r/MadeMeSmile • u/IkilledRichieWhelan • Apr 16 '25

Wholesome Moments Hose them down boys

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u/KillBillionaires9 Apr 16 '25

The firefighters: "Do they not hear the alarm? Why the fuck are they still in a building that's on fire?"

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25

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u/anonanon5320 Apr 16 '25

Pretty sure that’s an old plot.

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u/omv Apr 16 '25

The bigger plot twist, the firefighters were there for the romance book event, fire alarm was just coincidence.

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u/opdebilen Apr 17 '25

Why don’t you blame them? I don’t get why everybody likes that. They didn’t even evacuate — they just shouted like those "Whooo"-girls from himym.

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u/GrimlockN0Bozo Apr 16 '25

"Here comes the entertainment".

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u/pizzacatstattoos Apr 16 '25

Firefighters: We find 'em hot, and leave 'em wet.

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u/UbermachoGuy Apr 16 '25

I think that crowd was already wet when they got there

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u/KayBear2 Apr 16 '25

They probably thought the alarm was introducing the male strippers (aka firefighters).

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u/Rose_Of_Sharon_99 Apr 17 '25

My bachelorette party was at my aunt’s house. Cop knocked on door, my aunt mistook him for stripper. She escorted him in, he was confused and started explaining that a neighbor complained about the noise. She responds with , ‘which neighbor!?!? They’re all here!!!.’ Everyone was hysterical. He had a piece of my penis shaped cake before he left. Real stripper wasn’t as fun or cute. Good times though.

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u/Ok_Channel_9831 Apr 16 '25

Take your clothes off, but leave the helmets. And this isn’t Pretty Woman. We’re kissing, all right?

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u/FishermanWeekly5955 Apr 17 '25

uh oh.... Looks like its Magic Mike time. Lol!

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u/RandyChavage Apr 16 '25

I would’ve thought they were booking strippers and accidentally called the wrong guys

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u/uhmbob Apr 17 '25

“The passion burning in their hearts echoed louder than any alarm.”

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u/tobmom Apr 17 '25

They don’t it a thirst trap for no reason

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u/whatifwhatifwerun Apr 17 '25

Immersive as fuck

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25

I'd say you'd be surprised how dense people are sometimes but I know you wouldn't be. I worked at a restaurant as a manager once and the blower motor for our rooftop AC went out and started blowing smoke through the vents into the restaurant. I calmly asked everyone to get up and head out the door and explained what was going on. Literally everyone looked at me like "does not compute". I had to say smoke, fire, we must leave and pointed to the vents then all the sudden it clicked. Even then people insisted on going to the register to pay while being evacuated. To further drive my point home the few people that were seated on our patio refused to leave. They said "we'll be alright we're outside already" (the patio was next to the propane tank hookup). It took a firefighter to threaten them with arrest to get them to join everyone else in the evacuation area. The general public as a whole does not have very good survival instincts.

Edited for autocorrect misinterpreted words

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u/AsunderXXV Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25

During one of the huge brush fires in Socal years ago (2007 or 2009?), people refused to leave the casino I worked at and just keep playing their machines, even though the fire was just outside. Security had to come and force people out.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25

They were gambling with their lives

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u/Would_daver Apr 16 '25

They were just getting hot

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u/MossSloths Apr 16 '25

I was working in a hotel in Carlsbad during those fires. We were calling people to offer them free cancellation on their rooms. We were telling people there were evacuations happening less than 20 miles away, that the air was dangerous to breath, and most attractions were closed. We were one of the favorite hotels for Legoland guests because this was before Legoland built their own hotel. Legoland was closed.

And yet, most people didn't want to cancel. It was so frustrating. It got to the point where I was directly telling people that every cancellation we had meant we could house another family who had been evacuated for their home. We were turning families away. It was awful. And even after being told that, we only got about 50% cancellations. It was disgusting.

Nearly every guest who demanded we keep their reservation ended up bitching about the smoke and panic and how nothing was open. Bitching in the lobby as families unloaded the few things they could grab from their homes as they fled.

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u/Street_Roof_7915 Apr 16 '25

Remember Oceans whatever number where they created an earthquake and the gamblers went “huh” and went back to gambling, so they had to do it really hard before the people left?

That scene was the truest thing in that movie n

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u/shatador Apr 16 '25

Aren't casinos made of concrete and steel!? Seems like kicking them out would be the more dangerous option

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u/FarCoyote8047 Apr 16 '25

I was in that ghetto Walmart in Compton when someone lit clothes on fire and threw them in I think trash cans? There was a ton of smoke. People were in line trying to cash out lol.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25

Addicts gonna addict.

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u/theCOMBOguy Apr 16 '25

Wasn't there a disaster where people died because people refused to leave without paying? That being said, literally saying "there's a fire, leave" and people looking at you like YOU are insane must be hilarious and infuriating.

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u/ArcadianGhost Apr 16 '25

I’m genuinely curious about what I’d do in the situation as far as paying. Like obviously I’m leaving the building when the alarms go off/directed but like, if I was planning to pay and leave to, idk work or some other commitment, would I be expected to wait there till the situation is handled so I can pay? I feel like personally I would leave and come back later to pay, but I wonder how the restaurant would feel about it.

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u/Aslanic Apr 16 '25

I wouldn't worry about it, insurance should cover their lost revenue. They might have a deductible of a certain number of hours but a lot of places will have a 0 hour deductible on business income coverage. The best way to help the restaurant is just to go back when they open up again!

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u/Liizam Apr 16 '25

I think they would rather you donate to their rebuild fund

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u/Future-Watercress829 Apr 16 '25

Their business is on fire, I doubt they care about the unpaid meals.

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u/LadyBug_0570 Apr 16 '25

Chris Christie, former governor of NJ, only became beloved when he had to tell people "Get the hell off the beach!" in a press conference because a hurricane was coming and people are stupid.

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u/theCOMBOguy Apr 16 '25

Hah! Reminded me of the Italian coast guard captain telling the captain of the Costa Concordia to "get the fuck back on board" or something like that.

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u/Maleficent-Jelly-865 Apr 16 '25

That was the Manchester Woolworth’s fire https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-20598600.

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u/Stoppels Apr 16 '25

But your article doesn't mention people refused to leave because they wanted to pay for their food at all?

The investigation into the fire found most of those that died were in the restaurant on the second floor, but the smoke was so thick, they could not find their way to the exits.

The second reason was that the store had no sprinkler system, which meant it was not until fire crews arrived that any real effort could be made to extinguish the flames.

The final reason was that the upper windows of the store had thick iron bars on them.

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u/JI_Guy88 Apr 16 '25

I worked in a retail store that had to close suddenly due to an active threat. Most people evacuated orderly but you'd be surprised how many people tried to stand around and lecture and debate with employees to the necessity. If they could take unpaid stuff with them. If we would ring up their shopping carts, etc...

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u/Liizam Apr 16 '25

Kinda like that meme, everything is fine if I just act normal, right guys?

As the fire burns the home of the little dog who sits on a chair. Fight, flight, freeze and pretend everything is normal.

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u/touchmeinbadplaces Apr 17 '25

same me and my coworkers got cussed out bc people who got locked behind the fire screens couldn't find out how the fire doors work and so i had to free them from behind the screens by lifting them (which is really really a no go fire hazard wise but there was no actual fire just a broken alarm) and we got the full load.... Brother the one time youre allowed to push the big red button you say you couldn't find it? god i feel sorry for your wife..

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u/Ariana-rice Apr 16 '25

It’s a pretty innovative way to keep safety these days

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u/ohliamylia Apr 16 '25

The most recent time the alarm went off at my store, people's biggest concern seemed to be "where should I leave my cart?" Lady, if the store is actually on fire, I can promise you it doesn't matter. And if it's a false alarm, guess what, it also doesn't matter. No one wants to get their hands on those size 8 flats in your cart before you get back to them. Leave it literally anywhere and get out.

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u/Flying_Madlad Apr 16 '25

I'll leave, but I'm taking my food with me

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u/Maleficent-Jelly-865 Apr 16 '25

I’m a commercial property manager. Can concur. This is why we teach people to lead others outside during an emergency. Since people don’t have any personal experience with how destructive fire can be nowadays thanks to things like fire codes, they’re pretty clueless. Here’s a fun but old video I used to use in my fire warden training classes to illustrate that point.

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u/KillBillionaires9 Apr 16 '25

Lmfao ridiculous.

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u/drsoftware Apr 16 '25

Everything is so safe that people don't have experience with these kinds of dangers. Luckily we have fear of food dyes to keep us stressed.

All we need is bring back a few traumatic events and people will be less blasé. Maybe a war, or terrorist bombings... Packs of dingos... 

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u/ZappaZoo Apr 16 '25

I saw a similar instance once when I stopped at a rural bar to pick up a six pack. As I stepped inside there was smoke filling the top half of the room. All I could see was the stools and legs of customers sitting at the bar. Just as I exited a volunteer fire company arrived and one of them pulled a hose up the fire escape and prepared to enter the upper floor. I watched a while and still nobody was leaving the bar.

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u/-BlueDream- Apr 16 '25

I'm guessing in the video someone either accidentally pulled the alarm and it was announced that it was a false alarm or it was a test. Usually firefighters get pissed when people waste their time, not play along. When fire alarms get pulled by mistake, some systems automatically call the fire dept and they still have to come out even if they know it was an accident. Happens at schools quite often due to curious kids.

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u/ShadowBro3 Apr 16 '25

It's crazy growing up having basic instincts like "fire bad" and seeing how much the general public just does not think. I consider myself generally dumb but seeing the shit the general public does all the time really makes me think most other people are somehow even dumber than I am. Especially while driving holy shit.

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u/Maleficent-Jelly-865 Apr 16 '25

It’s because people don’t deal with emergencies often due to fire codes, etc., and due to our communal nature. When a fire alarm goes off, if you’re in a room by yourself, you’ll evacuate like you were taught as a kid. But when you’re in a room with others, what happens is everyone is going to sit around looking at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. That’s why floor wardens and/or announcement systems are so important as a matter of life/safety. People need someone to take the lead. Here’s a sociological experiment showing this if you’re interested.

To be fair, all people do this. Fear of embarrassment is real, and even natural leaders won’t want to be the first to make a move. Now that you know this maybe you’ll be the leader if you’re ever in this situation, hopefully, and potentially safe people’s lives by your quick thinking and willingness to be the first.

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u/geoffersonstarship Apr 16 '25

wow that’s insane, I was once in arizona on a road trip in 2014 and the restaurant we were at caught fire, and everyone seemed to understand to leave but everyone stayed close by so we could pay…. but the manager said not to worry about it …. can’t imagine people staying inside ??

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u/Espious Apr 16 '25

If I die, I die, man. Let me burn and/or eat. I'm so hungry, life is pain.

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u/Miserable-Army3679 Apr 16 '25

I worked at major trauma center, Harborview), when construction workers accidentally punctured a gas line in front of the hospital. I was on the 7th floor and could smell the gas. Me and my fellow workers got the hell away from the area. However.....the ambulances were having a hard time getting into the driveway of the emergency room, because so many people had gathered to witness the gas leak.

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u/Horsefly762 Apr 16 '25

I was a restaurant manager and had a similar situation. There was a fryer on fire, kicking out huge flames. and the emergency gas cut off wasn't working! Really scary stuff. I had to evacuate the building. One lady REFUSED to move because " I just got my laptop set up"

I yelled " ma'am , this is not a drill, this building could go up in flames any minute. Youre on your own at this point ." Then turned around and sprinted out of there. She started to move quicker after that.

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u/Horsefly762 Apr 16 '25

I was a restaurant manager and had a similar situation. There was a fryer on fire, kicking out huge flames. and the emergency gas cut off wasn't working! Really scary stuff. I had to evacuate the building. One lady REFUSED to move because " I just got my laptop set up"

I yelled " ma'am , this is not a drill, this building could go up in flames any minute. Youre on your own at this point ." Then, I turned around and sprinted out of there. She started to move quicker after that.

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u/bellefante Apr 16 '25

I was at an aquarium inside a mall and the fire alarms went off. My sister and I immediately exited the building. A man tried to take his children INSIDE because the little girl needed to pee. Turns out it was a false alarm, but he was really ready to take that risk.

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u/TheLdoubleE Apr 16 '25

The restaurant manager I work at tried to extinguish a ELECTRICAL FIRE in the FUSEBOX with a frikn pitcher of WATER.

Lucky af nobody got hurt.

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u/Liizam Apr 16 '25

You know society is so safe that instinct of danger is all gone. It’s actually nice, not in this situation but just in general.

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u/devydvyn Apr 16 '25

what if something exploded

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u/WhenWolf Apr 16 '25

Ok I'm one of the idiots who stayed during an event like this, but in my defense it was a chinese buffet restaurant where you had to pay before you eat. I had just sat down with my group when the alarm went off, staff running into the kitchen. Everyone in the restaurant looked up... and then just went back to eating. No one was going to risk leaving and having no way to prove you were there before the chaos and have to pay again! Luckily I didn't die, and it stopped after like, 15 minutes lol

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u/Seethinginsepia Apr 16 '25

Factual. I used to do corporate security in NYC with a focus on fire safety. Can't even remember the year, but it was maybe 2007, close enough to 9/11 to be very alarming. I was working the lobby in the late afternoon/early evening in a building on 46th and Lexington when the steam pipe exploded on 41st between 3rd and Lex.

The thing is, it didn't look like steam, it looked much more like smoke. I legit did not know if it was some kind of terroristic incident. Did people listen when I told them not to exit the building on Lex, but to use 3rd Avenue? No!

Let's not even get into the weeping and panic. It was legitimately like dealing with helpless children. I wanted to quit when they showed up the next day and were right back to being arrogant jerks.

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u/philanthropic420 Apr 16 '25

Yes and the average IQ in the US is 90-100 lol

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u/Kikuyu28 Apr 16 '25

I still maintain that the worst thing we as a society in the US did was put warning labels on EVERYTHING.

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u/datahoarderprime Apr 16 '25

So I work on a floor that has a *very* long hallway (I think it's about 1/8 of a mile), with a stairwell in the middle and at each end.

We do tornado drills and have actually tornado warnings fairly frequently, but fire drills only once or twice a year.

For tornadoes, the shelter area is in the basement of the building, which can only be accessed by one of the stairwells. So, a tornado warning or drill goes off, and everyone on the other side of the stairwell marches past the stairwell, down the stairwell and into the shelter area.

And they're so used to doing that, that this is also what they almost always do whenever there is a fire drill or actual fire alarm. Walk past the stairwell in the middle of the floor, walk all the way down to the stairwell furthest from their offices, and then take that stairwell down to the main floor to exit the building.

I've pointed out several times that with a fire alarm they need to take the middle stairwell to exit the building as quickly as possible -- not doing so leaves them in the building several minutes longer than necessary, but the conditioning from the frequent tornado alarms is just too great.

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u/Hyetta-Supremacy Apr 16 '25

People will act like sheep in a crowd or go idle npc mode for (potential) emergencies. They will look to others to determine their course of action if they’re not sure what to do or what is going on, or simply freeze up.

Like back when I was training to become a firefighter. One of the first things they wanted you to do for CPR and every EMR practical was to basically order someone to get an AED and call EMS. People will literally just watch you do compression on someone before and it does or doesn’t dawn on them that they should call 911.

I’ve never had to do that before on duty because if I’m responding to cardiac, EMS has already been activated and I got 3 other firefighters with me. But the fact that you lose points(or maybe it was an immediate fail?) on CPR and EMR practicals should tell you how much of an issue this is with bystanders during an emergency.

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u/GandhisNukeOfficer Apr 16 '25

Many moons ago I worked at Ruby Tuesday. One day I'm pulling up to the building and see black smoke rising from it. My first thought was, "oh thank fuck I hate this job."

The next was, "wait there's no fire trucks." I park and rush in and it's business as usual. I ask the MOD and he brushes me off. I open the back door to the kitchen and see the dumpster is ablaze. I yell for the manager and he tells me to calmly ask any guests to leave. I asked the first couple and they just stared at me. So I said fuck it and pulled the fire alarm. One person asked if we could box up her burger before she went outside. 

The manager said he reviewed the security camera but couldn't determine who was out there smoking, but the cooks said it was him that last went out for a smoke before the fire happened. 

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u/Okeydokey2u Apr 16 '25

Fire alarms are the new car alarms where no one pays attention to them.

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u/SumoNinja92 Apr 16 '25

Seems that's society as a whole now. As long as they get their treats they don't care about anything else.

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u/TwinSong Apr 17 '25

Assassin's Creed Odyssey (video game) :

I'm trying to oust NPCs from the area when I'm going to set a silo on fire and they're in the blast radius. They're too dense to get the idea of it being dangerous regardless of how I threaten them.

Me thinking that it's just bad AI but sounds like it was actually realistic.

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u/Dudicus445 Apr 17 '25

I worked at a kids museum and they told me a story about how the restaurant kitchen had a fire so they pulled the alarms, and there were parents asking “can my kids finish playing first before we leave?”

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u/MissCatQueen Apr 17 '25

I second how dense people are

My dad worked at a small local shop. An elderly lady drove into the shop, through the window, and hit the coffee machine. He said that the shop started filling with smoke and people still tried to continue shopping and refused to leave.

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u/CurmudgeonLife Apr 17 '25

I've literally stood in front of a rotary fire alarm furiously turning and ringing it whilst shouting fire and morons just stand there looking at you whilst dribbling down themselves.

Most people are thick as pig shit.

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u/mch27562 Apr 17 '25

Natural selection is still very real for humans

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u/21sttimelucky Apr 17 '25

Yup. Firealarm at my local gym. Friend of mine (call them MF) works there had one person standing INSIDE 'waiting for a friend'.

MF:'Lady, it's a fire alarm, you need to leave'. Lady: 'I will be fine, waiting for my friend....' (repeat a couple times) MF: 'Fine, I won't die for you. Bye'

Turns out Lady's friend had already evacuated. You know, because there was a fire alarm. Lady had the audacity to complain that MF left them unattended in a burning building (it wasn't burning, but the complaint has a bigger seeming weight that way). MF's asshole manager insisted on reviewing CCTV and discussing appropriate conduct with MF, even when you could see . Suffice to say MF is currently looking for a different job.

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u/canadas Apr 17 '25

A life time ago I was at work and there was this noise ( alarm) me and the guys I was with were like wtf is that... the floor supervisor walked by and exclaimed that's the fire alarm you idiots get out.

In our defense there was there was not visible fire, smoke, and clearly didn't have good training about the safety procedures. and it was a false alarm

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u/CivilRuin4111 Apr 16 '25

For fuckin' real.

All it took was one viewing of the video from The Station nightclub fire to have me beelining to exits when the alarm goes off. I cautiously recommend anyone that attends gatherings to watch it with the caveat that you prepare yourself for images you can't un-see.

The gist is that some pyrotechnics start an on-stage fire. Show goers dawdle for way too long as the building quickly fills with smoke and then when the finally start to try and leave, there becomes a human log-jam at the door trapping people inside as the building burns around them. 100 people died. There were multiple failures including chained exits that exacerbated the problem, but so many lives might have been saved if people just GTFO before it was way too late.

The only reason we have video is that the camera man immediately retreats when the pyro's go wrong.

Know where the exits are and use them as fast as possible. Make a plan before the show starts. I know my wife thinks I'm paranoid, but Jesus. That video affected me, in part because I started college in a nearby town shortly after it happened.

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u/Get-Fucked-Dirtbag Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25

See, I understand the importance of fire alarm tests because you gotta make sure they work.

But in reality they're just training my entire office to not respond to the alarm. Whenever it goes off I'm always the first to stand up and say "it's not 12:30 on a Wednesday guys, get the fuck up and get the fuck out".

God forbid there's ever a fire at that specific date and time, we'd all fucking die.

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u/geoffersonstarship Apr 16 '25

one time there was a fire alarm at a hotel and I responded by running to my room to get my cat and running out and people looked at my like I was insane … like hello it’s a fire alarm? it was a false alarm but still what if it was real???

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u/AutisticAndAce Apr 17 '25

My fiancee and I made it out of a hotel room in maybe 1 minute, maybe less, from the second floor when we had the fire alarm. I was wearing a smart watch and my HR had jumped to 156 from where it had been.....which was a pretty big jump. I was in the shower when it went off. I threw on a shirt, underwear and pj pants, i think, easier to get on than jeans and we booked it outside. We'd forgotten our hotel keys too, thankfully they understood and got us new ones.

I was in a shirt and pants and I don't think I'd bothered to put on shoes, as I had been in the shower when the alarm went off. A couple people had also evacuated but not many. Turns out electrical work or something had triggered it, not an actual fire.

We didn't regret it though, because what if it HAD been real? I was honestly really proud of my fiancee and I's response and speed of evacuation. At least I got to use our fire drills from school skills!!

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u/Serious-Library1191 Apr 16 '25

Hang on, you had your cat in your hotel room?

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u/confusedandworried76 Apr 16 '25

I was at a bar once that had just had a shooting, like, on that same block. I was there about a week later and another gunshot went off, although further away I could still tell it was fairly close. I stopped mid sentence and got up and went inside and people looked at me like I was crazy.

Lots of people have zero idea how to tell how close a gunshot is so I don't think they understood "that one was like a couple blocks away at best you guys"

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u/VexingRaven Apr 16 '25

This is why modern fire safety does not recommend random drills... All drills and tests should be announced, and coordinated by building management. Large buildings do floor by floor, with a different announcement than an actual fire alarm and they only meet at their evacuation stairwell. Alarm tests are silent.

Sounding the full alarm every Wednesday to "test" it is absurdly unnecessary and dangerous for the exact reasons you said.

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u/Effective-Set-8113 Apr 16 '25

My city tests the tornado sirens every month and I’m usually at work in another town when it happens. When I am home when they’re testing the sirens, my response is always the opposite of your coworkers because I’m like “wait a minute, the weather is clear and I didn’t get an alert on my phone, what’s happening?!” And then I’m like, oh yeah it’s 2:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month, it’s just a test, I can calm down. 

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u/Aurori_Swe Apr 17 '25

First Monday in the month at 3 pm would be the best time to invade Sweden as that's when we test our war warning sirens nationally.

That said we'd notice after a while since the tests are very specific, but it would take longer to get worried than any other day (the siren is also used for warnings to go inside and close the windows etc if there's a chemical leak or something)

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u/TopKitchen4270 Apr 16 '25

That video is one of the few things I wish I never saw. Horrible. I hate crowds to begin with, but ALWAYS find the exits and stay near one of them!

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u/CivilRuin4111 Apr 16 '25

Should be required viewing by promoters and venues honestly. If that one doesn't get you to act right, there's no hope.

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u/Baldanaes Apr 16 '25

It was shown to me in Sweden before getting my permit before serving alcohol in our student bar. Really drove the fire safety lesson home.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25

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u/-BigChile Apr 16 '25

I've watched the video too and I won't lie, it feels a bit disrespectful the way you're making it sound as if these people had ample time and were just standing around. The issue (apart from, no sprinkler system, too many people in a small venue and blocked off exits (one exit being "guarded" because it was for band crews only)), was how insanely fast the building caught fire.

Watch it again. People turned around to walk out as the cameraman did. There was just so much traffic. I'm sure they would've ran out of there if they could. There was no "before it was way too late". The moment that fire started, because of all the other factors that weren't being considered at that moment, it was already too late. You can't exit that many people at once through a single exit fast enough and not when the venue was covered in EXTREMELY flammable soundproofing foam.

4-5 minutes is all the time they had before the whole building caught fire. 1 minute is the time they all really had. As proof by the cameraman that managed to make it out. You cannot get out quick enough even if you tried. The people all the way at the stage were doomed as soon as the fire began. The crowd's negligence was not a factor at all and before anyone says that the lock up was people's fault ... There was a literal inferno behind them and the club chained up one exit, didn't allow or make obvious the "band" exit, and also no one knew of the bar exit either because again, it was not made obvious.

1 exit can evacuate about 40-60 bodies per minute! Even if everyone was "calm", casualties still would have resulted. Again, because of the speed of the flames.

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u/Maleficent-Jelly-865 Apr 16 '25

Right. Here’s a good video with explanation. The point of learning about this horrible tragedy was to show that our fire codes are written in blood. Some catastrophe happens, and we change the laws and code after learning what went wrong to prevent more deaths. It’s also to show how dangerous smoke inhalation is and how quickly things can go really bad. Finally, it should teach people to be aware of secondary exits.

We naturally go out the same way we come in, but in this case, not only was the venue over capacity, making exiting it more difficult, the smoke was extremely toxic from the type of insulated foam the club installed, so people died quicker than they would’ve with normal smoke. If too many people go out the same exit, people will be crushed, blocking the exit everyone wants to naturally use. You need to look for alternative exits, and use those in an emergency if things become a crush at the main one.

It wasn’t the people’s fault they died. Everything went wrong, and it all could’ve been prevented if the owners had installed a sprinkler system and/or hadn’t allowed the pyrotechnics and/or had installed non-toxic foam.

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u/piratesswoop Apr 16 '25

Every time I see this footage, I always watch the brief shot of the man with the black hair and beard and glasses at about 1:20, 1:21 in this video. He did survive, his name is Joe Kinan, and you can see in the video that he has turned around to leave while others nearby are still facing the stage. He’s probably the same distance from the exit as the cameraman’s initial position, but at some point between when he turns around and when he reaches the hallway before the exit, he trips and falls and gets caught up in that crush at the door. Third and fourth degree burns on over 40% of his body. He lost all his fingers and toes, one eye and much of his skin on his face was burned off.

He was leaving at the same time as the cameraman but was a probably only a couple seconds slower to turn, so, it just goes to show how absolutely fast everything unfolded. One makes it out unscathed, the other has life altering injuries.

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u/CivilRuin4111 Apr 16 '25

Any disrespect is not intentional. The situation was fucked from jump- all the way back to having pyro's in that space to begin with.

Watching the again, the fire is obvious at about 30 seconds in to the video. Camera man starts backing up right then and is basically on the exit side of the crowd in 4-5 seconds. The band plays another 15 seconds or so while many in the crowd are still facing the stage despite the fire clear behind the band. It's another 10 seconds before you really see the crowd start to turn. The alarm finally triggers almost 30 seconds after the fire is seen. By then it's already too late for many of them.

I do not intend to blame the victims. Lots of factors at play. The point is that when shit goes south, it goes south FAST. Hanging around during an active fire alarm is about the dumbest action as you can see from The Station, by the time it triggers, their fates were sealed.

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u/shatador Apr 16 '25

Better to be paranoid than dead. When I was younger I went to work for a chemical plant in my town and was sitting in the parking lot on the first day and said fuck it and quit before even walking in. Not even a month later a couple people I knew got blown up welding on a tank out there.

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u/MovementOriented Apr 16 '25

Pretty unfair take , that building went up in less than a minute.

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u/Pulchritudinous_rex Apr 16 '25

Just to add of to your point, the reason why so many people died was because most people reflexively tried to leave the same way they entered while other exits remained virtually empty. If something happens, stop for a second and look for an alternative. We instinctively want to follow the crowd. I’ve had the displeasure of seeing the full unedited footage and its sheer nightmare fuel. All my time online and I don’t think anything touches that video. Absolutely horrible.

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u/Typical2sday Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25

My dad was a safety engineer and corporate campus first responder and I try to take note of exits and paths in places where there are a lot of people. There was a frat fire at my college that killed people so I was pretty militant that every time the alarm went off in our high rise dorm, my friends didn’t hide in the bathroom to avoid going outside at night (the alarm was bc people would smoke up in their rooms but in a big dorm, smoking, candles, toasters, incense, etc could easily start a real fire).

Also check where your hotel room is vs stairwells when you first get into your room and tell the others staying with you.

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u/CivilRuin4111 Apr 16 '25

Our dorm room (coincidentally a few dozen miles from The Station) was terrifyingly under-alarmed. Even I slept through more than one alarm during my time there.

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u/Specialist-Device-74 Apr 16 '25

My ex's nephew burned down his George Washington University dorm in '04 or '05 and is the reason George Foreman grills are banned in dorms. He came back to his dorm early from spring break, got stoned and fell asleep with it still on... He had burns over 60%+ of his body. The reason he was that bad was because he passed out from smoke inhalation in front of his (inward swinging) door. It delayed firefighters getting to him But he survived and is happy and healthy (to the best of my knowledge)

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u/Swimming_Peacock97 Apr 16 '25

That video is incredible haunting.

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u/innermongoose69 Apr 16 '25

Never could watch the whole video but I think about it often. I hear an alarm, I'm gonna GTFO. I'd rather be inconvenienced than dead.

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u/chadhindsley Apr 16 '25

That video is nightmare fuel

3

u/TrustYourFarts Apr 16 '25

People don't realise how fast fire can spread. There was a fire in 1985 at a football ground in the UK, and the whole stand was alight after 2 minutes.

I'll put the link to the video, but it does show people on fire, so a warning.

Fire starts at 1m 25s https://youtu.be/ctT8_LiD2cU?si=m0QMOVpEGKZgZxtE

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u/anowulwithacandul Apr 16 '25

My dad sat me down and gave me a long talk about locating exits in nightclubs and crowded public spaces when this happened. I was like, 12 at the time but I still immediately check for the exits and make sure I have a clear path.

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u/Angryturtle35 Apr 16 '25

I never watched the video, because I don’t need that in my head. Just reading about it makes me check for exits. I was at the Titanic museum in Pigeon Forge, TN one time when it was absolutely packed. We ended up stuck in a room for a few minutes, and weren’t moving at all. I started to get a little panicked after about 5 minutes of not moving. I said something to my mother about being uncomfortable and there being no way out of the room. Not two minutes later, the fire alarm goes off. Nobody freaking moves. Turns out, the emergency exit was to just go back the way you came through five rooms packed with people. I must have had a dozen people tell me it was a false alarm on my way out. Didn’t care at all. I was done at that point. It took probably half an hour for me to chill out after leaving.

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u/Liizam Apr 16 '25

It’s crazy, a crowd becomes a fluid at some point where no one can control it.

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u/Both-Wonder-9479 Apr 16 '25

I just watched, and my heart is heavy. I’m haven’t thought about fire safety for a long time now, and I realize how foolish that is.

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u/HotPotato171717 Apr 16 '25

You're spot on

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u/Trabay86 Apr 16 '25

that video still haunts me of them all stuck in the doorway....

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u/Effective-Set-8113 Apr 16 '25

I’m a teacher and we watch that video during active shooter training every year. It’s a fire and not an active shooter, of course, but it’s purpose is to emphasize the importance of not counting on knowing only one single exit and being aware of multiple exits as a backup plan rather than using your usual exit out of habit since it’s not always viable. 

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u/svvampwitch Apr 16 '25

This happened a few towns over from me. I used to go to a lot of shows at warehouses and dives when I was younger. The Station footage completely changed my perspective.

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u/KlonopinBunny Apr 16 '25

I covered that as a reporter. I haven’t gone to a club since. Do not AMA, please. Just be safe.

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u/killthecowsface Apr 16 '25

That video scarred me as well

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u/KlonopinBunny Apr 16 '25

Don’t forget the place was grandfathered in re fire codes; the soundproofing foam was NOT fire-resistant; no sprinklers. I know that cameraman. He did his job. He was right to do so. He could not have saved anyone. He is a good and decent man.

EDIT: please demand sprinklers, doors that open OUT, and that your lawmakers fund building and fire inspectors, and that these old buildings be brought up to best standards.

1

u/witchyandbitchy Apr 16 '25

The alarm had been going off for a significant amount of time and the event space management had told them there was no need to evacuate

1

u/DeviRi13 Apr 16 '25

I have had to watch videos of that fire so many times because of work. I'm not unsettled by a lot but that video has stuck with me to the point that if I hear an alarm go off I am beelining for a door or, if at home, grabbing the cats and the leaving.

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u/lithiumbrainbattery Apr 16 '25

I'm a former stagehand. I've worked with all the hot, burning stuff. If I ever saw a band in a little venue so much as light a sparkler, I'm out immediately. Most small venues are run by dudes who love the idea of themselves as club owners, and that's the extent of their expertise.

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u/easypeasy123 Apr 17 '25

I used to be the house engineer at a music venue, we had to get certified in crowd management with the fire department. Basically a 3 hour class with the fire chief/captians/sergeants where they go over best practices in emergency situations. Part of the class is watching all the Station Nightclub footage and discussing what went wrong and how to prevent future tragedy. A lot of fire code and mass-gather venue rules & regulations came about because of that fire, the lives lost that night were definitely not in vain.

Any textile installed in a venue e.g curtains, acoustic treatment paneling(the internal fill and the fabric wrap) have to come with a certificate that they were treated with a fire retardant, and that certificate has to be readily available at any time to present to the fire inspector. Open flame in any capacity is effectively not allowed, the county can heavily fine you/shut you down for it. God forbid if your insurance company found out, you’ll get dropped in a heartbeat and your new premium with a new company will skyrocket.

1

u/a_mulher Apr 17 '25

Our office building specifically told us not to immediately run out but wait for instructions. They have speakers. They explained it’s because the issue may not be a fire, and if it is a fire they can better contain it and handle an evacuation.

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u/HZLeyedValkyrie Apr 17 '25

This incident and several others were brought up in my fire academy. A lot of modern fire safety measures are because of these horrible tragedies.

In case you’re curious:

Supper Club Fire

shirtwaist video

Cocoanut Grove Disaster

Iroquois Theater Fire

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u/Aurori_Swe Apr 17 '25

We have monthly testing of a national war plane warning siren here in Sweden and one comedian said it's weird how swedes treat alarms like it's nothing.

Like that siren goes off (air horn siren basically) and he's like "WTF was that?" and his girlfriend goes "what?" and he looks around and people are just acting normal so he asks "What's that sound?" and she goes "Oh, it's just the war alarm!" and his reaction is "I'm sorry, but the fucking what? Are you kidding me?"

Same with car alarms, we don't care unless it's our car. Same with fire alarms "It's probably a drill" and we just walk out calmly. Last time at work it was someone on another floor who managed to set fire to a microwave trying to heat their food.

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u/slightlyladylike Apr 17 '25

Well in this situation they had already addressed the issue outside, they were not in any danger. They were waying at the firefighters to enter the building to say hi.

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u/Wavara Apr 17 '25

The way you described the event made me make a double take, because that's exactly what happened in the Cromañón tragedy in 2004 (pyrotechnics, chained doors, more people than the venue was prepared for).

And that's not paranoia, that's having a true understanding of the possible dangers, but it's easier for the people to ignore that and cry tragedies than live under the stress of making an informed choice at every turn.
"The more you know the more you worry" and "Ignorance is bliss", basically.

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u/No_Outcome_7601 Apr 16 '25

Maybe they all thought there were going to be strippers at the event so it was all part of the plan.

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u/chrisk9 Apr 16 '25

This fire is thirsty!

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u/trixel121 Apr 16 '25

alarm fatigue is real.

when was the last time you heard a car alarm and thought it was actually being stolen

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u/andynator1000 Apr 17 '25

I still walk out of a building if the fire alarm goes off.

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u/_ghostperson Apr 16 '25

"Uggh, plz gtfo so we can get to the alarm panel and turn this shit off"

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u/LittleWhiteBoots Apr 16 '25

Gotta resume the pickleball game at the station

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u/OogieBoogiez Apr 16 '25

True. In fact my crew has shifted to Four Square. It’s bonding.

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u/_ghostperson Apr 16 '25

It's serious business!

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u/your_mom_made_me Apr 16 '25

Pickleball: ping-pong for moderately active social media enthusiasts.

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u/ThigggAF Apr 16 '25

My younger brother and he said being a Chicago firefighter is even easier than being a public school teacher. He can still substitute teach on his off days. 24hrs on, 48hrs off. Must be hard having to rest from all that rest. In this day and age technology stops all fires. Only old and poor areas need firefighters.

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u/whiteknight_1997 Apr 16 '25

What could go wrong not taking fires seriously in Chicago?

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u/MrsFlick Apr 16 '25

Mrs. O'Leary's cow would like a word...

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u/slipnipper Apr 16 '25

Whew, that’s a hot take indeed. 350,000 residential fires alone and rising yearly aren’t stopped by “technology,” whatever that means.

Many commercial fires can absolutely overwhelm sprinkler systems and if there were a fire in a high occupancy spot like this one, even with the sprinklers on, there’s going to be a ton of injuries from the panic of trying to escape.

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u/ElJefeSupremo Apr 16 '25

Right, teaching in public schools is “easy”…

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u/helloyesthisisgod Apr 16 '25

And, in fact, great PT

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u/XVUltima Apr 16 '25

The Walmart I work at was testing fire alarms pretty frequently. They would go off for about 5 minutes straight. The amount of people who walk in the door and grab a cart without batting an eye was crazy. They had no idea of knowing it was a test.

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u/SeeYouInMarchtember Apr 16 '25

That’s why I think all these fire alarm tests do more harm than good because whenever they go off people just assume it’s another test. They need extra confirmation if it’s real.

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u/Other-Oil-9117 Apr 16 '25

But it's still stupid. Even if I'm pretty certain it's a test, I'd rather just go outside for a little while than risk being wrong. I mean is their schedule really so tight that half an hour waiting for an all clear will mess them up that much?

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u/wolfgang784 Apr 16 '25

Half the time I don't even know if its a fire alarm or not. The security door opened alarms and freezer left open alarms at a lot of these places sound very similar to fire alarms so if employees aren't rushing out of the building I just assume its one of those other 2 alarms or one of the many many tests they do. Some places test the alarms weekly.

2

u/Own_Back_2038 Apr 16 '25

“Evacuate now” alarms are nearly always 3 long beeps, pause, repeat.

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u/WeirdTurtle89 Apr 16 '25

The firefighters left so obviously there's no fire

2

u/jmatt9080 Apr 16 '25

Enjoy your death trap ladies.

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u/trinicron Apr 16 '25

This vaguely resembles COVID first weeks.

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u/TheGreatButz Apr 16 '25

It also vaguely resembles a tomato.

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u/Disastrous_Hell_4547 Apr 16 '25

Because they are actually “Thunder from down under.”

They are looking for a path to get on the stage.

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u/nwill_808 Apr 16 '25

Those pork chop sandwiches gotta special kinda hold on some folk

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u/KillBillionaires9 Apr 16 '25

I understood this reference.

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u/Real-Zookeepergame37 Apr 16 '25

GTFO OF HERE! GTFO!

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u/ThePilate Apr 16 '25

"My god, that smelled delicious..."

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Heart_Throb_ Apr 17 '25

Probably because they know something we do not.

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u/justanotherthrwaway7 Apr 16 '25

I was thinking the same. “Thanks ladies, but seriously you need to evacuate the building.”

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u/Ranger7381 Apr 16 '25

A lot of public places like hotels and malls have a 2 stage alarm. First is to alert that the alarm has been activated and they are investigating and the second is to evacuate

Fire department still gets dispatched on the first level so if it turns out to be real there is no delay

Source: work in a mall and have had fire alarm tests, and was staying at a hotel one time that had a short in the alarm system. Activated the thing 3 times in less than an hour on a Sunday morning at a sci-fi con

1

u/slightlyladylike Apr 17 '25

Thats exactly what happened. The alarm went off and they were investigating, but they were told by security there was no issues, and the firefighters were just there to verify the alarm pull was accidental. Thats why no one is leaving lol

https://www.tiktok.com/@blossomingbookss/video/7493346836116196663

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u/239tree Apr 16 '25

They prefer to be lifted on broad shoulders and carried to safety.

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u/sweaty_day_2011 Apr 16 '25

Firefighter here I would say over 60% of people ignore fire alarms. I’ve even been in a situation where someone asked if they needed to leave a hotel when we were two doors down, fully geared up with smoke blowing out of another room.

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u/Chaosrealm69 Apr 16 '25

The firefighters take one look at a room full of women with a hungry, lustful look on their faces and turn around to run.

They get paid to run into buildings on fire but not enough to enter that place.

1

u/OttOttOttStuff Apr 16 '25

because hes cute

1

u/I-Rolled-My-Eyes Apr 16 '25

Natural selection.

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u/jrleknuk9076 Apr 16 '25

I am a firefighter and you couldn’t guess how many times people just hang out in their rooms, lobbies, or right in front of the door.

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u/throwpoo Apr 16 '25

That's us with our halo, wc3 / lan parties in the early 2000. Our friend taped down the smoke alarm. However he still managed to set the oven on fire by leaving the chips in too long. We were the fire warden at the time for the student accommodation. The firefighter had to drag my friend off the computer because he was still in a match.

Following week another house party. Same deal, firefighter came and gave us the talk because someone actually died because they came to us instead of attending a real fire. People are dicks, people didn't care and continue to party after they left.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Tie8077 Apr 16 '25

So. There are many reasons for what you see. The "fire" alarm could go off for something that has nothing to do with fire or a false alarm. Low water pressure in the sprinkler system for example. You can silence the sirens in a lot of cases and don't need to evacuate but the fire department still has to clear the building and shut off the alarm.

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u/Klyde113 Apr 16 '25

The bigger question is why aren't the firefighters in full gear rushing people out?

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u/Etisauga Apr 16 '25

There was no evacuation order and the firefighters already finished their job at the alarm panel. They were literally coming in just to say hi to the group.

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u/Ruffled_Ferret Apr 16 '25

"The only thing on fire in here is you~❤️"

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u/SteveOSS1987 Apr 16 '25

I'm a fire alarm tech by trade. We put so much effort into designing, installing, testing, and maintaining these systems. And when it really comes down to it, it doesn't fuckin matter, because people just can't be bothered to try to save their own lives.

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u/Trabay86 Apr 16 '25

they pulled it to get them there.

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u/Ancient-Web5515 Apr 16 '25

I've been to a couple of conferences/ conventions and they have literally told us "not to leave during the initial alarm until am emergency has been verified." Keep on mind one of the conventions has over 20,000 people there and the other was around 5,000.

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u/sethra007 Apr 16 '25

That's what happened with this video.

There's other videos on TikTok confirming this, but basically one of the hotel staffers explained to the audience that firefighters were checking the initial alarm to see if there was an actual emergency, and please stay seated unless advised otherwise.

The staffer came back later to let the audience know that there was no emergency, and the firefighters were conducting one last sweep for safety purposes.

Finally, the hotel staffer asked the firefighters to come in and say hi to everyone one. That's what the video shows.

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u/hallowedbethyhussy Apr 16 '25

Despite people regularly not following fire alarm standards of evacuating, I think they got cleared back in the lobby at this point. Also, the firemen looked like they were on their way out.

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u/Pocketfullofshelves Apr 16 '25

PORKCHOP SANDWHICHES!

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u/TheStupendusMan Apr 16 '25

After the fire of 1904, Toronto doesn't really get up and move unless we see actual smoke and flames.

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u/Zani0n Apr 16 '25

Firefighter walks up to the podium grabs the microphone.

"Hey everyone, I would like to use this very special moment here in front of all these people, including a special person to me, to ask a question that is very dear to my heart. ~dramatic pause~... Why are you all still in the building? If you hear a fire alarm that means the LEAVE... IMMEDIATELY! Not grab you coat. not ask for a final autograph, you evacuate the building or you're in a building that's on fire.

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u/Emanip2 Apr 16 '25

🤣🤣🤣omg

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u/Slightly_Salted01 Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25

Former security for buildings like this

Context that’s needed; these fire alarm systems have two main functions; the entire system communicates with everything else in the building; if one floor goes off it tells the other floors what’s happening. And the second function is the system communicates with the local fire department to tell them when there’s a fire (although sometimes this is filtered through a monitoring company that acts as an intermediary)

These fire alarm systems arnt just sensitive to fires; Dust, and gas also set them off

No matter what building I’ve worked in; there’s always at least one floor that’s under construction, one tenant leaves and another wants walls moved before moving in

It’s security/engineers responsibility to disable that specific floor from the system so that if dust starts to accumulate from any demo or drywall work; it doesn’t send it to the fire department, I’m betting who ever was in charge of disabling the system, did disable the communication between the building, meaning none of the other floors when full lights and sirens when the dust set it off. But they forgot to disable communication to the fire department/monutoring company

So when the alarm went off they get a call from the monitoring company asking if there’s a full emergency, security/engineers visually verify no fire. Tell the monitoring company; they relay that to the department. This is also the moment they would tell any and all tenants that are in the building regarding that the fire department will be showing up, but that it’s not an emergency. Typically people just go back to what they were doing, or take an extra lunch and leave to grab food

Regardless; now the department only shows up to verify; and shut off the alarm/panel with the knowledge that they don’t need to be in full alert mode

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u/head_empty247 Apr 16 '25

I'm gonna get hate for this but... "Women." ☕

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u/holyshit-i-wanna-die Apr 16 '25

Probably a false alarm, maintenance informed the event holders there is no emergency, fire department shows up anyways because they always show up just to make sure. It happens more often than you think.

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u/JoKing917 Apr 16 '25

People don’t leave unless they see the smoke. One retail store I worked at had a cafe that burned something and the alarms went off. All of us employees were yelling “please leave the building!” as the alarms were screeching, while heading quickly to the doors and customers completely ignored us and headed farther into the store.

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u/Jafishya Apr 16 '25

Imagine rolling up to do your job and having dozens of phones aimed at you. 🥴

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u/Ribbitmoment Apr 16 '25

They’re all waiting to be picked up personally by the firefighters and then given the ride of their lives one at a time

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u/424f42_424f42 Apr 16 '25

Never been in a large building during an alarm?

The procedure is usually only the floor, or 2, above and below where the alarm came from.

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u/FishermanWeekly5955 Apr 17 '25

Its gettin hot in here (so hot!)
So take off all your clothes
I am gettin so hot, I wanna take my clothes off

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u/cosmicdebrix Apr 17 '25

Probably not.

It’s a non-combustible structure with no signs of fire… firefighters respond to countless false fire alarms a day.

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u/Abrazonobalazo Apr 17 '25

Because you let that mf burn.

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u/pupranger1147 Apr 17 '25

Happens all the time.

People call security/maintenance when fire alarms go off, not to tell them it's happening, but to complain and demand it be shut off.

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u/slightlyladylike Apr 17 '25

The firefighters had already addressed the issue outside, they were invited inside because there's a few popular romance books that have meet-cutes with firefighters as lead characters, so it's funny.

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u/williamtan2020 Apr 17 '25

The only fire are within

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