A part-time instructor in the UNM Communication and Journalism department said the National Fire Protection Association is not doing enough to enforce its fire prevention policies, making it possible for fires such as those at nightclubs on the East Coast to happen again.
At the UNM Bookstore Saturday, Anthony Hatch discussed the release of his new book, Tinderbox, about a Chicago fire that killed more than 600 people in 20 minutes on Dec. 30, 1903.
The Chicago fire and last year's nightclub fires are examples of inadequate fire prevention policies, Hatch said.
Hatch, a New York native who has been researching the fire for over 40 years, said he hopes his novel will raise public awareness and interest for stricter fire ordinances.
"I want the novel to bring attention to the safeness of places for public gathering," Hatch said.
The nationwide fire prevention policy for sprinklers, exit signs, and non-flammable fabrics needs to be enforced by the NFPA, Hatch said.
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Hatch also said several movie theaters in Santa Fe are not meeting the NFPA ordinances.
"New Mexico needs better fire prevention measures and to enforce the policies set by the National Fire Protection Association," Hatch said.
He said he has spoken with Albuquerque fire department personnel who feel Albuquerque is unprepared to deal with mass casualty situations.
Tinderbox, Hatch's first novel, gives detailed accounts of six eyewitnesses to the Iroquois theater fire in Chicago. The Iroquois fire was the largest building fire in the history of the United States, Hatch said.
Hatch worked in broadcast journalism for 16 years until he began teaching at UNM three semesters ago.
Hatch said he became interested in the Iroquois fire after reading about it in a book his father owned.
Growing up on the East Coast, the Iroquois fire disaster was parallel in the amount of life lost to the Titanic sinking, he said.
Rogelio Ortiz, a UNM senior majoring in journalism, said the book signing made him aware that there is a lot more that could be done to make public places safer.
Before moving to New Mexico, Hatch worked as a CBS news correspondent in the Middle East.
Hatch said he is planning a commemorative event in Chicago for the 100th year anniversary of the fire sometime in early December.
"I want people from Chicago to be aware of the disaster," Hatch said.
