Tinder Box

Last week I finished reading the book Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster, 1903, by Anthony Hatch. The Iroquois was a theatre in Chicago. It opened in the fall of 1903, and during its inaugural show, caught fire in the fifth week of performances. The fire was responsible for the deaths of almost 600 people, most of them women and children.

It was a perfect storm of circumstances that led to this disaster. A faulty stage light caught a curtain on fire during the second act. The fire safety curtain snagged while it was being lowered. The theatre was overcrowded. But what made the theatre such a death trap was that it was not even finished yet. The fire escapes had never been completed. There was no fire alarm and no telephone. In other words, the building was not up to code.

We are in that frustrating no-man’s-land in our building project where we are trying to get our building permits from Fairfax County. The process has been a lot like getting a root canal.

While obtaining building permits is a hassle, Tinder Box has given me a new appreciation for building codes. Doors need to open to the outside to prevent people from piling up at an exit. Exits need to be clearly marked, and there needs to be enough of them. Firefighting equipment needs to be at hand, and the staff need to be trained to use it.

When it opened, the Iroquois Theatre was advertised as “fireproof,” just like the Titanic was labeled “unsinkable.” I want to see some progress in our new church. I want us to obtain the necessary permits to move forward. But I don’t want to sacrifice safety in the name of expedience. Our building will be done when it’s done. It will be a beautiful, up-to-date facility. And it will be safe. AND it WILL get done!