NFPA Journal - November/December 2012 - (Page 48)

COCOANUT GROVE COALITION the public’s fascination with the event; Marsh says she receives more research requests for Cocoanut Grove than for any other incident. Mysteries and theories about the fire’s origin only add to the intrigue. What’s known about the incident is that it occurred on a night when upwards of 1,000 people—400 more than the allowable occupancy—attended the nightclub. The fire started in the building’s basement lounge shortly after 10 p.m., rapidly igniting the ceiling’s combustible decorations as it traveled to a stairway leading to the first floor foyer and main entrance. The fire then spread to the main dining room, causing many patrons to race for the main exit, a revolving door, which was soon clogged by a pile of bodies. In only five minutes, according to the Boston Fire Department’s report on the incident, the building was an inferno from end to end. A cause was never determined. The lack of definitive answers regarding the fire’s spread has both intrigued and perplexed Paul Christian, coalition member and former commissioner with the Boston Fire Department. For the past 25 years, he’s amassed an extensive collection of departmental records—company fire reports and response records, to name a few—as well as hundreds of images related to the fire. “I have many unanswered questions about the fire,” says Christian, a lifelong South Boston resident. “Some areas of the club were totally flashed over, yet in the main dining room...you have combustibles that never ignited—menus, music scores, wooden chairs. That’s what’s so great about this project is that the coalition is able to get its arms around everything that’s out there for future research [on the fire].” Another benefit of the project, Marsh says, is that it will create a central clearinghouse for the mountain of material that was once scattered THE PROJECT WILL CREaTE a central clearinghouse for the mountain of material that was once scattered throughout the Boston area. It has already generated new testimonials from Cocoanut Grove survivors. throughout the Boston metro area. NFPA, for example, has acquired copies of blueprints of the building that housed Cocoanut Grove, a number of articles on the subject, a listing of the deceased, and a series of photos. Contributions are coming from other coalition members, too. The Boston Public Library has contributed photographs, interviews with survivors, and other research materials. Massachusetts General Hospital has provided access to its Cocoanut Grove collection, including an extensive bibliography of scholarly articles on the advances of burn treatments since the fire, as well as related books and photographs. The City of Boston Archives has identified Cocoanut Grove-related city records and building permits in its files. Cocoanut Grove relics in the Boston Fire Museum have been photographed and digitized, and the Boston Fire Historical Society has made available a rich collection of documents from the Boston Fire Department, including personal stories and engine company fire reports. “These institutions have resources, but not enough to amount to a major website,” says Marsh. “Together, we can pull together these bits and pieces to give the public as much information on the fire as we can identify.” While documenting the rich history of Cocoanut Grove, the site also underscores various outcomes of the fire— from advances in burn treatment to impacts on NFPA’s codes and standards. Prior to the tragedy, for instance, many jurisdictions did not classify restaurants and nightclubs as places of public assembly. The fire exemplified the possible dangers associated with these establishments and led to the increased use of the Building Exits Code, the precursor to NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®. The Building Exits Code was eventually strengthened to include provisions involving stairways, exits, lighting, and signage. Another historic event that preceded the fire also affected the city’s response to the tragedy. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor a year earlier, the federal government initiated a campaign urging cities to prepare for a series of possible disasters. For example, the local chapter of the Red Cross worked in conjunction with the fire department and other city agencies to mobilize about 500 volunteers within 30 minutes of the fire, according to the chapter’s December 1942 newsletter. Other lesser-known aspects of the fire—particularly its cause and peculiar flame spread—might benefit from the coalition’s fact-finding mission. Marsh says the group isn’t focused on solving these mysteries but would encourage other interested parties to use the new information to initiate research projects. “If we can get as much information as we can in one place, it might be a way for someone to use it and to determine possible answers to some of these questions,” she says. In the meantime, the project has already generated new testimonials from Cocoanut Grove survivors, including nightclub attendees and dancers with harrowing stories of how they escaped the flames. Marsh has also received a wealth of new materials for the coalition’s collection, including a menu and ticket stubs from the night of the fire. Hanafin says she’s grateful to the Coalition and was elated to show her father the photo he assumed was unattainable. She was also surprised at the emotional impact the photograph had 48 NFPA JOURNAL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2012

NFPA Journal - November/December 2012
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Past + Present
Easy Being Green?
Pressure Points
2011 Large-Loss Fires
2011 Firefighter Injuries
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

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