Comments by "Andrew Brendan" (@andrewbrendan1579) on "The Winecoff Hotel Fire | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror" video.

  1. I second the motion. I used to work in a former fraternity house built in 1911. There was a center staircase/chimney from the ground floor up into the fourth floor attic/former sleeping area. The wood was heavily varnished. Along with that the house originally had gas lights so that the electrical wiring was STAPLED onto walls and woodwork. There was even an emergency door (the sign had fallen off) and the door opened INWARD but that didn't matter much because a conference table had been placed against the door. Never in my life have I worked in such a dangerous environment. I submitted a letter to my supervisor about this and nothing was done. Eventually improvements were made, around six years later.
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  2. Some years back I read the book "Fourteen Minutes -- The Last Voyage of the Empress of Ireland" by James Croall. In 1914 the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Ireland was struck at night be another ship, tilted to starboard, the lights went out, and the liner sank in 14 minutes with a thousand fatalities. After the loss of the Titanic two years earlier Canadian Pacific adopted a policy that crew members had to know the layout of their ships, or at least the parts they worked and lived in, so well that the crew members could get out onto an open deck even in the dark. Many of the survivors were crew members who knew how to get outside rather than passengers who had boarded the ship only hours before. The crew and officers did what they could for the passengers. Since reading that book I've been encouraging people to familiarize with their surroundings and to have a plan of escape if needed and not because of fear and paranoia but as reasonable, practical precaution that's just a normal part of life.
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  3. I grew up watching diaster movies in the 1970's and was interested in real-life disasters also yet I've never heard of this incident. I want to encourage people reading this comments that it's VITAL to familiarize yourself with your surroundings so you know how to get out quickly and safely in an emergency. This applies to your home; school; workplace; house of worship; places you go for shopping or entertainment. A lot can be learned just by looking around for exits signs and doors; for windows; having an idea of what's outside those points. I'm not talking about living in fear and parnoia but about being realistic and practical. This can simply be a part of everyday life; knowing your surroundings and how to get out of them.
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