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February 1, 2007

Station: Biechele says Derderian OK'd pyro/ Update

Great White tour manager Dan Biechele told the police that Station co-owner Michael Derderian had given him permission to use pyrotechnics before the Feb. 20, 2003 fire that claimed 100 lives.

"He said yes we could use them," Biechele wrote in a nine-page statement to the police at 7:13 a.m. Feb. 21, 2003.

He also wrote, in an initial statement, that Jeffrey Derderian was standing near the stage as the pyrotechnics were being set up before the show.

In the initial statement to the police at 1:21 a.m. Feb. 21, 2003, Biechele wrote that he had called Jeffrey Derderian and ended up talking to his brother Michael. (In the later statement, he wrote that the call would have been on Feb. 13 or 14.)

He said they went over details of the show, including times, crew, equipment, catering and using gerbs.

"I asked if we could use the gerbs and told him they were fired twice in the show," Biechele wrote in the statement.

Biechele wrote that he explained that they were like sparklers used in July 4th celebrations. He said he told Derderian they would spray about 15 feet for about 15 seconds.

On the night of the show, Biechele wrote, "Jeff Derderian was at the side of the stage multiple times while the gerbs were ... wired."

After the gerbs were set off and finished, Biechele wrote, he noticed the foam on the back wall of the stage caught fire. Biechele tried putting it out with water, but he said it spread quickly. He then went to "look for a fire extinguisher on the side of the stage and found none."

"The whole building caught flame very rapidly," he said.

At the end of the statement, he wrote, "I had spoke to Mike Derderian regarding the pyro. He said nothing about requiring ... licenses, permits, demonstrations or .... a fire marshall on hand."

Posted by Jack Perry  at 9:56 AM | Permalink

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