Effects+of+Fire

This fire not only affected Boyertown but, the entire country. Two days after this event, the Philadelphia Mayor Reyburn asked the director of public safety to check city theatres for unsafe conditions. Philadelphia City Council also passed a rule to close all second floor motion picture houses if they posed a danger to customers. In Trenton, Camden, York, and Conshocken, motion picture houses were inspected and closed if they did not appear to be safe. Inspectors demanded more exits in buildings and amusement parks. Schools that did not have fire drills or fire escapes were ordered to create plans. Theatres, churches, and businesses began adding on fire escapes to avoid being shut down. People were demanding better state laws.

In May 1909 Pennsylvania State Legislature created a law that addressed safety features in similar buildings such as doors which open outward, more than one exit from second floors, properly lit exterior doors, and visibility marked fire escapes. [|Fire and Panic Act]

Other building fires have also helped change codes and regulations dealing with fire safety. Here is a document that lists other fires that have had impacts on legislation. It gives a history of building fires as well as facts and a timeline of changes made throughout the years.


 * Activity**: Place students into groups of 3 and have them pick another fire on the timeline from the AEBO Code Changes document. Allow students to research these fires and find two primary sources to present to the class about the fire. The group must also complete a Venn Diagram comparing their building fire to the Rhoads Opera House fire. The students must also use a NARA worksheet or the SEA method to evaluate their two primary sources. Each group will present their findings to the class.

- Another major fire in history is Triangle Factory Fire. This fire had similar circumstances to the Boyertown Opera House Fire. The exits in this building were locked and workers could not escape, fire escapes did not lead to safety, and fire fighter's ladders and hoses did not reach the windows to rescue the victims. After this event, legislation was passed to make factory buildings safer to work in. Visit this website and find out the similarities and differences between the two. The other link will provide interviews with people who survived the fire.

[|Audio from Survivors of Fire] [|The Story of the Triangle Factory Fire]

-Another theatre fire that helped change regulations is The Iroquois Theater Fire. Here is more information on this fire and how it changed safety regulations. [|Iroquois Theater Fire]


 * Activity**: Read and research The Triangle Factory Fire and the Iroquois Theatre Fire. Choose two fires to compare and contrast using a Venn Diagram. Choices are Rhoads Opera House Fire, Iroquois Theater Fire, and Triangle Factory Fire. As a class discuss the similarities and differences between all of the fires. Ask students what the country learned from these significant fires.

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