3. Wright's Kalispell Lumber1 2 1 25
TO: Mayor Pamela B. Kennedy and Kalispell city council
FROM: Randy Brodehl, Fire chief
Jaynes H. Patrick, City Manager
SUBJECT: Wright's Lumber
MEETING DATE: November 28, 2005 (Workshop)
BACKGROUND:
HISTORY:
Following a fire inspection conducted April g, 2003, it was brought to the attention of the
KD Fire Marshal that the fire sprinkler system at Wright"s Kalispell Lumber was non-
operational. A Fire Safety Notice dated April g, 2003, instructed Wright's Kalispell Lumber
to "repair the sprinkler system to make it operational." A letter was sent to Wright's
Kalispell Lumber October 16, 2003, from the Fire Marshal, noting the fire sprinkler system
continued to be non -operational, and requested a response from Wright's Kalispell Lumber
regarding the status of the needed repairs on the fire sprinkler system. Wright's Kalispell
Lumber received a third notice following a fire inspection conducted April 30, 2004, noting
the fire sprinkler system needed to be made operational.
According to information provided in a letter from Mr. Wright of June 8, 2004, the Kalispell
Lumber sprinkler system was likely installed sometime after 1954. The earliest trip test tag
that is available is 196 # and the most recent in 1981. He believes the major damage to
the sprinkler system occurred in the mid- to late 1980s. According to KFD records, the
south end of the sprinkler system was out of service on September 4, 1987. On June 19,
gg , the office area of the sprinkler system was still operable. On September 3, 991, the
sprinkler system was no longer operable.
According to records from the Montana Historical Architectural Inventory, the Kalispell
Lumber Company building was built in 1937. The property containing the Kalispell Lumber
Company (Kalispell Addition #5 was incorporated into the city May 6,1974. On January
5, 1973, the city adopted the Uniform Building Code, 19 Edition.
Under the 1970 UBC, the Kalispell Lumber Company is classified as a Group F, Division 2
occupancy. section 32 of the 1970 UBC indicates building of this classification and
of this size be protected with an automatic fire extinguishing system ("Standard automatic
fire -extinguishing systems shell be installed and maintained c erae condition as
specified in this Chapter in the following locations.,')
"A s ali g our community in reducing, r preventing, and mitigating emergencies- 3-5
NATURE OF THE VIOLATION_
The Uniform Fire Codes, as adopted by the City of Kalispell beginning in 1978 and
subsequently replaced by the International Fire Code in 2005, certain a provision requiring
fire sprinkler systems be maintained in an operative condition at all times, and be replaced
or repaired where defective. Furthermore, the code requires automatic fire extinguishing
systems to be inspected and tested at least annually. Code Section 1001.5.1 of the 1997
Uniform Fire Code precipitated the first notice to repair the fire sprinkler system at Wright's
Kalispell Lumber.
INTENT OF THE CODE SECTION:
:
Following fires with large losses of fife (Coconut Greve Nightclub, Boston 942- 92 dead;
Lasalle Hotel, Chicago, 9 6- '1 dead; Winecoff Hotel, Atlanta 19 6- 19 dead) fire and
building officials searched for a rears to provide life safety for building occupants. They
found that factories and other buildings equipped with automatic sprinklers had an
amazingly good life safety record compared with similar uns rin lered buildings. s. The intent
of the code sections pertaining to maintenance and operability of automatic fire
extinguishing systems is, simply: to assure required automatic fire extinguishing systems
will perform as intended in the event of a fire emergency. The purpose of an autocratic fire
extinguishing system is to begin suppression of a fire and keep the fire small until fire
department t personnel can respond and put the fire out. The majority of fires in s rink erect
buildings are managed by one ortwo sprinklers. Sprinklers operate automatically 'in the
area of fire origin, preventing a fire from growing undetected to a dangerous size, while
simultaneously sounding an alarm. sprinklers may be the most reliable fire protection
system known. Detailed fire records for Australia and New Zealand (where fire roust be
reported) for the years 1886 through 1968 showed that 99. 6 of all fires were
extinguished or controlled by the sprinklers, Fire records In this country are less
dependable due to lack of full reporting, especially for small fires where the sprinklers are
successful. Nevertheless, the range includes a 96.2% success record reported by the
National Fire Protection Association for the years 1925 through 1969, 9 . % success
record for New York city high-rise buildings between 1969 and 1978, and a 9 .2% success
record for U.S. Department of Energy facilities between 1952 and 1980. Aside from fire
fighting and explosion fatalities, there has never been a multiple loss of life in a fully
s rink ered building due to fire or smoke. Individual lives have been lost when the victim or
his clothing or immediate surroundings s became the source of the fire. A National Fire
Protection Association study for the years 1971-1975 found that approximately 20 lives are
lost each year in this country in s rin lered buildings, as compared to approximately ,coo
per year in unsprinklered buildings, Some of the lives lest in s rlr l lered buildings were
due to explosions, and an additional 18% were due to the fact that the fire originated in an
ns rinklered area of the building,
EXPLANATION THE RISK,
Several factors play into the risk analysis associated with a fire emergency at Wright's
Kalispell Lumber:
. The lack of an operational fire sprinkler system
2. The lack of a fire alarm system
3. The size of the building
w The age of the building
5= The structural integrity of the building
& The type of building construction
. The commodities associated with the building
y the time an unwitnessed fire at Wright's Kalispell Lumber were reported, its likely the
fire may be of a magnitude making containment very difficult, if not unachievable. While
circumferential access to the building is provided, the City's infrastructure in the area
surrounding Wright's Kalispell Lumber does not provide the required fire flow for the
structure, and depending on the progress of the fire, placing fire apparatus close enough to
e effective would l a compromised. In the event the fire was not controlled, the resulting
heat produced and the inevitable structural failure of the building would negatively impact
surrounding properties, particularly those to the east. Fire apparatus and fire department
personnel placement in locations to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent properties
would a putting firefighters and equipment at significant risk.
REASON FOR ABATEMENT:
It is the informed opinion of the Kalispell Fire Department that, in the event the fire sprinkler
system at Wright's Kalispell Lumber can not be made operational, the building should be
vacated and abated. Although Wright's Kalispell Lumber has taken preventative measures
to decrease the possibility of a fire starting on the premises, all potential sources of ignition
can not be mitigated. The foreseeable risk to lives and propel associated with an
uncontrolled fire at Wright's Kalispell Lumber are too great to allow the building to continue
to remain unprotected.
Council reviews the attached information in preparation for a public hearing in the near
future,
Reseciy smifte,
Wanly roue , Fire chief (joes H. Patric , City Manager