Despite tough rules, safety not perfect at L.A. clubs. (Up Front).

Breaking up fights, kicking out unruly patrons and collecting knives is strictly routine each weekend for Tisa Mylar, general manager of The Whisky in West Hollywood.

But in the days after last week's melee that killed 21 in a Chicago nightclub last week, Mylar and others who work in nightclubs have become hyper-aware of the safety factors that apparently went unheeded there.

"You never know if a problem will escalate into chaos," Mylar said. "When people are dancing and they're all wound up, a situation can get out of hand very quickly."

Details are still emerging about what happened at the E2 nightclub, where security guards broke up a brawl with pepper spray, sparking a stampede that crushed partygoers on a narrow staircase.

But local club managers and L.A. Fire Department officials acknowledge that some of the same conditions that apparently led to tragedy in Chicago exist in Los Angeles as well.

The Fire Department's public assemblage unit closes 40 to 50 nightclubs a year and has shuttered as many as four in one night, according to Greg Gibson, commander of the department's public safety unit.

Most closings are temporary, typically for just a day or two. The most serious penalties are for safety issues that were responsible for the Chicago fatalities: overcrowding and obstruction of exits, criminal misdemeanors that carry a maximum fine of $1,000 or six months in jail.

For a second offense, the city attorney typically seeks the maximum penalty, while third-time offenders will do jail time.

"Nobody takes this stuff seriously until you have a tragedy," said Fire Inspector Frank Cordova. "These types of violations are criminal."

Undermanned

With just 13 officers, the public safety unit is responsible for enforcing occupancy codes at thousands of public places, from McDonald's restaurants to Staples Center.

Gibson said the permanent clubs are cooperative, and some work closely with the Fire Department to ensure public safety. "Club owners know we carry the biggest bat in town," he said.

While there has never been a tragedy in L.A. of the magnitude of E2, there have been plenty of individual deaths from the combination of alcohol, drugs, weapons and crowds.

The place where inspectors feel most overmatched is at small clubs or "raves" held in warehouses. Those events are most likely to flout fire marshal occupancy requirements, for example.

Inspectors say they keep a close eye on fliers passed out on Melrose Avenue and drive through industrial districts looking for masses of parked cars that might signal a rave -- an all-night party where amphetamines are frequently gobbled in mass quantities to promote feelings of euphoria and LSD-like hallucinations.

"The raves are bad for two reasons," said Robert Smith, owner of Nightclub Security Consultants in Chula Vista and a San Diego police officer. "Most of them are illegal so they won't notify fire, medics or police, and they don't control their crowds."

Club managers paint a worst-case scenario of promoters of raves who collect money from patrons and then promptly leave.

Another danger is the use of pepper spray. Michael Harrelson, editor of Nightclub and Bar magazine, said club owners nationwide have become more alert to regulations on the use of the chemical agent, particularly during a period when the United States is vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

"What happened in Chicago was basic 'fight or flight' chaos," he said. "There were several factors at work and it's really no different from any disaster situation like a fire -- there was a single exit, a large number of people and a chemical agent."

More clubs are hiring licensed security guards as the first line of defense if trouble hits. They keep track of the "clicker" count and ensure that dancers on crowded floors keep their elbows to themselves.

"If you have 20 to 30 people fighting, five security guards is not enough," said Mylar. "We don't want our customer to have to worry that if they go out for a good time they could get stabbed or trampled."

Fire marshals issue hundreds of citations every year, although most are for safety issues that range from broken light bulbs to a lack of exit signs.

Last year, the El Rey Theatre was closed for two months when a roof beam broke during a television shoot, said Rodney Nardi, the club's owner.

"Because we live under the threat of a catastrophe of an earthquake happening at any time, all of us are very aware of safety issues," Nardi said. "The short story is, I don't think what happened in Chicago could happen here because the industry is so well regulated."