1947 Fire Prevention Conference
“The serious losses in life and property resulting annually from fires cause me deep concern. I am sure that such unnecessary waste can be reduced. The substantial progress made in the science of fire prevention and fire protection in this country during the past forty years convinces me that the means are available for limiting this unnecessary destruction.” Harry S. Truman
The United States Fire Administration has made a great resource available to the the world. This is based on the efforts of Azarang (Ozzie) Mirkhah, P.E., EFO, Fire Protection Engineer, of Las Vegas, Nevada Fire & Rescue, who made posting of the report possible. The USFA has a great web-site that includes links to the conference and program material
America Burning
The America Burning report was issued in 1974. This report was intended to focus attention on the United States fire problem. The commission had 90 recommendations from code requirements to changes in report administration. The report highlighted the needs of the fire services and related professions. As a result of the report, U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Fire Academy were created.
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The Commission recommends that all local governmental units in the United States have in force an adequate building code and fire prevention code or adopt whichever they lack.”
The training of inspectors is, in many places, woefully inadequate. In one major city, the only training for fire prevention inspectors consists of sending them out for a few days with a senior inspector. Architects and engineers complain about inflexibility in the codes, but one reason codes tend toward rigidity and detailed specifications is that local building officials and inspectors are not equipped, because of their inadequate training, to evaluate alternative solutions and tradeoffs.
The Commission recommends that local governments provide the competent personnel, training programs for inspectors, and coordination among the various departments involved to enforce effectively the local building and fire prevention codes. Representatives from the fire department should participate in reviewing the fire safety aspects of plans for new building construction and alterations to old buildings. -
Order printed copies from the USFA
America Burning Revisited
FEMA Comments on the America Burning Revisited
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America at Risk
Order printed copies from the USFA
March 4, 1908 Collinwood Ohio
The Collinwood School Fire (also known as the Lake View School Fire) of Ash Wednesday, March 4, 1908 was one of the deadliest disasters of its type in the United States during its era. 172 students, two teachers and a rescuer were killed in the disaster in Collinwood, Ohio, a community that has since been absorbed into the city of Cleveland.
While the Lake View School was built with load bearing masonry outer walls, much of the four story building’s floor structure system used wooden joists. It was one wooden joist that caught fire when it was overheated by a steam pipe. The building’s main stair case extended from the front doors of the building, up to the third floor; without benefit of fire doors, the stairwell acted like a chimney, helping to spread the fire quickly. Oiled wooden hall and classroom floors also fueled the fire.
A common misconception about the building's design is that the doors opened inward. Doors to the building were equipped with common door knob latches. As panic leading to the crush of a large number of students in stairwell vestibules contributed to the death toll, students also died as a result of smoke inhalation and the fire itself.
Wilkpeida Contents on the Fire
Hackensack Ford Autodealership Fire
June 1, 1988, Hackensack New Jersey
Three fire fighters were killed when the arch-truss roof collapsed on tope of them in a second floor office burying them under tons of rubble. Two other fire fighters died later when they horrifically ran out of air after being trapped in a tool room by the collapse.
November 21, 1980, Las Vegas Nevada,
The MGM Grand Hotel/Casino was located at 3645 Las Vegas Boulevard South, City of Las Vegas, County of Clark,
Nevada (southeast corner of the intersection of East Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard South). Classified as
Type 1 construction, it is a 26-story high rise hotel and casino complex (approximately 2,000,000 square feet). At the time of the fire there were approximately 5,000 people in the building. The fire which started in the deli and spread to the casino resulted in 84 deaths and an additional 679 were injured.
There was no automatic fire sprinkler system in the casino portion of the building, which had those hazardous wall and ceiling finishes, and the hotel section of the building contained many unprotected vertical shafts. There were also openings that allowed smoke to enter and fill exit stairwells, and doors locked people out of the building once they exited into these stairwells. The fire is believed to have started from faultily electrical wiring. The smoke and other products of combustion spread throughout the building.
- MGM Grand Hotel, Clark County Fire Department Official Report
Katie Jane Nursing Home Fire
February 17, 1958, Warrenton Missouri
February 17 is the 50th anniversary of the Katie Jane Nursing Home fire in Warrenton, MO. The incident killed 72 residents and is the deadliest nursing home fire in U.S. history.
Our Lady of the Angles
December 1, 1958 Chicago Illinois
A small fire which started in a trash can, spread quickly up the stairs and spread to the second floor and attic. Chicago fire department rescued over 160 children and 92 students and teachers perished. There was only one fire escape, no sprinklers, no automatic fire alarm, no smoke or heat detectors, no alarm connected to the fire department, no fire-resistant stairwells and no fire-safe doors from the stairwells to the second floor
Our Lady of the Angles, Official Site
The Chicago School Fire, NFPA Report Department
Triangle Factory Fire
March 25, 1911, New York City, New York
Cornell University Site, Includes multiple resources on the incident
February 20, 2003, West Warwick, Rhode Island
When the tour manager of Great White, set off illegal pyrotechnics a fire started that spread through the soundproofing foam at the back of the stage. The flames quickly moved to the ceiling, creating billows of smoke and a panicked race for the front door. There was no automatic fire sprinkler system to put out the flames, and of the 404 nightclub occupants, 100 were killed and 200 were injured.
NIST Reports, Including simulations and call for action
CNN News report and video footage
Winecoff Fire, Americas Most Deadly Hotel Fire
Mid morning blaze was one of the deadliest in the nation and became the basis of many codes and standards used today. The history of the Winecoff Hotel should be studied by many in the inspection business. The fire resulted in the Hotel Safety Act which was also a base document for NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code.