Ten years after the Station Nightclub Tragedy, I look back on the editorial I wrote the month of the fire, which remains suitable today.

As a Rhode Island resident I can’t seem to move away from the tragic fire at the Station on February 20. We’re inundated with expanded coverage on extended newscasts, along with breaking accounts. Plus everyone just plain wants to talk about it, in part because it seems like all of us knew someone who was in the club that night (hey it’s a small state).

If we can take anything away from this catastrophe (and one has to hope we can) it is a lesson to be vigilant when entering a venue. Look around when you enter a club and familiarize yourself with the emergency exits so you can care for yourself and others in the event that a dire situation arises. I have to admit that I’ve never done this before but I will going forward.
The metal community is not unlike our own. It has a strong grassroots scene and receives minimal recognition from the mainstream. Plus, above all else it thrives on live music (you have to dig that).

Also, while you’re sending your thoughts out to victims, families and friends, you can also help in a tangible way: give blood. Remember, it’s a wheel…

Later days and peace,
Dean

P.S. from 2013- I just read, Killer Show a rather exhaustive account of the fire, its causation and the efforts of the victims to find answers (and compensation). Here’s the book’s website.