Yet so many innkeepers are thrilled when they are grandfathered in and don't have to install sprinkler systems. Yes, a huge expense. But to lose the whole place including personal items precious to you? Tragic. And if lives are lost ... goes without saying. I wanted a sprinkler system at the inn and worried constantly ... especially when some clown would smoke in their room. My partner/owner did not want to pay for it and was very happy not to.
New restaurant I'm in on, had to dip into the future renovation funds to upgrade (read:fix) the aged sprinkler system. Some of the heads weren't even connected. $6g to cover the eating area, the kitchen and food storage area. But this is just one floor. And considering a water tank. No idea of cost for multi level inns. While we're at it, we are wiring in to the fire department. Another expense but about 1g. One good thing ... a reduction on insurance premiums. New to get used to: twice a day, the alarm beeps to check the connection..
When we were gpomg for the Fire Code Legislation, one of the Fire Commissioners told me sprinklers areto save property, not people. He said by the time sprinklers would kicjin, people would already be dead. Also my insurance agent (was still with Wolfe then) said it would not change the premium - they (insurance) would say thank you.
The inns using well or spring water would have had to install pressurized tanks that would have cost between 3 - 5K in addition to the cost of retrofitting their old houses with the system & laying the water line to it.
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gillumhouse said:
When we were gpomg for the Fire Code Legislation, one of the Fire Commissioners told me sprinklers areto save property, not people. He said by the time sprinklers would kicjin, people would already be dead. Also my insurance agent (was still with Wolfe then) said it would not change the premium - they (insurance) would say thank you.
The inns using well or spring water would have had to install pressurized tanks that would have cost between 3 - 5K in addition to the cost of retrofitting their old houses with the system & laying the water line to it.
That's interesting because we were told that sprinklers do save lives. That the smoke detectors would sound off between 30 and 45 seconds after the heat would activate the sprinklers. Told us about the combination of gas and smoke called flashover causing fire to burst through the whole room. Obviously you would ideally have both systems installed. But I also don't know a lot of innkeepers with deep pockets.
I don't pretend to be an expert.
Where I was in Maine we would have had to install a huge holding tank adding to the substantial cost of running the pipes throughout the inn and the one with the money declined. But it's a wood structure with wood exterior decks and I feared what would happen if a fire roared through that building. When someone argued with me about not having to tell me who was staying over all I could think of was how would we know to look for them? Morbid, I know. I am a worrier.
Hoping none of us are ever tested this way!
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