National Archives and Records Service film-vault fire at Suitland, Md. : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session, June 19 and 21, 1979 (1979)

169 of the film, the Government should install a sprinkler system in building A. This building:, which housed a gvent many films acquired by the Archives, includino many from donors other than I^niversal, had no sprinkler system whatsoever. The Government rejected this reconnnendation but stated that, if Universal felt a sprinkler system was desirable, Universal could install, it its own expense, such a system, subject to the Government's review and approval. After discussions with the General Services Administration as to the type of system it would approve, Universal agreed to supplement its gift by offering to contract with a third party to install fire doors and a highspeed, automatic sprinkler system, including 5 years' inspection and maintenance for that system, throughout all of the vaults in building A of the Suitland facility. The sprinkler system design approved by GSA was installed in building A in the summer of 1973. The system was inspected following its installation by representatives of both Universal and GSA to insure that it conformed with the agreed-upon specifications. The remainder of Universal's newsreel collection was subsequently delivered to the Suitland facility. In March 1974, Universal made an additional gift, supplementing the earlier gift and agreement and relinquishing to the Natioonal Archives all remaining interests it had in the newsreel collection. ITniversal thus relinquished all economic rights in those films to the National Archives in 1974. Since delivery of the films to the Archives, Universal has made certain use of these films. Since 1973, for example. Universal has made use of the collection on perhaps as many as 15 occasions, primarily as a resource tool to authenticate set design, costuming, and historical site data for film piX)duction. All members of the public, including other filmmakers, are entitled to the use of these films for those purposes and on the same basis. And I think we had evidence this morning that such use has and is being made. As the subcommittee well knows, in December 1978, a fire occurred in building A of the Suitland facility. According to news articles, which had been our only previous source of information, a substantial amount of the newsreel collection Universal donated to the Archives was destroyed in that fire. Universal has no information other than from these articles about the cause or effects of the fire. However, based on my experience with property protection, several factors come to mind which may have caused the reportedly extensive damage. The fire doors might have been left open, so that the fire was not contained in one vault. The sprinkler system might have been altered in the course of building modifications, so that one or more elements of the system were impaired. The film might have been allowed to deteriorate so extensively that, even if the sprinkler system functioned properly, the water released by the system was insufficient to extinguish or contain the fire. The vast majority of the films in the collection donated by Universal were nitrate films. ITnder the 1970 agreement, the Government was required to inspect and maintain these films and, where appropriate, convert nitrate films to acetate. I cannot overemphasize the importance of the periodic inspection of nitrate films. These films, if inspected for deterioration and maintained so as to eliminate deteriorated portions, can be preserved