As the nation continues to mourn the victims of the Chicago and Rhode Island nightclub tragedies, some Albuquerque officials say that while local bars are generally safe, over-crowding does occur.
About ten citations for overcrowding have been issued to Albuquerque area bars in the last year, said Phil Garcia, Albuquerque Fire Department Fire Marshall, acknowledging that the number does not accurately represent how often these bars are guilty of overcrowding.
He was unable to provide the names of the bars that had been cited.
Representatives from many local bars say every precaution is taken to prevent incidences like those that resulted in more than 110 deaths last month. Inaccessible exits and overcrowding were determined to be contributing factors in both tragedies.
"We have both entrance and exit headcounts that we compare every hour, not to mention constant surveillance by floor managers throughout the night," said Gene Messer, general manager of Midnight Rodeo. Messer said the bar has a general rule of stopping the influx of traffic before it reaches capacity to ensure that its staff can remain in control of any possible situations that may arise. He added that Midnight Rodeo has never been cited for overcrowding.
"We know it hurts our profits, but it is in the best interest of our patrons," he said.
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"Otherwise things get way too crazy."
George Roman, general manager of Anodyne, said that its building has two stairwells that could be used in the event of an emergency and more fire extinguishers located throughout the building than are required by law.
"It's a pretty damn safe building," Roman said. "We do our best to keep up to the fire codes and ensure the safety of our public."
Some UNM students report the contrary though, saying they aren't aware of emergency exits in popular Albuquerque bars that sometimes have waiting lines stretching half a block.
"There have been a number of times when bars have been too crowded," said Leah Smothers, a senior majoring in education, adding that overcrowding mostly happens at bars that allow all ages.
"My friends and I have almost gotten trampled several times," she said. "I know everyone is trying to have a good time, but it ruins everyone's experience and forces a lot of people to find other places to relax."
Garcia said that bars are investigated for exceeding their capacities when complaints are reported to AFD, and that the department performs unannounced night inspections at every establishment throughout the city to verify that all fire codes are being met.
Bars and nightclubs are also subject to annual inspections to make sure they comply with current fire codes. He said that when a bar is found to be in violation of exceeding its capacity, the fire department meets with managers to immediately reduce the number of patrons inside. Garcia said that it is only when the management is non-compliant of the order that a citation will be issued, usually resulting in a fine.
He said he thinks the city's police and firefighters do a good job of maintaining capacity in local establishments, but he supports further inspections.
"I feel extremely confident in the job we are doing to protect the citizens of Albuquerque," Garcia said. "We take every precaution to ensure their safety while patrons at local establishments."
