Episode 84: Anna Connelly
Anna Connelly was born on September 23, 1868 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and her parents were English. By the time Anna filed to patent her fire escape invention in 1887 cities had been growing exponentially and the US witnessed several awful fires such as The Great New York City Fire, Great Fire of Pittsburgh, Great Fire of San Francisco, Great Fire of Boston, The Great Chicago Fire. It’s like if you were a major city before the 1900s you probably had a major fire. So in 1887, she patented the first steel exterior fire escape, which would later inspire the modern fire escape we know today. it was technically a fire escape bridge, that connected the rooftop of two buildings, since buildings have different heights, the bridge had a set flat, level height, and it had openings at both ends that would be reached by stairs, and throughout the whole thing there were railings, and then you made it to the other side and basically went down the stairs of the building that was not burning. After her invention code officials of major cities required all buildings to have two egress paths which could include an exterior fire stair such as Anna’s. Anna died in April 1969, she was 100 years old.
Caryatid: Chloe Vickery and Kate Blake
Chloe Vickery and Kate Blake are co-founders of the group Women in Fire Safety. This is a group that is based in London, England. Their goal is to: honor the outstanding achievements and contributions of all women within the fire safety community.
Chloe began her journey in the fire safety industry in 2008. She’s had a chance to work for fire safety contactors, distributors and manufacturers, throughout many aspects of different projects. Today she specializes in fire risk assessment, tenant engagement and tailored fire safety solutions for both new build and existing properties, as the National Fire Risk Assessment Manager at JLA Group.
Kate was working in Finance until 2008 when she changed career paths and got into the Construction Industry. Eventually she landed on the manufacturing side of the Fire Safety Industry. She was inspired to join this field after having a daughter and wanting to show her that anything is possible, she wanted to do something about the lack of women involved in construction and fire safety.
In their own words the Women in Fire Safety group “ …strive to address the historical gender imbalance and champion for a more progressive industry. That is why, as an organization, our aim is to continuously motivate and promote women who exceptionally improve fire safety standards. Throughout our journey, we hope to also encourage the next generation to see fire safety as an astounding career opportunity by further highlighting how varied, inclusive, diverse and rewarding the industry is as a collective.”
References
“Anna Connelly.” AncientFaces, May 2023, www.ancientfaces.com/person/anna-connelly-birth-1868-death-1969/26380746.
“Article | Queens of Safety Inventions | Fleming.” Fleming, 16 July 2021, fleming.events/articles/queens-of-safety-inventions/#:~:text=Anna%20Connelly%3A%20the%20fire%20escape,escape%20in%20case%20of%20fire.
Habitat, New York. “5 Things to Know About Fire Escapes When Renting an Apartment in NYC - New York Habitat Blog.” New York Habitat Blog - Apartments and Accommodations in New York, Paris, London and South of France, 20 Mar. 2019, www.nyhabitat.com/blog/2015/11/23/5-things-know-fire-escapes-renting-apartment-nyc/#:~:text=It's%20not%20illegal%20to%20stand,authorities%2C%20as%20accidents%20can%20happen.&text=This%20air%20conditioner%20is%20placed,to%20block%20the%20fire%20escape.
Havens-Bowen, Austin. “5 Things You Might Not Know About Your NYC Fire Escape.” Brick Underground, www.brickunderground.com/live/can-you-sit-or-put-stuff-on-your-fire-escape-rules-nyc#:~:text=First%2C%20here's%20a%20little%20history,be%20properly%20secured%20to%20buildings.
“Home | Women in Fire Safety.” Women in Fire Safety, www.womeninfiresafety.com.
Living Fires Scotland. “A Celebration of Anna Connelly.” Living Fires, 11 Mar. 2022, livingfires.co.uk/2022/03/03/a-celebration-of-anna-connelly/#:~:text=Anna%20Connelly%2C%20one%20of%20America's,is%20her%20most%20valuable%20contribution.
Wikipedia contributors. “Fire Escape.” Wikipedia, June 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_escape#:~:text=In%201784%2C%20Daniel%20Maseres%2C%20of,to%20the%20street%20without%20injury.
---. “Fire Escape Collapse.” Wikipedia, July 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Escape_Collapse#:~:text=The%20photograph%2C%20which%20is%20part,Boston%20on%20July%2022%2C%201975.
Images
Vazquez Gundin, Cristina. “Planning of the Fire Escape by Anna Connelly.” Wikipedia. 29 August 2023 Published, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Connelly.
