Udec Corporation

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: 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: 2005 Zhongshan Christmas Fire

A Christmas celebration turned into a tragedy when 26 people were killed and 11 injured in a bar fire in Zhongshan City of south China’s Guangdong Province.

Over 100 to 200 people were in an illegally-opened bar, inside the Tandao Western-style restaurant, when the fire broke out shortly after 11:00 p.m. The unlicensed bar occupies the first two floors of a five-storey building and was not equipped with any fireproof devices. The extremely narrow outlet was responsible for people not getting out safely.

Fireman rushed to the scene within three minutes of the fire’s outbreak, but the quick response was too late for the victims. The devastating fire was put out in about five minutes by 20 firemen.

Eyewitnesses disagree to the cause of the fire. Some cite a gas explosion in the kitchen as the cause, while others thought a short circuit in the wiring ignited the fire.

Many of the dead appeared to have died of smoke inhalation. 25 people were found dead at the site and the other died at a local hospital.

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: Emergency Light Fixtures: Halogen Emergency Light Fixture with Battery Backup - Smart Choice Udec’s auto test feature uniquely lets everyone know that there’s trouble. Each month and annually they are automatically tested as required by the codes. A steady led light tells you that each fixture is ok or a blinking light signals trouble!

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.

Historical Moment: 1980 MGM Grand Hotel Fire

An early morning fire on November 21 broke out in The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel and casino had over 5000 tourists and employees inside the 26-story luxury resort with 2000 rooms. The fire claimed 87 lives and injured 785 people.

The fire, caused by an improperly grounded electrical wire that apparently smoldered undetected for hours, was first detected by a hotel employee. Once the fire burst into flames, it moved so rapidly that it spread through the casino at 15-19 feet per second. It spread to the lobby, fed by wallpaper, PVC piping, glue, and plastic mirrors, materials which created toxic smoke and fumes.

The hotel’s fire sprinkler system performed properly, helping to keep the fire out of the high rise hotel area. The fire sprinkler system within the casino and restaurant area kept the fire contained while the firefighters extinguished the fire in those areas.

However, it was the openings in vertical shafts, i.e. the elevators and stairwells, and seismic joints that acted as chimneys and spread the toxic smoke and heat all the way through the 26th floor. While most of the fire damage occurred in the casino, the majority of the deaths were on the upper floors where the victims died from smoke inhalation. Most of the deaths occurred in the stairwells, where the doors locked behind each person.

Guests only learned of the fire upon actually seeing smoke or hearing the warnings from other guests. The hotel’s alarm system was destroyed before fire alarms could activate. Fire doors had recently been installed, but only after complaints from firefighters attending a convention.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) studies show that in this fire the hotel occupants did not exhibit panic behavior. Instead, many took rational steps to preserve their lives, such as putting towels around doors to block out smoke, notifying other occupants, offering refuge in their room, and using wet towels for their face.

The MGM Grand eventually paid $223 million in legal settlements. The hotel and casino was repaired and then sold to Bally’s Entertainment which changed the name to “Bally’s Las Vegas.

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. 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: Exit Signs: LED Exit Signs - Edge-Lit Recessed

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.

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 2004 Paraguay Supermarket Fire

The Paraguay supermarket fire on August 1, 2004 was one of the countries worst disasters in decades. Over 400 people died, including numerous children and entire families.

The supermarket, located in a working-class neighborhood, was a three-story Ycuá Bolaños supermarket and commercial complex with offices, a restaurant, and an underground parking garage.

A faulty barbecue chimney in the food court that leaked hot flammable gases into the ceiling, which ignited, is believed to be responsible for the fire. The fire burned for seven hours before firefighters were able to extinguish it. Firefighters found the main doors shut when they arrived.

Later, volunteer firefighters and several survivors of the fire alleged that, when the fire broke out, doors within the complex were deliberately closed and locked, even though there were customers inside, under the direction of the father-son mall owners to prevent looting. The complex also lacked emergency exits as well.

The mall owners and a security guard were eventually found guilty of culpable homicide and were sentenced to seven years in prison in a second trial. The first trial’s ruling - that was later annulled - minimized the crimes committed by the mall owner and enraged the survivors and relatives of the tragedy, causing demonstrations of such magnitude that they became known as the “Tuesdays of Rage”.

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: Decorative Area Light for Office

The Edge Lit LED Exit Sign is ideal for architectural applications where an aesthetic and low profile appearance are desired to enhance interior spaces. LED’s cast a brilliant red or green illumination on letters embedded inside the acrylic face. LED indicator light and test switch.

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: The 2004 República Cromagnon Fire
Argentines awoke on New Year’s Eve to scenes of horror on television: Pictures flashed of dazed, sobbing survivors from a nightclub fire, blackened by soot, outside the club or in hospitals. Others were frantically searching for loved ones, and  fainting, wailing  parents guarded charred bodies lined up outside on the club’s sidewalk.

 4,000 fans at a New Year’s Eve concert by the band Los Callejeros, nearly three times the building’s capacity of 1500 people, fought to reach the exits after a flare ignited the foam ceiling, sparking a blaze that killed 175 people and injured another 714.
 
Four of the six emergency exits were found padlocked or wired shut to prevent people from entering the club without paying. Instead, the barred exits prevented the young adults from leaving the building as burning debris fell on them.
  
Before the concert, the rock band playing at the club warned the crowd not to shoot flares because of the fire hazard. People attending rock concerts in Argentina frequently set off flares and fireworks. But during the first song, a flare was fired, turning the club into a blazing inferno.
 
The fire tore through the concert hall in the working-class neighborhood of Once, filling the club with thick, choking, black smoke. Several small children and babies, found in a makeshift nursery in the women’s bathroom upstairs, were also killed in the fire. 

One of the club’s barman said that a flare fired a week earlier in the same club caused a small fire that was quickly extinguished. It later became known that República Cromagnon was overdue for a fire hazard inspection since late November 2004.  

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

These exit signs are entirely self-powered and do not rely on electricity, back-up batteries or generators for its illumination. It can be mounted anywhere without wiring or outlets, and needs no maintenance and is specifically constructed to resist tampering and vandalism and can withstand explosive, corrosive, humid or other harsh environment.

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

UDEC: LIGHTING THE WAY TO SAFETY
Historical Moment: Fraser Pier Fire (Ocean Park, CA)

A fire broke out at Fraser’s Million Dollar Pier in Ocean Park on September 3, 1912.

The fire started by someone carelessly tossing a smoldering cigarette in some bedding in the Japanese servants’ quarters in the basement. A strong late afternoon breeze fanned the flames and within minutes cries of “Fire!” came from a dozen different directions.

Sparks, leaping two hundred feet high, showered down like a fiery bath over the flimsy paint canvas and light wooden grill that adorned the pier’s attractions. Over a thousand visitors were still on the pier heading for the two main exits when the Skating Rink caught fire, blocking one of the exits. 

Fire companies’ efforts amounted to a few puny streams of water until Venice’s high pressure system was used. The Los Angeles Fire Companies speedy arrival only 27 minutes later did little to control the blaze.

Panic on the pier erupted. People, including owner Fraser and his young son, reached the docks and escaped by boat. Other’s leapt into the sea.
 
The fire totally destroyed the pier, all the amusements and five square blocks of the business district. All 225 structures burned, two people died, several were missing, 75 people were injured and 800 people were homeless. The loss was set at $2,000,000 with little of it insured.
 
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: Emergency Lighting Fixtures Accessories: Fluorescent Emergency Lighting Ballasts

The BAL fluorescent emergency Ballast allows the same fixture to be used for both normal and emergency operation.

In the event of a power failure, the BAL switches to the emergency mode and operates one or two of the existing lamps for a minimum of 90 minutes.

The unit contains a battery, charger and inverter circuit in a single package. The BAL can be mounted in the wireway or on top of the fixture, and is UL Listed for factory installation or retrofit applications.

All Ballasts are Standard with Dual 120/277 Volt Input.

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

UDEC: LIGHTING THE WAY TO SAFETY
Historical Moment: Coney Island’s Dreamland Fire

On May 27, 1911 at two in the morning, opening day for Coney’s new Dreamland Hell Gate Attraction was only a few hours away. Several lights bulbs burst, buckets of tar were accidentally tipped over, and Hell Gate exploded into flames.
 
The fire spread quickly to the rest of the park, but fortunately for the fire companies at the scene, the wind’s direction calmed the fire that had the potential to destroy the rest of the park.
 
All of Dreamland was destroyed, along with Coney Island icons like Thompson’s Scenic Railway, and the Iron Tower.  Dreamland’s lathe & plaster structures were so flammable that it caused the Dreamland tower fire to be exceptionally bright. People in Manhattan could see the tower fire during a period where the city’s buildings averaged only ten stories tall. 

It is believed that William H. Reynold’s greed was the undoing of the park. He set down Dreamland so fast that the city did not have time to pull up their fire hydrants. The firemen reported serious issues of low pressure, assumed to have been caused by the dozens of hydrants leaking water amongst the ruins. 

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: Light Fixtures: Incandescent Emergency Light Fixture with Battery Backup

• Universal Voltage of 80 VAC up to 300VAC; ceiling or wall mount; Two adjustable; halogen; glare-free light heads; Rechargeable; maintenance-free;  replaceable 6-volt; 4.5-ah lead calcium battery provides 90 minute of emergency operation; Push button test switch and charge rate indicator included; White injection molded thermoplastic housing; Unit snaps together for easy installation. Quick wire connection; UL listed for damp location; UL 924; NFPA and NEC approvals; Warranty; Email or call for quantity discounts.

(Incandescent Emergency Light Fixture w/ Battery Backup & Remote Control Test
Remote Control Option: Conduct testing for 30 seconds or 90 minutes by selecting the test time on the remote control.)

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