A January fire that killed six at a Comfort Inn in Greenville, SC, highlighted the fact that meeting professionals must consider fire safety issues ahead of time, and plan accordingly. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, fewer that half of all motels/hotels in this country are outfitted with fire sprinkler systems. This is a feature planners would be wise to confirm in host properties. "Sometimes you don't have a choice, and you have to use a hotel without a sprinkler system," says San Antonio, TX-based meeting planner DuWayne Greene. "When this happens, it's very necessary to have a crisis management plan in place." Greene recommends simple measures, such as alerting attendees to nearby fire exits and ensuring that all exits are unlocked and usable. Greene also points out that the risk of fire can present problems before your event, as well. "I was planning a one-day meeting and there was a kitchen fire in the hotel the day before I was leaving for the meeting," he says. The fire hadn't damaged the hotel too extensively, but the electrical systems were inoperable. Although Greene managed to work with the hotel to bring in generators, the lesson he learned is indelible: Fire safety, risk assessment, and crisis management are "necessary components to both preplanning and on-site meeting management."