By Tom Jenson
Fire Code Specialist

Time for a pop quiz: What is the significance of these dates?

• Nov. 28, 1942
• Dec. 1, 1958
• Dec. 2, 2016
• Dec. 5, 1876
• Dec. 7, 1946
• Dec. 30, 1903
• Jan. 3, 1940
• Jan. 28, 1977

And what is the significance of the number 1,675?

The dates represent hotel, assembly, and school fires, and their combined number of fatalities is 1,675. The largest loss of life was 602 on that fateful day of Dec. 30, 1903, in Chicago’s Iroquois Theater (for more on each of these events, see the end of this article). Today these occupancies are required to have an approved fire safety and evacuation plan.

A recent caller with a fire code question reminded me of the importance of Minnesota State Fire Code (MSFC) Chapter 4 on emergency planning and preparedness. This chapter covers more than just fire drills and having an evacuation plan. It addresses employee training in all aspects of the emergency plan, including fire prevention, such as how to maintain restaurant cooking equipment and how to operate the fire extinguishing system. This is the chapter that requires the fire department to be notified of unwanted fires.

MSFC requires the fire safety and evacuation plan to be approved by you, the fire code official. The plan must include requirements for new employee training and annual training for all employees. Could some of our tragic loss of life fires have been prevented with a good fire safety plan and well-trained employees?

Let’s go back in time to the week of Feb. 16, 2003. The E2 nightclub in downtown Chicago was not supposed to be open according to city records, but they were, with music playing on the second floor. A chemical irritant was sprayed into a crowd and people panicked. Twenty-one people died, not from a fire, but by being crushed to death at an exit door. This was a Sunday night into an early Monday morning, and the tragic loss of life made the national news.

That Monday morning, the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis called a staff meeting to discuss their fire safety and evacuation plan. That night, with a band playing, pyrotechnic devices were used on the stage, and a fire started in the ceiling. All occupants were evacuated safely, and the fire sprinkler system controlled the fire. It was a local news story, but not a national one. What if Fine Line’s incident made the national news with pyrotechnics and a fire and no one hurt? Would the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island on that Thursday night have happened? Would the Station Nightclub have dusted off their emergency plan as the Fine Line had done? Could 100 deaths have been prevented? The only reason there is video of this tragic event is a local news station with a connection to the owners were doing a story on bar/nightclub fire safety after the E2 incident.

So don’t forget about MSFC Chapter 4 when inspecting buildings required to have a plan. Movie theaters, school auditoriums, stadiums, and similar assembly occupancies are required to make an announcement prior to the start of the show pointing out the location of the exits.

You can reach our fire code team at fire.code@state.mn.us.

Pop quiz answer key:

• Nov. 28, 1942: Cocoanut Grove nightclub, Boston, Massachusetts. 492 dead.
• Dec. 1, 1958: Our Lady of Angels School, Chicago, Illinois. 95 dead.
• Dec. 2, 2016: Ghost Ship warehouse, Oakland, California. 36 dead.
• Dec. 5, 1876: Brooklyn Theatre, Brooklyn, New York. 295 dead.
• Dec. 7, 1946: Winecoff Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia. 119 dead.
• Dec. 30, 1903: Iroquois Theatre, Chicago, Illinois. 602 dead.
• Jan. 3, 1940: Marlborough Apartment Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 19 dead.
• Jan. 28, 1977: Stratford Hotel, Breckenridge, Minnesota. 17 dead.