Beverly Hills Supper Club Research

[ccfdblehman]

I am writing a paper on the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire and am trying to find some information and multimedia. I have been unable to find any good multimedia, and am wondering if anyone out there has some that they can share.

email is B[email protected]

Also, what do you feel were the major changes made in building/life safety as a result of this fire.

The two largest changes I see as a result of this fire are the further banning of Aluminum wiring and the sprinkler code changes.

Thanks in advance for your input

[EFD840]

Have you seen the Cincinnati Enquirer stories done on the 20th anniversary of the fire?

[Fletch 8903]

Being from Cincinnati, this fire has always been an interest to me, and it amazes me that we never fully learned from it. The building was overcrowded and had no suppression system, and as a result, 167 people perished. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and we run into similar issues at The Station fire in Rhode Island, with 100 fatalities.

An excellent book that I have on my shelf is "Inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire" by Ron Elliot. It tells the story of Wayne Dammert, who was a long time employee of the club at the time of the fire. The book is available at Amazon.com, and I recommed it to anyone that works in the fire service. To this day, the site sits vacant, but the memory is still fresh for many people that live in this city.

As EFD840 wrote, you should look into the online archives of the Cincinnati Enquirer, as well as the Cincinnati Post. This link http://www.enquirer.com/beverlyhills/bevhills.pdf contains a PDF graphic that shows how the fire spread, as well as a general time line for the history of the club. You may also want to look for back issues of Firehouse Magazine. I seem to remember some stories about it after it happened.

[Dave1983]

One of the reasons Im a firefighter. I was 12 when this happened and living in Dayton. I already had the "itch", but watching hours of live news coverage that night kinda pushed me over the edge as it were. From that night on I knew what I wanted to do for a living.

Ive read and studied the story of that tragedy many times over the years. Ive spent the last hour reading the stuff at the link given above. Brings it all back. Also quite disapointing that we still dont heed all the lessons from that tragic night almost 30 years ago. Its always in the back of my mind every day in my new position in Fire Prevention.

[ccfdblehman]

I actually did know about the sections on the website for the Cincinnati Enquirer, but had forgotten about them. I remember reading the stories when they were published. Thanks for the reminder about it.
I just found the book online today, and thanks for that as well.

I suppose I should give a little background as to why I am doing the paper. Though i was born 8 years after the fire, it holds a special place because I hear so much about it. I actually live less than 2 miles from the site and several of the people I have met in the fire service were there that night. They do not like to talk about that event much, so I am trying to learn about it myself... and do a little schoolwork on the process.

Thanks for the resources.

[Fletch 8903]

One of the reasons Im a firefighter. I was 12 when this happened and living in Dayton.

I was almost six when the fire happened,and I still remember seeing the footage live on TV. I think WCPO had the most coverage. I still get chills reading the accounts of the survivors. You may have me by a few years, but I bet the memories are similar...

You know that site sits vacant to this day.

[Dave1983]

You know that site sits vacant to this day.

Ive heard that and certainly dont understand why. Just as I was shocked to read in the updates that its on the market. The state should buy it and put up a memorial, IMHO.

[ccfdblehman]

I agree that a memorial should be erected at the site. The last I heard, a retirement community developer wanted to build on the site. They said they wanted to build a memorial on the property along with the community.

I think the entire site should be dedicated in memorial, though.

[KenNFD1219]

A memorial would be fitting. An elementary school sits on the site of the Hartford, CT circus fire (168 dead). There was a memorial built within the last few years.

[firecapt254]

Dave1983, what Dayton are you from Ky. or Ohio? I was raised in Dayton Ky.

[ccfdblehman]

FireCapt,

do you still live in Dayton?

I am from Highland Heights.

[Dave1983]

Dave1983, what Dayton are you from Ky. or Ohio? I was raised in Dayton Ky.

Dayton, O.