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Full-Text Articles in Fire Science and Firefighting
Contextualising Tragedy In Places Of Assembly Through Cases Of New York City Social Club Fires, Susan Brandt, Anne Marie Sowder
Contextualising Tragedy In Places Of Assembly Through Cases Of New York City Social Club Fires, Susan Brandt, Anne Marie Sowder
Publications and Research
Patrons of assembly spaces have a reasonable expectation of safe and healthy indoor environments, the subject of planned efforts to ensure safety from officials ranging from politicians to building inspectors. These efforts include inspecting building fitness, management and safety governance. A key component of guaranteeing safe assembly spaces is policy enforcement, an area overlapping inspections and governance. In New York City impartial inspectors are a necessity, due to the potential for local bribery and extortion. Quid pro quo, or a favour granted in expectation of a favour returned, is a symptom of a corrupt process of governance and can negatively …
The Man-Made Disaster: Fire In Cities In The Medieval Middle East, Anna Akasoy
The Man-Made Disaster: Fire In Cities In The Medieval Middle East, Anna Akasoy
Publications and Research
Considering the building materials and climatic conditions in the medieval Middle East, fires must have been a major problem. This article provides a first survey of sources which are relevant for studying the impact of fires in urban environments. Evidence can be found, for example, in historiographies such as Ibn Kathīr's The Beginning and the End, or in legal discussions. Most fires mentioned in these sources were caused during riots or war, or by accidents in markets. The article also analyses how far fires fit into the general pattern of discussions around disasters in medieval Arabic literature.