Condominium Retrofit

written by Chris Johnson, President/CEO

Wow, I listen to some of my lawyer friends and you would think that the pending deadline to address the High Rise Condominium Fire Sprinkler Retro Fit Law includes virtually every condominium building.  The Fire Sprinkler and Fire Marshal and Inspectors Trade Associations have both agreed that this is not the case.

 I understand that this issue is confusing, and I hope that the attached FAQ’s from the Florida Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association and the Florida Fire Sprinkler Association will help alleviate the confusion among our customers and our friends in our community. 

According to this document, if you are not a High Rise, this law does not apply to you.  A high rise is defined as a building where the highest floor is 75’ above fire department access.  In essence, these are buildings higher than a fire truck’s ladder can reach.  Many high rise buildings were built with fire sprinklers already installed or they have been retrofitted with fire sprinklers already, but there are a still a few locally that will need to address this issue. 

 If you are a high rise and you need some advice, we are happy to help you in any way we can.  There are several ways to deal with this issue, but making decisions on what option works best for your building is the first step. If the choice is to retro fit your building with fire sprinklers or extend the existing coverage to all required areas of the building, then getting plans submitted to the building department is the next thing to do.  The December 31st deadline is quickly approaching.