[Magdalen] A Sad Anniversary

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/2/2015 9:13:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
jay.weigel at gmail.com writes:

grandfathered into the existing codes by a law stating that
if  they had been in compliance at the time they were built they were  in
compliance. Bad move, obviously, since there were no heavy fire doors  and
only 2 sprinklers.
 
It often takes a disaster for changes in these codes.
 
I regularly "moonlighted" in a private hospital in Minneapolis (Eital
Hospital) that had several open stairways from the basement to the
sixth floor.  There were no regulations prohibiting real  Christmas
trees or requiring separations with firedoors in all such open
stairways.
 
You can guess the rest.  There was the infamous Christmas Fire
when a tree turned into torch shooting up six floors and numerous
casualties.
 
Regulations changed in Minnesota as a result of this fire.
 
The Eital site is now closed.  It merged with Abbott/Northwestern,  the
latter being the hospital where my mother had her last  hospitalization.
 
 
 
David Strang.