish by writing this to you? I'd like to see the Derderians join Lizzie in the notoriety spotlight. I went on national television after the fire- while my brother's survival was far from certain and before any of this information came to light- and announced that I had no ill-feelings for the Derderians or the band. I believed that it was a horrible accident. I still feel that way about the band, but the Derderians are corporate white trash who deserve to suffer for their sins- death is far too good for them, they need to spend more than a lifetime trying to atone for the blood on their hands.
