1942 Coconut Grove Fire
The 1942 Cocoanut Grove Fire
Nicole Parris
Columbia Southern University
Summary The Cocoanut Grove fire was a major fire that happened in Boston, Massachusetts back on November 28, 1942. It was famous because of the amount of people in which were killed (490) and injured (166). It was one of the worst disasters that happened in Boston until the recent bombings at the Boston Marathon in 2013.
Main Points The main points of the article were that many patrons couldn’t get out because the exits were blocked by objects or were locked and couldn’t be opened. Another main point was that they had recently installed leather along the walls that were treated with fire retardant but this didn’t help the patrons as it just created black smoke everywhere so it was very hard to see. Another main point to the article was that the fire department was delayed in responding to the structure as someone had pulled the handle at the alarm box but when the fire department arrived they only saw a car on fire until a fireman noticed smoke coming from the Cocoanut Grove. Additional alarms were set off but it took over 50 minutes to sound 5 alarms.
Crisis Prevention This tragedy could have prevented if the exits were clearly marked and doors were unlocked. It also could have been prevented through proper training of its employees to assist the patrons in exiting the building especially during a fire. Also, the safety features on the rotating door were disabled by the addition of the solenoid lock, which they claim was there to stop people from leaving and not paying their bill. The building should have had two ways of egress per floor in case of a fire but this one didn’t. They also exceeded the number of people that the building could safely hold because the article stated there were over 200 hats from soldiers and sailors in the coatroom plus many fur coats from the women.
Conclusion The 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire was a real
Nicole Parris
Columbia Southern University
Summary The Cocoanut Grove fire was a major fire that happened in Boston, Massachusetts back on November 28, 1942. It was famous because of the amount of people in which were killed (490) and injured (166). It was one of the worst disasters that happened in Boston until the recent bombings at the Boston Marathon in 2013.
Main Points The main points of the article were that many patrons couldn’t get out because the exits were blocked by objects or were locked and couldn’t be opened. Another main point was that they had recently installed leather along the walls that were treated with fire retardant but this didn’t help the patrons as it just created black smoke everywhere so it was very hard to see. Another main point to the article was that the fire department was delayed in responding to the structure as someone had pulled the handle at the alarm box but when the fire department arrived they only saw a car on fire until a fireman noticed smoke coming from the Cocoanut Grove. Additional alarms were set off but it took over 50 minutes to sound 5 alarms.
Crisis Prevention This tragedy could have prevented if the exits were clearly marked and doors were unlocked. It also could have been prevented through proper training of its employees to assist the patrons in exiting the building especially during a fire. Also, the safety features on the rotating door were disabled by the addition of the solenoid lock, which they claim was there to stop people from leaving and not paying their bill. The building should have had two ways of egress per floor in case of a fire but this one didn’t. They also exceeded the number of people that the building could safely hold because the article stated there were over 200 hats from soldiers and sailors in the coatroom plus many fur coats from the women.
Conclusion The 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire was a real