Think a building with a sprinkler system is safer than one without? Think again.
Just because a sprinkler system is visible in a building doesn't mean it's operative or up to code. "Our neighbors in Arlington and Fairfax counties have found a 90 percent failure rate in system performance."
That was the word given to area contractors by A. Maurice Jones, Jr., supervisory fire protection engineer, Alexandria Fire Department, Code Enforcement Bureau, during a recent "Retesting Program: Fire Protection Systems" at Lee Center Training Center.
"We became aware that normal procedures were not enough to ensure safety. People were making efforts to come up to standards but were not reaching the goal," Jones said.
"People thought contractors were doing everything necessary. But they were missing a lot of points. This has been true throughout the area," he said.
Fairfax County started their retesting program 10 years ago. After five years they had an 80 percent failure rate and after seven years that had dropped to 69 percent, Jones claimed.
"Arlington County is still conducting first time retesting and continues to find a failure rate of 90 percent," Jones told the class.
Alexandria embarked on its retesting initiative when Code Enforcement sent a memorandum to then Fire Chief Thomas Hawkins, Jones explained. "We spent a year evaluating systems in the field before we sent the memo. We were seeing more non-compliance systems," Jones said.
"This will be one of the most important fire protection programs to be implemented over the next 5 to 10 years," Jones said. "Buildings will be able to be built larger and taller with improved fire protection systems. The building code process can accomplish this."
MANY OF THE older buildings, such as those in Old Town, do not have fire walls, particularly at the attic level, according to Jones. This makes them exceptionally vulnerable to a fire that could ravage an entire block.
Determining whether a particular commercial structure meets code or not is dependent upon its primary use. "Everything is based on use groups," Jones explained. "If its retail, used for meetings, a restaurant, all these factors comes into play."
Mixed use properties have different requirements per use, he pointed out. "But, owners must build to the most stringent requirements unless there are defined fire breaks in the building," Jones said.
"The program is predicated on owners taking responsibility. Who would be the best people to educate? We are stressing education over enforcement," Jones assured.
This assertion was buttressed by contractors attending the department's education seminar May 17 at Lee Center. Eighty five individuals attended from 75 companies, coming from as far away as Baltimore and Richmond.
"I thought it was very good. It was short and to the point. Overall, it will be a benefit to the community. We go into these buildings every day assuming they're safe and have operating sprinkler systems when many of them don't," said Dave Rhedmon, president, Professional Electric of Alexandria.
"It was definitely worthwhile and Alexandria is going about it in the right way," said William Stein, manager, Inspections Department, Virginia Sprinkler, of Springfield. "I've been doing this about 12 years and many people don't even realize their systems aren't working."
Stein recalled, "One time I was out doing tests, one of which is the main drain test. The system was showing pressure of 60 but when the valve was opened it went from 60 to 0. Someone had closed it at the street when work was being done and forgot to turn it back on."
Stein also emphasized, "The Alexandria Fire Department is being customer-friendly in working with property owners. That's not always the case in some other jurisdictions where I've worked."
AS FOR APPROACHING the problem in a user-friendly way, Billy Rittenberry, vice president, Prestige Fire Protection, Inc., located in the Fort Belvoir area of Fairfax County, said, "When he [Jones] called me I had 16 different questions I wanted answered and they all were. They [Alexandria Code Enforcement] are definitely going in the right direction."
Ninety percent of the sprinkler systems area wide are a failure, according to Rittenberry. "Either owners aren't aware their sprinklers aren't working or they don't care. But I can believe they don't care," he added.
"If an owner of a commercial building has any doubts about their sprinkler system they should start with the Fire Marshall's office. Maintaining an operative system is just part of doing business.
"If we neglect these systems things are going to happen that shouldn't. I believe that if people are made aware of a failure in the system they will do the right thing," Rittenberry said.
"Inspections should be done once a year. It only costs about $150."
Wayne Cates, president, Guardian Fire Protection, came from Gaitherburg, to attend Jones' seminar. "It was very well done. It's truly a win/win for everybody. It's not heavy-handed for either the people in Alexandria or the contractors," he said.
"There was the most cooperation I've seen by all three parties; the city, the firefighters, and the contractors. It was the best plan I've seen in any jurisdiction. It offers a level playing field and will produce better work because of that," Cates maintained.
Jones pointed out, "Code Enforcement is not permitted to modify the Building Code by jurisdiction. It is a uniform code."
Alexandria has spent the last eight months training its inspectors, They have 700 hours over the required training, according to Jones. "When we were hiring these inspectors, we interview 35 people to fill four positions," he said.
"If property owners are doing a good job of maintaining their systems we will probably not inspect them every year. We'll probably put them on a three-year inspection cycle," Jones said.
"We saw a pattern forming through a variety of incidents that raised concerns. That was the impetus for this program," he explained.
Jones emphasized this program is geared to commercial buildings. "This is not for single-family dwellings. We are not going into people's homes unless we are invited. But common areas in apartment buildings and condominiums are under the purview of this program," Jones clarified.
This program officially went into effect on Tuesday, June 1, with the notification of Tier 1 properties that inspections were available. That category includes high-rise structures, hospitals, schools, daycare centers, nursing homes, jails, large public assembly areas, hazardous material areas, malls, and big box stores, according to Jones. Implementation is scheduled for July 1.
Additional information is available by contacting A. Maurice Jones, Jr. at 703-838-4360.