The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-22

ssASSSso VIII coVt nave y COuE VI uIc
, prevention studies.
In carrying out fire prevention laws
and regulations a large number OF I'M
| portant factors enter into consideration.
In tho first place there IL tho reduction
Of tho FIRE hazard by the elimination Of
the cause Of perhaps IS per cent. Of
fires in this city. that Is. carelc ssness.
A second very important factor in
achieving fire prevention Is Shc intro
duction OF appliances which Will cxtln-
guish fires in their incipiency: this in
cludes fire sxtingulshers and fire pails
hoAe lines on floors and most important
| OF all the automatic sprinkler.
Experts stated on tho witness stand
| after the Triangle fire that had the Tri-
angle factory been equipped with auto
matte sprinllers no lives would have
been lost. The installation Of automatic
sprinklers may now be enforced by tho
Fire Department. aud they will be placed
In aii factory buildings and other work.
shops where the occupancy OF the fioors
requires II. This will he one of the most
important means OF safeguarding lives
OF the workers.
A sprinkler system IL not SO costly
an affair as many owners OF buildings
works out at about $40 per sprinkler
head--thus system with about 400
heads would cost $4,000. The initial in
staliation .of the system actually pays
for itself within about four years by
the saving derived from reduced fire In
suranCe rates. For instance, II the fire
insurance premium Is. say. $500 IA year
before tho installation OF IL sprinkler
system, II will only be about $500
year after the putting IN OF tho system.
As a matter OF fact, 70 certain IL this
saving In insurance. that a number of
reputable firms. both in New York and
elsewhere. will install automatic sprink-
Ter systems without initial cost to own
ers on condition that the equipment Is
paid for out Of the saved fire insurance
premiums extending over u period OF a
few years.
Another important point in fire safety
Is the provision Of adequate means OF
eGress from all buildings where num-
bcrs of workers or other persons are
engaged. Not only should properly
built fire escapes AMI fire towers be
provided. but, wherever possible. build
inss should have fire walls running
through their entire extent so that
workers In one part Of n factory may
walk To safety through these walls By
means OF proper fire doors, closing auto
maticaliy In case OF fro. Such FIRE
stops In buildings, and the use Of what
Is called the horizontal exit from one
part of building to another, will prove
an enormous life saver wherever in
stalled.
Naturally, where fire exits ard means
OF escape are amply provided. .ssons
shoaid be given az to the use of these
means of escape In case Of emergency.
Proper fire drills should be iraugirated
IN al factories. The labor Jaw requires
such drills.
In the Triangle factory thcre was no
fire drill whatever. the IRE escape was
Inadequate and led down into q blind
court. making u literal fire trap. The
workers We're unacqualntcd with the
exits, one Of which was undoubtedly
locked. There were only two stairways
In this building, chough the building
code required three. and the doors lead
Ing upon these sta!rways opened in.
ward. Only one stairway led TO the roof
and few OF the workers were awar, n,
It's existence. The windows Of the build
ing had no wire glass in them. and this
caused the fire to leap from one floor 20
hre started On the eighth floor. the prin-
cipai fatalities occurred TN tho ninth.
In the Triangle fire tho floors were
Uttered with scraps and cuttings and
no arempt was made TO clean these up
ana place them in metal lined rccep-
tac!es, az is now done in the same build
Ing to-saay: which IL also equipped with
automatic spr!nklers. The concerns oc-
cupying the building also have fire
drills. using as means OF exit q ca pac!ous
fire escape In the rear of the building
and also interior fire towers, the doors
OF which open outward. All waste and
rubbish Ii swept regularly from tho
floors and placed In metal lined boxes.
40 that even should fire start within the
boxes from spontaneous combustion II
cannot spread.
1t might be mentioned in connection
with the Triangle building to-day that
though so many lives were lost from the
careless smoking of some one in the
shirtWaist factory on March %, 1911. I'm
the same building several times since
she disaster persons have been fined as
much as $40 at a time for disobey ing the
Fire Department order against smoking.
When the Triangle fire occurred the
employees not only had no fire drills.
nut they were So placed at work that
they blocked their own egress from the
floors. In most of the large factories
throughout New York Fire Department