Recently we were contracted to install a Business Telephone System, Security System and CCTV camera system in a Child Day Care facility that cares for approximately 100 children during daylight hours. As we installed the necessary wiring, we noticed two pull stations for a fire system that were out of current code variance because of height. Up until this point we had not seen a fire system (necessary in a day care I might add), nor could we locate one. As we continued to install the work we were contracted to do I asked about the fire system and explained that we needed to install telephone lines in the location of the fire system and that the pull stations were out of code.
To my surprise, although they had pull stations, they did not have the actual fire system nor did they have the required smoke detectors in the rooms that the children sleep in. How the facility was allowed to continue operate is beyond me. I know that Georgia law can overlook “grand fathered” facilities on occasion but a Child Care Facility, give me a break! Can we say Fire Marshall asleep at the wheel?
The requirement of National Fire Alarm Code, NFPA 72, requires all Day Care facilities to have working smoke detectors in each room that children sleep in and it also requires a pull station by the exiting doors. There must also be strobes in bathrooms and horns for audible notification. It also requires that the fire panel have dedicated lines for notification to a UL registered monitoring station.
Properly installed systems take some planning and can be done quickly once the determination has been made to install one. First a drawing or print must be made and submitted to the Fire Marshall. They approve the installation plan and installation may proceed. After the devices have been installed the Fire Marshall will come and inspect the installation to verify it was done correctly and according to the print submission.
What frustrates me about this whole situation is that this should have been addressed years ago by the local fire authority and how it was overlooked baffles me. Certainly everyone wants to save money these days, but not at the expense of the lives of our children.
