This week marks 77 years since the fire at the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub in Boston, and the fire is the topic of this month’s Learn Something New video from NFPA. Almost 500 lives were lost in the tragedy, in large part because of locked egress doors and a revolving door at the main exit; the fire resulted in several important code changes.
This article, What We Learned From the Deadliest NightClub Fire in US History, gives a comprehensive overview of the events of November 28, 1942, and more information can be found on NFPA’s website. There is also a new documentary called 6 Locked Doors, and I’m hoping that I can host an online screening in 2020 – fingers crossed! I think it would really help to reinforce the reasons behind some of today’s egress codes. What do you think about this idea?
Here is this month’s video from NFPA’s Learn Something New series:
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I did not watch the video but have read several books on this tragedy. I think a discussion of this is relevant. Every generation or so (last one was Station Night Club in Warwick, RI) we seem to have a new tragedy. Is it our laws, or is it complacency?
Paul
In my opinion, it is complacency, or sometimes ignorance. There are times when the codes need to be changed, but usually when there is a tragic event like the Cocoanut Grove or the Station Nightclub fire, the buildings have been modified in away that was not code-compliant.
– Lori
Lori,
GREAT IDEA!!! Some people have no idea of this fire and the code ramifications that drive a lot of your industry’s codes. AHJ’s always welcome exposure like that to spread the word (even if some of them don’t know about the fire). Keep up the GREAT work and have a Very Happy Thanksgiving!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Kevin! If I am able to set up an online viewing event, maybe there is a way to circulate it to lots of AHJs and get them to tune in. Any ideas?
– Lori
I grew up hearing about it.
Both of my parent were in insurance so it was a topic not far away.
If you let the video continue there are some interesting interviews with some of the people that were there.
I would pay to see 6 Locked doors
How much?? 😀
– Lori
There is often a failure to sense the danger. Photos show us that what has happened, can happen.
NFPA has a photo that shows the outline of a child on the white sheets of a bed after a fire. Her body was removed disclosing her outline in smoked linen. What more powerful message could one have for closing a bedroom door?
I don’t know why but ever since I read about this in a copy of the DHI magazine years ago it makes me tear up. I say it would be awesome to host an online screening. “Last dance at the Cocoanut Grove” July 2008.
up to $20.00 a cheap webinar
To lock or block any means of exit is a recipe for disaster. All too often this is evident after the fact and too late . But every day I encounter the same type of thinking and blocked exits. Now all I do is warn the customer and report to the local AHJ .