EDITORIAL: Devastating Circus Fire Sparked Push For Safety

July 04--The pain of losing so many loved ones, so suddenly and tragically, remains the chief legacy of the Hartford Circus Fire that happened 70 years ago this afternoon. To those who were there and survived, and to those who lost friends, neighbors and relatives, July 6 is a day for solemn remembrance.

But there is another legacy of that terrible event, one of continuing comfort and promise: a vast, almost immediate improvement in fire regulations, not just in Hartford but across the country. It is sad that it takes a horrific event to spur good fire regulations. Still, we are all the better for these strict requirements, drafted in the wake of tragedy.

In the 1940s, city rules involving the number and size of exits, the placement of fire extinguishers, flameproofing and other safety issues were on the books, but they mostly applied to fixed structures such as theaters and auditoriums. Temporary, traveling entertainment venues such as circus tents were not as strictly regulated. Though there had been a serious circus fire in Cleveland just two years earlier, fire safety was a matter of custom and expediency.

When it came to Hartford, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus big top was a disaster waiting to happen.

Trouble

The tent had been waterproofed with a mixture of paraffin wax and gasoline. The circus had dozens of fire extinguishers, but most weren't located in the tent -- they were near generators -- and some were inoperable. There were no "No Smoking" signs. There were far too few exits, and some were blocked by animal runways. There was no Hartford fire engine on site. Few of the hoses on the circus water trucks fit city hydrants.

After the fire, city and state officials, with the help of insurance executives, drafted new regulations for temporary shows that were the toughest in the nation. The American Standards Association soon followed suit, drafting a new code for carnivals, fairs and circuses. It requires flameproof tents, well-trained fire personnel, an adequate number and size of exits, and much more.

Safety

Barnum & Bailey gave its last tent performance in 1956, striking the big top for the last time after a show in Pittsburgh. But countless tents are still used for fairs, exhibitions, auctions, carnivals and the like -- and they must adhere to extremely exacting fire safety standards.

As a result, in the past 70 years, not one American life has been lost in a commercial tent fire.

Other changes followed the fire as well. A review ordered by Hartford Mayor William Mortensen cited poor coordination between city departments. Better coordination was one of the reasons cited for the change a few years after the fire from a commission-oriented government to a council-manager system.

The circus is long gone from the Barbour Street grounds, as is the World War II Victory Garden and the nearby antiaircraft unit. There's a school there now, and a peaceful memorial to the victims of the fire. Sunday at 2 p.m., the Hartford Fire Department will hold a commemorative ceremony at the memorial at 350 Barbour St. featuring Mayor Pedro Segarra, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and some survivors of the fire.

As all of us look back with sorrow on that appalling day seven decades ago, remembering those who perished, we can also be grateful for the many potential tragedies that, because of Hartford, have been avoided.

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