Terrace House Fire Essay

One of every three inhabitants of flats of 4 or less rooms, irrespective of class, were overcrowded. In 1866, the Sanitary Act defined overcrowding as less than 400 cubic feet for each adult living in a room day and night, or 300 cubic feet for a sleeping room. For children, these dimensions were halved. This means that a man, woman, and one child living in a room 8'x10'x10' would be considered overcrowded. For statistical and census purposes, the London City Council ignored cubic capacity, and counted anything beyond two people per room as overcrowded. Hector Gavin, a lecturer in forensic medicine at Charing Cross Hospital estimated that if all the windows and doors of a typical laborers tenement were shut(against the cold, for example), the maximum length a man could survive before all available oxygen was consumed was seven hours. The Window Tax of 1695, which taxed any opening in a building's exterior walls, was finally repealed by the first Public Health Act of 1848.

In West Warwick Rhode Island, on February 20th, 2003, during the performance of the band Great White, a fire broke out that eventually claimed the lives of 100 people and injured an additional 200. The band’s tour manager arranged for, and ignited pyrotechnic props, large fireworks designed to display a shower of sparks. The sparks ignited foam soundproofing near stage. The fire spread quickly. Most were killed either in the crush to exit the building or overcome by fumes while trying to find an exit. The immediate cause was well documented due to witness reports and a videotape that was taken during the concert. In the period that followed the tragedy there were many attempts to fix blame. Following a Grand Jury

Sometimes everyone feels like giving up, and the only thing a person can rely on is his will to survive. Giving up is admitting defeat, in every circumstance. In the story by Jack London, To Build a Fire, the main character learns a hard lesson of reality, when he meets his fate. The result came about because of many factors, mainly the man’s lack of psychological perserverance on the journey, as well as the harsh temperature and surroundings. If there was any hope for the man to survive these conditions, it would rely wholey on his persistance and motivation. The man expected his fate after it was too late to change it, weighing all the variables and realizing there was no probable way to escape his prediciment. The man’s fate was

In the early 19th Century the vast majority of housing for the working class was in a terrible condition, which were mainly due to overcrowding, poor ventilation and unsanitary environments. These issues lead to outbreaks of cholera on a number of occasions between the years 1813 and 1865. The Public Health Act was introduced in 1848, which required all local authorities to provide towns with hygienic sewage disposal and clean water supplies. Due to the presence of disease in slums, the Sanitary Reform Act was introduced in 1866. The act gave local authorities powers to inspect the cleanliness of homes in their district. (Naidoo and Wills, 2009). As stated by Berridge, Martin and Mold (2011), the Sanitary Reform Act aimed to address the problems with sewage, household waste and contaminated

The zoning by-law has been changed based on the city requirements and feeling necessity on living space improvement. For example, fifty years ago, the most single family dwelling was constructed as bungalow with one bath, no garage and living area about 1000 SqFt, but the transition shows two storey dwelling with garage, more bathrooms and living area more than 3000 SqFt in the subject property area.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire not only affected the city of New York, but also the rest of the country. It forever changed the way our country would look at safety regulations in factories and buildings. The fire proved to America what can and will happen if we over-look safety regulations and over-crowd buildings. Unfortunately, 146 lives are taken before we fully understand this concept.

Victorian houses were very poorly built, they were becoming old and decapitated. They were designed so that each house backed onto another which left windows built

On July 10, 2001 four U.S Forest Service Firefighters died while battling the thirty mile fire. Six others injured including two hikers. The thirty mile fire was the second deadliest fire in Washington state history.

The horrific Chicago Fire devastated Chicago, Illinois on October 8, 1871, continuing until October 10, 1871. Hundreds of lives and thousands of homes were claimed by the fire (Duis 435). Many were left without a single possession, causing them to start over on their lives completely. Although for some this would have been bad, for others, it meant a new start for a better life. It gave criminals a chance to clean up their life and go back to their families. The cause of the Chicago Fire of 1871 is still unknown, although it left much devastation until Martial Law took over, resulting in the city patriotically rebounding back.

Stability and balance is also achieved through the incorporation of the vertical and horizontal planes. In the southwest facade of the building the vertical slits are balanced with the horizontal planes created by the cubes, cornice and the ornamental horizontal band that runs halfway through the walls. These vertical and horizontal planes further dictate a rhythmic continuity throughout the building. Building's scale is rather modest in comparison to its site and the surrounding landscape and the smooth texture of the facade helps its integration to the environment. (Figure 4)

To prevent a re-occurrence of another fire disaster, Parliament passed The London Building Act of 1667. The London Building Act of 1667, was the first in providing surveyors to enforce its regulations. For fire safety, regulations required building all houses in brick or stone. In addition, the Act meticulously specified the number of stories and the width of the walls as well as widening the streets. However, later legislation prohibited timber cornices and stipulated that brick parapets rise two and half feet above the garret floor, evenly leading to the development of low M-shaped roofs with their ridges running parallel to the front of houses instead of the sides. In addition, window sills had to be at least four inches therefore sitting

Fire protection engineering, or the application of science and engineering to protect people and their environment from fire, has been around for centuries. The problem with advancements in this field is that they are preventative and, if ahead of their time, often seen as unnecessary. As a result, they are usually not considered or implemented until after severe tragedy has struck. A prime example of this is also the first recorded use of fire protection engineering. In AD 64, Emperor Nero had regulations drawn up that required fireproof materials used in the external walls to the city. This, of course, happened only after an estimated seventy percent of Rome was lost to fire. More noticeable regulations happened

A wildfire is any instance of uncontrolled burning in grasslands, brush, or woodlands. Wildfires destroy property and valuable natural resources, and may threaten the lives of people and animals. Wildfires can occur at any time of the year, but usually occur during hot, dry weather. Wildfires are usually signaled by dense smoke which may fill the air for miles around. The National Weather Service, U.S. Forest Service, and State forestry agencies combine to give wildfire probability forecasts. Local radio and television stations broadcast information and warnings on local fire conditions. Wildfires pose an increasing threat to the residential United States. In 1987, 53,000 fires consumed more than two million acres. By October 1988, almost

The mixture of buildings of different conditions are necessary to public life because it otherwise would be neither interesting nor fascinating. But the main reasons are because they ensure low rent yields, encouraging the growth of small enterprises. Large swatches of new construction would only prevent income since not many would afford it, and the demand for it would not be as large as it would need to be.

Fire prevention is a term being heard more and more today in America. It is starting to become a standard in today’s fire departments. Fire has the ability to keep us warm and also has the ability to make us homeless. As we grow as community and the technology changes, Fire Prevention needs to be made more of a necessity in our homes today. More homes are being built out of lighter material along with being built closer and closer together. Each can lead to extreme destruction, homes being lost, people being displaced, and even death. Why should we not protect homes and defend them against an enemy that can attack at any minute? Fire prevention needs to start in the home and then be carried onward in our lives. There are very