America is no stranger to tragedy. For as long as we've been in existence, devastating events have dotted our history. Certainly, tragic fires would fall under that category. The comprehensive damage that unravels from a fire is sometimes hard to fathom - from loss of property to loss of life. However, these tragedies serve to teach us important lessons, if we are willing to learn.  Such a fire is the one that occurred in Atlanta, Georgia in 1946.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Those who don’t learn from history will be doomed to repeat it?” Those are the wise words of George Santayana which have a broad application to many circumstances. Being in the fire protection industry, we have taken that truth and applied it to fire safety.  By looking at fires in our nation’s history, we can learn lessons from tragic mistakes and do better. Lives are at stake, making it vitally important not to repeat the errors of the past. One tragic event we can learn from in the not-so-distant past is a fire that occurred in West Warwick, Rhode Island at the Station Night Club.

While there have been a great many tragedies in United States history, a study of those events can offer us valuable lessons. This universal truth applies to the occurrences of disastrous fires in our country.  There have been several fires over the course of our history that can be classified as devastating events. However, as a society, we have learned a great many lessons in fire protection and prevention from those awful circumstances. One fire we have learned a great deal from is a fire that occurred right in New York City almost 150 years ago: the Brooklyn Theater fire of 1876.

There's no argument about the vast amount of information we have at our fingertips today. Back in the day, obtaining information required a trip to the library and a perusal through the card catalog, at the very least.  Now, we have access to every minute piece of data in mere seconds. With this information has come more knowledge about what is safe and healthy for us, especially relating to the materials we physically come in contact with, such as lotions, soaps, detergents, and even candles.  In the same way, many business owners have similar concerns and reservations when it comes to the safety of the fire retardants used to flameproof items on their business properties.