Introduction.
Theories have been developed and assumptions made all in the name of explaining what really caused one of the most deadly fires in the history of America. Cocoanut Grove was a restaurant/supper club in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts. No night clubs ever existed at that point in time. It was located at 17 Piedmont Street, near Park Square, in down town Boston. As the records have it, it was a popular place in late 1920’s, but its popularity dwindled in the 1930’s. Later in the 1940’s it popularity rose once again and made it a force to reckon with. It was a single-story building, with a basement (Saffle & Jeffrey1993). In that basement, there was a bar called Melody lounge, along with the kitchen, storage areas, and freezers. The first floor contained dining room, ballroom, several bar areas, and a retractable roof for use during warm weather.
Body
The tragedy took place after a football match between the Boston College (BC) football team and Holy Cross College that took place at Fenway Park. On paper there was only one winner but it goes without saying that no game is won on paper (Saffle & Jeffrey1993). This was exemplified when the Holy Cross minnows triumphed over their highly ranked opponents beating them by a score of 55-12. The fact that it was a chilly night did not prevent a thousand partygoers from attending the celebrations of their beloved team.
The number of partygoers exceeded the official number that the premises could comfortably hold. It is understood that the cause of the fire was a lit match. A busboy was ordered by the bar tender to replace a light bulb that was located on top of an artificial palm tree. The bulb had gone missing after a young man removed it in order to have some privacy while kissing his date. Following the instructions, the bus boy tried to tighten the light bulb onto its holder but it slid out of his hand. The room, being poorly illuminated, forced him to find another source of light. This came in form of a match which he lit in order to locate the bulb holder. What transpired next is rather unclear. However, a flicker of flame was seen on the palm tree. Several moments later, the palm tree burst into flames. The bartender acted swiftly and tried to extinguish it with water and seltzer bottles but to no avail (Saffle & Jeffrey1993).
The fire spread fast consuming everything in its way. The furnishings and the decorations – being inflammable – only served to exacerbate an already bad situation. The panic that ensued led to a stampede as the revelers fought to get to safe areas. This panic along with the high level of toxic gases released as the fire spread, made for terrible scenes that proceeded to unfold .Moreover some of the exit doors were bolted to prevent people from leaving without paying. This confluence of events and circumstances ultimately led to 492 people losing their lives and over hundred sustaining injuries of varied severity and seriousness (Saffle & Jeffrey1993).
A bad situation was made into a much bigger mess due to the lack of proper safety codes. The building had more people than it could officially handle thus making it unsafe in case of an emergency as the infrastructure could not effectively handle the inflated number. The doors were either shut or swung inwards. This made it very hard for people to exit through them due to the number crammed before them. The fact that inside that room were artificial items some made of plastic and the light bulbs were reachable goes further to show the lack of safety codes at that particular time.
After the tragedy, appropriate measures had to be taken to curb such situations in future. Some of the measures that were taken included fire sprinklers in all night clubs and similar assembly occupancies and all other existing facilities that accommodate more than a hundred people. Regular inspection by the building owners are to date carried out. This is to ensure that all the exits are free of obstruction and to maintain the records taken. There is also the requirement of a qualified crowd manager in each gathering operating at the ratio of 1:250. The codes also prohibit a festival seating for more than 250 people unless a life-safety evaluation has been approved (Tubbs, Jeffrey & Brian 2007). These are some of the codes adopted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to prevent any fire occurrences in the future (Duval 2006). However, due to the various fire tragedies that have been witnessed in the country, amendments have been made to the codes. All this has done in order to enhance the safety codes all over the country.
Recommendations
The other proposals that could be made in order to curb this situation include removal of such flammable items as those artificial items that were in the club. Due to the fact that there are a lot of fire sources in nightclubs ranging from cigarettes to fireworks, their removal would be a step forward. This will ensure that in case of a spark gone astray, the chances of fire starting are minimal. The other proposal would be to place lights high above such that they are not within everybody’s casual reach. This will ensure that any requirement of an alternative source of light is not required. The wiring should also be updated, so that the risk of short circuiting will be greatly reduced thus enhancing the safety of all the parties involved. All payments by customers should be done beforehand, to eradicate any chance of exit closure due to fear of people leaving without paying. This will help leave the exits free from any kind of obstruction. Country wide seminars should also be held in order to educate people on how best to react and deal with fire in case it arose. This will help the public understand and take it upon themselves to be responsible and will leave them well equipped in case of a fire tragedy.
Conclusion.
As the saying goes every cloud has a silver lining and so it proved with the Cocoanut fire tragedy. This catastrophe was a watershed moment since it led to the formulation and adoption of enhanced safety measures. It also helped emergency services adopt new measures as well to help cater for the victims of any tragedy in the future. It is clear that most of the fatal accidents in history are brought about by individual carelessness. Through education, a sense of responsibility is instilled in each and every person thus to some extent reducing the chances of such a tragedy occurring again. It is also crucial for entertainment club operators to put humanity over greed. People should value life and respect it over anything else in the world.
Works Cited
Duval, Robert F.. NFPA case study: nightclub fires. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, Fire Investigations Department, 2006. Print.
Saffle, Jeffrey R.. "The 1942 Fire At Boston's Cocoanut Grove Nightclub." The American Journal of Surgery 166.6 (1993): 581-591. Print.
Tubbs, Jeffrey S., and Brian J. Meacham. Egress design solutions: a guide to evacuation and crowd management planning. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. Print.
