911 Commission
Essays

History of Building Construction and Changes Related to Fire Safety and Prevention Though numerous tragic fires have contributed to our current Fire Safety and Prevention measures, a few cases dominate our country's collective memory in the establishment and refinement of the "Life Safety Code." The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of March 25, 1911 led to New York's establishment of "The Factory Commission" to examine the causes and possible improvements and eventually create the "Life Safety Code." The Cocoanut Grove Fire of November 28, 1942 resulted in further refinement of the "Life Safety Code." The MGM Grand Fire of November 21, 1980, resulting from 83 building code violations, design flaws, installation errors and materials that worsened the fire, resulted in further refinement of the "Life Safety Code." The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 led to additional improvements in fire safety and building codes: creating technology that can locate and track emergency responders through "3-D responder locator systems" that can see and communicate through walls; increase structural integrity of buildings by developing performance criteria for building codes, standards, tools and a practical guide for construction; developing practical guidance on increasing steel and concrete structures' fire resistance; building "protected" elevators to be used by firefighters if stairwells are unavailable for evacuation; developing systems that can predict the possibilities of a structure's collapse before firefighters enter the structure. ?

¶ … 911 Commission: the Clinton Administration's Response in 1998 versus the Bush Administration's Response to 2001

The 911 Commission Report focuses on the specificities of the September 11 terrorist attack and the nature of Al Qaeda as a threat to domestic security. Its scope is narrower in focus than either the National Security…