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Triangle Shirtwaist Fire 100th Anniversary

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines

March 25th is the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. As we look back over a century of phenomenal improvements in fire and life protection, we know that this fire ushered in a new era in workplace safety and workers rights. Up until this time, the focus of the insurance and building industries was on protecting property. The Asch Building was designed to withstand a fire and it did. However, the workers and contents were consumed. There were no codes, as we know them today that dealt with life safety.

New York City Fire Chief Edward Croker, an early fire prevention advocate, had stated on various occasions before the fire, that the fire department could not effectively fight a fire above the 7th floor. Ladder 20, the tallest in New York City, could only reach the 6th floor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors.

The most important code changes that came out of this fire were the requirements for fire drills, limiting smoking in the workplace, and the posting of exit signs. There was no fire alarm system then and very few telephones to call in a fire. Locked doors were a major issue along with very narrow stairs.

After this fire, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as well as local authorities and state legislatures, especially New York, and eventually the Federal government changed the emphasis from simply preserving cities from fire to trying to safeguard lives.

An excellent synopsis of state and local reforms that grew in response to this tragedy is from the Cornell University digital library. In the next few years, the new board made changes to the Municipal Building Code, which provided a measure of protection by requiring the existence of safety devices such as fireproof materials and stairwells, fire alarms, extinguishers, and hoses. They also prohibited smoking in factories by 1916.

I hope you have taken the time or will in the near future to revisit the story about this sad but important event in our history. With each of the fires that have taken life and property from us, we have learned and we have worked to make the protection of life and property so much better. Let us not forget, however, that “the past is prologue,” which is engraved on the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and reminds us to be ever vigilant to not repeat the tragedies of the past.

Below is just a small sample of what has been recently written on this topic:

Magazine Articles

“100 Years after Triangle Fire, Horror Resonates,” Firehouse magazine
Extract: “One witness to the Triangle workers' death plunges was Frances Perkins who later became the first female Cabinet member when President Franklin Roosevelt appointed her Secretary of Labor. Perkins was having tea nearby and heard the commotion. She ran to the scene as the first body hit the ground.”
“The Triangle Fire Stirs Outrage and Reform.” NFPA Journal 1993. One of the most succinct and definitive accounts of what happened.
Extract: “The Asch Building was considered fireproof because its construction would not contribute to a sweeping conflagration the kind of fire that occurred in large cities at that time. The primary concern of officials was to preserve property, and in this regard the Asch Building was a model. In reality, the Asch Building was a death trap. A new era in fire protection began. The focus-previously on large fires that destroyed entire cities-was shifting to a greater appreciation of and accountability for safety to life.”
“March 25 Marks 100th Anniversary of the Deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.” Fire Engineering. March 2011
Extract: “Today, modern fire protection engineering principles are more focused on protecting people from fire. When designing buildings, fire protection engineers use the latest technologies to design systems that control fires, alert people to danger, and provide a safe means for escape.”
“The birth of the New Deal; Triangle Shirtwaist” Fire Engineering, March 2011
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Played Role in Boosting Workplace Safety Safety.B.L.R.com
“Fire Marshal's Corner: 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.” Firehouse Podcast with Ed Cameau and NFPA’s Casey Grant