Emergency Light Fixtures and Our Lady of the Angels School Fire
UDEC: LIGHTING THE WAY TO SAFETY
Historical Moment: Our Lady of the Angels School Fire
Our Lady of the Angels was an elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, that ranged from kindergarten through eight grades. Shortly before classes dismissed on December 1, 1958, a fire began in the basement of the north wing where ignition took place in a cardboard trash barrel and smoldered undetected for estimated 10 to 30 minutes.
By the time the fire was noted, thick, suffocating smoke, extreme heat, and superheated gases filled the stairwells and main corridor. For 329 children and 5 teaching nuns, who become trapped on the second floor, the only means of escape was to jump from their windows to the concrete and crushed rock 25 feet below.
The school legally had complied with municipal and state fire codes of 1958, but the codes did not address hazards that became fatal in this fire. The only fire escape was near one end of the north wing, but to reach it required passing through the main corridor, which was impassable.
There was no direct alarm connection to the fire department, no heat detectors, no heavy-duty fire doors, no fire sprinklers and smoke detectors were not yet commercially available.
There were two unmarked fire alarm switches in the entire school, and they were in the south wing. There were four fire extinguishers in the north wing; each mounted seven feet off the floor, out of reach for many adults and virtually all of the children.
92 pupils and 3 nuns lost their lives when smoke, heat, and fire cut off their normal means of escape through corridors and stairways. Many perished when jumping from second-floor windows and another 100 were seriously injured.
It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.
UDEC’s Product Feature: Emergency Light Fixtures: Explosion Proof Emergency Light
Lamp compartment is factory sealed from wiring chamber, eliminating on-the-job sealing. Inspection hole provides easily accessible splice space. There is nothing to hold while splicing to line. Set screw to stem keeps fixture from turning during relamping. Optional exit sign fits over explosion-proof light.
Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful and unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting.
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