Udec Corporation

Historical Moment: The 2005 Dutch airport Jail Fire

A fire in a prison complex at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport broke out on Oct 27, 2005 shortly after midnight, started by a discarded cigarette. The fire raged for 3 hours, killing 11 prisoners and injured 15 more, including 4 firemen and policeman.

An unidentified detainee reported that initially the guards did not take the prisoners’ warnings of a fire seriously and told them nothing was wrong. They didn’t open the door,” he said, “They kept us locked up. Our throats started hurting. We were kicking and screaming.”

Approximately 350 prisoners were being held in the complex at Europe’s fourth largest airport when the fire broke out. Some 43 were in the wing that caught fire. Police searched for an unreported number of escaped prisoners. Helicopters were called in to assist during the fire to track down possible escaped detainees.

Nine men and two women from Ukraine, Turkey, Suriname, the Dominican Republic, Bulgaria, Libya, Georgia, and Romania, died trapped in their cells.

The Dutch Justice Minister and the Housing Minister resigned following fierce criticism of their ministries. A report concluded that the fire would have caused fewer or no casualties at all had the government observed fire safety regulations.

Hundreds of cocaine smugglers, mostly from the Caribbean and Curacao, are detained at the airport every year, as are immigrants caught trying to enter the country illegally. Prison cell capacity was greatly expanded in 2002.

Are you aware that not every exit sign, emergency light, or emergency light fixture is safe? Just because you can see an exit with the light shining, doesn’t mean it works with the power off.

UDEC’S auto-test is the difference between safety and Russian roulette with the lives of the people inside your building. Auto-test makes emergency lighting easy, but more important; it is the safest way to ensure emergency lighting is there when it’s needed.

UDEC’S Featured Product: Exit Signs with Emergency Light Combination: Self-Diagnostic
For areas requiring enough ambient light to allow for a safe evacuation during a power outage.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: The 1998 Göteborg Discothèque fire

Just before midnight on 29 October, 1998, a fire raced through an upstairs discotheque jammed with almost 400 teen-agers at a Halloween dance in Goteborg, Sweden. The investigations after the fire estimated over 400 people to be in the building, for a facility licensed to hold 150 persons.

A group of boys, as a revenge for being thrown out of the party for fighting, set the fire in the emergency exit stairway using furniture stored there, which left only the main stairway free.

The fire grew unnoticed and warm gases filled the stairwell until the DJ smelled smoke and opened the stairwell door to investigate. He left the door open, inadvertently creating a chimney effect. In a matter of minutes the entire dance hall was filled with smoke and the floor covering ignited creating a pool fire. Authorities concluded later that the catastrophe could have been avoided if the door had been equipped with a door-closer.

Despite the rapid response from the Fire and Rescue Service, 63 teenagers died entrapped in the burning building and over 200 were injured. Fire fighters reported that their access to the hall was blocked by a wall of bodies inside the doorway that reached the top of the doorjamb. One firefighter said later, ”It reminded me of the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

Medical treatment on the scene was hindered by the reactions of the bystanders and friends of the injured.

A 15- year-old survivor was on the dance floor when the blaze started. He said, ”It was chaos. Everybody was trying to get out and people trampled on each other on the way to the exit. . . . Others kicked out the windows and jumped out.”

The building had passed previous inspections, meeting all safety requirements for fast evacuation. The arsonists were tried and convicted.

Are you aware that not every exit sign, emergency light, or emergency light fixture is safe? Just because you can see the EXIT with the lights shining, doesn’t mean it works when the power is off.

UDEC’s auto-test is the difference between safety and Russian roulette with the lives of the people inside your building. It’s easy, but most important, it is the safest way to ensure emergency lighting is there when it’s needed.

UDEC’S Featured Product: Exit Signs: NYC Approved - Steel

Universal Steel LED Exit Sign w/Battery Backup

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: The 1970 Club Cing-Sept Fire

A ghastly fire at a nightclub in France on November 1, 1970, wiped out nearly a generation of young people from a nearby village. A total of 147 lives were claimed where only 60 of the 180 people in the building are believed to have escaped, but many of the survivors were hospitalized with up to 90% burns.

The nightclub “Cing-Sept was packed with revelers when the fire broke out. The fire, caused by a home-made heating system, started in an upstairs room around 1:45 a.m. Many of the interior fittings, including the ceiling, were flammable and the partly-wooden building “went up like a box of matches”.

Drops of burning plastic fell like rain from the ceiling above engulfing the people below. The revolving doors at the entry quickly became jammed by the number of people trying to escape. Many of the dancers are believe to have been trampled to death in a stampede as people rushed to get out of the dance hall through the main entrance.

Firefighters found bodies piled five deep around the exits which had been padlocked and barred with planks to keep out gatecrashers. The victims perished within 10 minutes.

Relatives were shown only pieces of clothing or charred personal possessions as many victims were burned beyond recognition. Most of the victims came from the close-knit town of St Laurent du Pont where nearly every family suffered a loss.

It was discovered that the night club, built seven months previously, had never been inspected to see if it met fire safety regulations. Two of the club’s three managers were among the fatalities.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

Udec’s Featured Product: Exit Signs with Emergency Light Combination: NYC Approved
Attractive and easy to install. These units are ideal for any commercial, institutional, or industrial application.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: 1903 Iroquois Theatre Fire

A holiday theatre matinee at the new Iroquois Theatre with a standing-room only crowd of 1900 people became Chicago’s deadliest fire. Over 602 people died, mostly women and children.

A tiny flame amid the backstage scenery started it. A stagehand tried to crush it out with his hand, but it was inches out of his reach. The flame spread quickly and burning items began falling on the stage.

The star of the show, Eddie Foy, tried to calm the crowd, but the frightened singers and dancer fled from the back stage door. The door’s sudden draft of icy air fed the flames, creating a huge fireball on the first floor. Instantly, everything combustible ignited and the audience ran for the doors.

They bolted for the twenty-seven exits of which the theatre boasted, only to find most locked, with iron gates covering them. Some gates were unlocked, but required a special operation to open. Other doors opened inward, causing those people in front to be trampled and crushed against them by the frightened, surging crowd behind them.

In darkness, the living clawed over bodies piled 10 high by the doors and windows as well as the stairwell area exits from the balcony to the main floor. Other fatalities occurred as a fire broke out underneath an alley fire escape, causing people above the fire to jump. The people first to jump died as they hit the hard pavement, while the rest of the jumpers survived, landing on the bodies.

Patrons also jumped from the balcony to the main floor of the theater with the same effect. Within fifteen minutes, it was all over. By the time firefighters arrived, the auditorium was silent. Firemen snuffed out the blaze within half an hour, leaving the building largely undamaged.

An inquest revealed gross negligence on the part of the theater and the city officials charged with public safety. ‘Complimentary’ tickets motivated city inspectors to ignore the fire code and let the theater open.
Many theatre principles and city officials, including the Chicago mayor, were indicted, but those cases were dismissed on technicalities. The only person to serve a jail term was a tavern keeper whose nearby saloon was used as a temporary morgue. He was convicted of robbing the dead.

A result of the tragedy was the adoption of a new set of safety regulations for theaters.
It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

UDEC’s Featured Product: Dot Matrix Exit Signs:
This patented simplified design has cut the energy usage in half while increasing reliability. The AC circuit is controlled with a lossless capacitor. This does away with heat producing transformers, diodes and resistors, which are all subject to failure. Dot Matrix Exit Signs

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers

Historical Moment: 2006 Tennessee Clothes Dryer Fire

Two women, one handicapped, died in a fire when the clothes dryer in their rented single-family home malfunctioned. The wood-frame house, which had an asphalt roof, was not sprinklered.

One of the women awoke around 8:30 a.m. to the smell of smoke and telephoned the fire department. The fire had spread up a wall, across the ceiling, and up an open stairwell to the attic, where it traveled the length of the house above the living areas.

The handicapped woman died at the scene. The other woman suffered burns and smoke inhalation when she tried to rescue her roommate and died at the hospital. The house and its contents were completely destroyed.

After the fire was extinguished, investigators determined that the clothes dryer’s motor malfunctioned, causing clothing and carpeting to overheat and ignite.

One of the most common causes of home fires is clothes dryers, usually because of improper care. “Failure to clean” is the leading factor contributing to clothes-dryer fires in residential building. Below are suggested home safety tips for your clothes dryer.

• Never put synthetic materials such as rubber, plastic, foam, or pieces of cloth that have been used to sponge up flammable liquids in the dryer, even if previously washed.
• Clean the lint out of the exhaust pipe and the rear of the dryer regularly.
• Inspect your lint filter for rips each time you use it. If you see any rips, replace immediately.
• The exhaust pipe should be as short as possible and have limited bends to allow for adequate airflow.

Most home fires happen at night or when people are asleep; emergency lighting or lighting strips can make the difference when you awake, groggy and confused, and need to act quickly in a bad situation. Sprinklers and smoke detectors are a great start to home safety, but emergency lighting can make the difference in helping your family tosafety.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. Udec Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

Udec’s Featured Product: Udec Classic Systems Central Power: Fluorescent Diffuser Type Area Light
The UDEC Diffuser Type Area Light provides evenly distributed illumination for energy conservation, night/security and emergency lighting.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: The 1942 Cocoanut Grove Fire

The Cocoanut Grove, one of Boston’s most elegant clubs, remains one the deadliest nightclub fires in United States history, killing 492 people and injuring hundreds more.

An underage busboy trying to replace a light bulb on the night of November 28th, lit a match to see what he was doing. Almost instantaneously, someone noticed flames along the satin ceiling. Seconds later, a fireball burst across the central dance floor just as the orchestra was beginning its evening show. Within five minutes, flames had spread to the main clubroom and the entire nightclub was ablaze.

Panic erupted as 1,000 patrons, entertainers and employees fought desperately to gain the exits through sheets of flames, crushing, trampling, and burning as they tried to escape. Several exits were locked, trapping scores of screaming victims, and a plate-glass window that would have provided egress for 200 people was boarded up.

Exits that weren’t locked were quickly jammed with panicked patrons. The main revolving door become so jammed and packed with dead victims who tried to escape, that firefighters had to disassemble the door to get in. It’s been estimated that possibly 300 of those killed could have been saved had the doors swung outward.

The tragedy was over in a matter of minutes as flames and fumes swept through the club. Although most victims died that night, it took 90 hours to identify all the bodies.

An investigation blamed the massive death toll on gross violations of fundamental principles and the club’s owner was eventually found guilty of manslaughter.

The Cocoanut Grove fire prompted major efforts in the field of fire prevention and control for nightclubs and other related places . Immediate steps were taken to provide for emergency lighting and occupant capacity placards in places of assembly. Exit lights werw also required as a result of the concern generated by this fire.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. Udec Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

Udec’s Featured Product: Exit Signs with Emergency Light Combination: Wet Location
The Wet Location LED unit satisfies both exit and emergency lighting requirements and features a durable ABS, corrosion resistant, UV stabilized housing to withstand wet locations or harsh industrial or laboratory conditions.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: 1996 Rockefeller Center High Rise Fire

A predawn fire broke out one early fall morning at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Several fires broke out in five different remote locations, filling much of the building with smoke. Since the fire had occurred early in the morning, there were few people in the building, fortunately, and everyone was able to evacuate successfully with no loss of life and minimal injuries.

The New York City Fire Department received a telephone report of the fire and dispatched a full first alarm assignment. When the fire fighters arrived, they could see smoke coming from one of the upper floors of the building. However, according to the first arriving command officer, the on-site building security staff was not even aware of any fire condition within the building, nor were there any alarms indicated on the fire alarm system.

Fire fighters who entered the building received reports from civilians of fire on floors 7 through 10. It was later determined that there were fires in five separate electrical rooms. The fire department ultimately transmitted five alarms, bringing approximately 300 fire fighters to the scene.

In spite of the large amount of resources, the fire had become so deeply entrenched in the electrical wiring system in the five separate electrical rooms on several floors that it took fire fighters over four hours to extinguish the fire.

The building had many safety hazards listed against it. Such as, the lack of smoke detection in the areas of the fire, the lack of sprinkler protection in the same area, and the failure of the building fire alarm system to transmit the alarm. In spite of the severity of such fire hazards and due to the timing of the fire, only five civilians and 12 fire fighters were injured.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

UDEC’s Featured Product: Integrated Night & Emergency Light Module for Corridor Troffers

The Model 14WEN is a 14-watt fluorescent lamp assembly retrofit. It provides emergency illumination when AC power fails and provides night lighting when corridor lights are switched off.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

UDEC: LIGHTING THE WAY TO SAFETY
Historical Moment: 1986 Pesticide Warehouse Fire

An early morning fire Maple Leaf Farm Supplies Limited pesticide warehouse situated on Main Street, Canning, Nova Scotia. A large variety and quantity of agricultural products including pesticides, herbicides, fumigants, and fertilizers were stored in the building along with seed grains, seed and table potatoes, propane cylinders and miscellaneous farm machinery.

The pesticides were stored in a variety of metal, plastic and paper containers. A large number of propane cylinders and two of gaseous methyl bromide were also present; the contents of the latter were not released during the fire.

An estimated 1.2 million litres of water was used during firefighting operations. The water, contaminated from the pesticides at the fire’s site, passed over adjacent residential properties and into a farmer’s pond, eventually finding its way into the Habitant River via drainage ditches and storm drains.

Vegetation and large numbers of worms were killed in the path of the water: fish and invertebrates died in a local farmer’s pond as well as downstream in the Habitant River. A trench was dug to intercept contaminated runoff and wash water during the cleanup phase; however, this trench was constructed after the bulk of fire-fighting water had left the site.

Municipal and Kings County officials were promptly advised, and they invoked the County Emergency Response Plan, which had been thoroughly tested only days before the fire. By 0300 hours, an evacuation of local residents by firefighters and the RCM Police was underway, including a senior citizens home that was situated very close to the fire site.

Following the evacuation, access to the entire area was restricted to those involved in responding to the incident. Residents living closest to the fire site were not permitted to return to their homes for six days

A potentially hazardous and deadly situation was adverted because of implemented safety equipment and procedures being correctly tested and used.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

UDEC’s Featured Product: Udec Classic Systems Central Power: Open Reflector Type Area Light

The UDEC Open Reflector Type Area Light provides evenly distributed illumination for energy conservation, night/security and emergency lighting.
Emergency light fixtures and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

UDEC: LIGHTING THE WAY TO SAFETY
Historical Moment: The 1996 Düsseldorf Airport Terminal Fire

A fire broke on the roof of terminal A at the airport in Düsseldorf, Germany’s third largest airport. 17 people were killed and 62 injured. The fire was caused by insufficient structural fire protection and ongoing welding work during a time where there was no fire watch.

The fire was enhanced by a litany of human and structural safety errors and violations. Smoke detectors were observed in the office areas of the second floor, but not at the ceiling level in the main concourse area. There where no fire walls or traps in the suspending ceiling. The west end was partially equipped with sprinklers, but the fire broke out on the east end that was built earlier and was not equipped with sprinklers.

Escape ways were not readily available at the right places. Eight of the victims were trapped at the Air France desk because of no nearby exits. Ventilation did not automatically stopped and poisonous smoke gases spread uncontrollably across ventilation systems, posing an even greater danger to people than the high temperatures of the fires. Unprotected vertical openings carried the fire upstairs.

The municipal fire brigade was called 27 minutes after fire alarm. The terminal’s alarm system had prerecorded messages, but did not transmit any signals to the local Düsseldorf fire brigade. After the alarm sounded, somebody started the wrong prerecorded warning message, which called people to go right into the burning area.

Elevators were not stopped, or even going to a safe place. Seven victims went by elevator from the parking lot on the roof top directly into the deadly smoke. When the door opened, the dense smoke hindered the light beam so that the elevator doors could not be closed again.

Besides the loss of life and injuries, damage to the airport was estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

UDEC’s Featured Product: Exit Signs: Self Luminous Exit Signs
How do know if an exit sign is working? You don’t—because no one notices if they are on or out! Udec’s auto-test exit signs automatically test each sign as required by the codes each month and annually.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

UDEC: LIGHTING THE WAY TO SAFETY
Historical Moment: The 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club Tragedy

The Beverly Hills Supper Club in Northern Kentucky is one of the United States deadliest nightclub fires where 167 persons died and over 130 were injured on May 28, 1977.

On a warm Memorial Day weekend in Southgate, Kentucky, a fire broke out at the crowded Beverly Hills Supper Club, once called the “Showplace of the Nation”. More than 3000 patrons, along with the 182 employees, were there that weekend.

The fire broke out about 9 p.m. in an unoccupied reception room. Two waitresses looking for tray jacks found the room filled with dense smoke hanging near the ceiling and notified management immediately.

Management instantly called for emergency help and the first fire engine arrived within three minute, already being in the area. However, the fire spread so rapidly that a full evacuation of the sprawling, crowded building was not possible.

The fire roared down a corridor and exploded into the Cabaret Room, where the evening’s scheduled headliner act was just beginning. Although the act was interrupted by the warnings of a teenage bellboy, who witnessed the fire’s onset, some patrons still hesitated thinking that it was part of the act. Later, bodies of six patrons were found still sitting upright in their seats.

What caused the fire remains inconclusive, but the factor most often cited is aluminum wiring. The majority of the deaths are blamed on poorly marked exits, flammable carpeting, and seat cushions that emitted toxic fumes when burned.

It soon became evident that the nightclub’s owners had no comprehension of the need to have code-compliant wiring or non-flammable materials used in the construction and decoration. A lack of a sprinkler system and audible automatic fire alarms added to the dangerous conditions.

Although these basic safety standards were required by law, they had not been installed nor were enforced by the local fire department. The club’s owners claimed to be unaware that it did not meet fire code requirements.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.
UDEC’s Featured Product: Emergency Lighting Fixtures Accessories: LED Retrofit Kits

Hardwire Units Kits come complete with mounting bracket & double face tap.
For 120V or 277V applications; 2.8 Watts per kit.

Emergency light fixtures and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.