Cocoanut Grove fire remembered 75 years later
NFPA was represented at the 75th anniversary of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, which was observed in an event in Boston on November 28.
The 1942 fire, which occurred in a packed nightclub near downtown Boston, killed 492 people and remains the deadliest nightclub fire in United States history.
Two survivors of the blaze joined former Boston mayor Raymond Flynn to mark the occasion, along with Boston fire service leaders and others. The event was held at the Revere Hotel, located near the former site of the nightclub.
Speakers included NFPA’s Don Bliss, vice president of field operations, who noted the fire and life safety improvements that came about as a result of the fire. Cocoanut Grove prompted jurisdictions to pursue building code changes and to reclassify nightclubs as assembly occupancies, Bliss said, and helped spur advancements in burn treatment and blood transfusions. “There is no way to measure how many lives have been saved over the last 75 years,” Bliss told the crowd, “but I am confident that we live in a safer society because of the lessons learned from the Cocoanut Grove fire.”
To learn more about the Cocoanut Grove fire and its legacy, and to see historical documents and photos associated with the incident, visit the website.
Weigh in on NFPA’s active shooter standard
Public input opens soon for NFPA 3000, Preparedness and Response to Active Shooter and/or Hostile Events.
The process to write the standard began after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016 and was met with overwhelming support and interest.
For more information on NFPA 3000 and to participate in the public input process, please visit the NFPA 3000 document information webpage.
NFPA VP elected to ANSI Board of Directors
Chris Dubay, vice president of codes and standards for NFPA, has been elected to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Board of Directors.
Dubay has worked for NFPA for more than 20 years, first coming to the organization as a fire protection engineer in 1995. His term on the ANSI Board began January 1 and will extend through the end of 2020.
ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to uphold the integrity of the United States standards development process. NFPA has long been regarded by ANSI as one of the highest-caliber standards developers in the country.
ANGELO VERZONI is staff writer for NFPA Journal. Top Photograph: Stephanie Schorow