The Station Fire
The Station fire happens to be one of the worst fire disasters in the countrys history. From the onset, it is important to note that there are a number of hazards that the buildings design did present to revelers and/or its occupants. To begin with, the building lacked exits that were usable in case of an emergency of this nature. This is despite having four doors that exited the venue. Giesler (2018) points out that the venue had a narrow main entry hallway that effectively contributed towards the blockage of the exit. This was the only exit most thought of as it is the very same hallway they had come in through. When fire broke out, this particular hallway quickly filled up in the revelers haste to exit. Dozens of people became trapped. As a consequence, many were trampled upon as others inhaled smoke that was quickly spreading. Scores of others suffered severe burns as a consequence of delayed exit caused by this blockage. The second door was a in the kitchen and could not be considered an exit owing to the fact that revelers had no access to it (Giesler, 2018). The two other doors on the side, as Giesler (2018) indicates, were the platform exit door and the main bar side exit door. Most revelers, as has been indicated above, were only aware of the front entrance doors they had come right through. Yet another design flaw in this case was an inward swinging platform exit door (Giesler, 2018). It should be noted that an outward swinging door makes for an easy exit in an event such as the one recounted in this write-up. Thus, it functions as some sort of a pressure release valve. This is more so the case given that as people seek to escape, they are likely to pile at the exit in which case an inward swinging door would not open due to the pressure exerted upon it by those trying to get to safety. Further, in the words of ......, in the event that debris or objects fall in front...
…location of the fire and suppress the same. Thus, in effect, such a system would have helped in the containment of the fire, at the onset. Yet another modern fire protection approach that could have been of relevance on this front is fireproofing. The progress and spread of the fire could have, for instance, been prevented via the utilization of structural floors, walls as well as barriers that are fire-rated.
When it comes to my largest takeaway from my reading about The Station fire, it should be noted that the relevance of fire safety design cannot be overstated. This is to say that buildings ought to be designed in a way that makes it possible for occupants to find safe pass way in case of a fire breakout. Fire protection features on this front ought to facilitate occupants escape to a safe location before they are overcome by smoke and/or heat. Yet another takeaway on this front is the need to install modern fire protection systems. The fire in this case could have been contained sooner if the building,…
