Tacoma’s Theaters Under Fire Safety Review
Building inspectors find local stages lacking modern fire protections, prompting calls for new safety ordinances.
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People looking for startling developments in the report of Fire Chief Poyne and Building Inspector Tuell on local theaters will be disappointed. Although Mayor Campbell has not made the report public, assurances are given that there is nothing in it that needs alarm. At the Tacoma Theater, inspectors found the exits to be of the proper number and size and easily accessible. There is a heavy asbestos curtain in proper working order, said to be the best fireproof curtain in Washington. However, the automatic sprinkler system, which the law requires to be placed in the loft above the stage, is lacking. In its place are chemical fire extinguishers. A fire alarm box connected to the city system is located on the stage. With the exception of the curtain and alarm box, similar conditions were found at the Lyceum Theater. The smaller theaters were found to have exits of proper size and moving picture machines enclosed in double-lined asbestos rooms. The managers of both major theaters have signified their willingness to comply with recommendations for new standpipes and sprinklers. The current ordinance was framed in 1895 and is largely outdated, so the passage of a new ordinance will be recommended.
“There is a heavy asbestos curtain in proper working order, said to be the best fireproof curtain in Washington.”
Early 20th-century fire safety was often reactive, triggered by horrific theater disasters elsewhere in the country. This report reflects a moment where Tacoma was trying to codify safety in a rapidly growing entertainment district, mirroring contemporary debates over building codes and public safety in historic urban centers.
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