The following report is courtesy of the Associated Press:

Rhode Island business owners bitterly complained yesterday about strict fire codes enacted after a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people, saying the new laws are costly and time consuming and are driving people out of business.

Numerous small business owners packed into a standing room crowd to tell a House commission studying the codes that they are forced to install expensive and elaborate fire detection equipment, spend countless hours haggling with fire marshals and make costly upgrades to businesses only to be told that they haven’t done enough.

“There should be a rollback of this law until something is worked out,” said Lou DeCiantis, 62, owner of Lou’s Laundry in Warwick. DeCiantis estimated that he will need to spend almost $15,000 to comply with the fire codes.

A fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick was caused by pyrotechnics for the ’80s rock band GREAT WHITE, which ignited flammable soundproofing foam lining the walls.

The new fire codes require more sprinklers and alarms and largely eliminate grandfathering clauses that allowed public buildings to avoid upgrades required under new building rules. Other changes include a requirement that nightclub owners hire crowd managers and turn up the lights before a show and point out exits.

Rep. Joseph Trillo (R-Warwick), head of the commission, has introduced a bill repealing the new code except for the provisions governing nightclubs.

(Photo courtesy of BostonHerald.com)