Stocker Center, home to one of Ohio University's largest colleges, dozens of faculty offices, classrooms and laboratories, does not have a working sprinkler system. The fire alarm works, but no water will spray from ceilings to kill a fire.
Stocker Center, home to one of Ohio University's largest colleges, dozens of faculty offices, classrooms and laboratories, does not have a working sprinkler system. The fire alarm works, but no water will spray from ceilings to kill a fire.
And state law says that's OK. No Ohio law says a university building must have a working sprinkler system. Instead, buildings must have at least a "fire suppression system."
Since Stocker, home to OU's Russ College of Engineering and Technology, has working fire alarms, sound and light warnings to alert occupants of fire, the building is up to code, said Robert Rymer, chief of Athens' fire department. But that does not mean alarms are enough.
"Fire sprinklers are the only form of proactive fire protection and can protect lives and property by immediately reacting, controlling and even extinguishing a fire," said Lindsey Burnworth, a spokeswoman for Ohio's State Fire Marshal.
The requirement for fire sprinklers and/or fire alarms depends on a building's construction date and what it's used for. All university buildings must have a fire plan in place, but are not required to have sprinklers, according to state law.
OU officials are beginning to move to fix the sprinkler system in one of the university's largest academic buildings, which dates from 1986. At last month's Board of Trustees meeting, $50,000 was allocated to begin looking into repairs on the system. The university estimates the total cost at $500,000. It could be as high as $3 million. OU will only know once it examines the decaying pipes that comprise the sprinkler system.
To quote the Board's meeting agenda, "The sprinkler protection system is currently not in working order. Numerous piping repairs have been made over the life of the system. The piping failures are now beyond repair."
“A definitive answer regarding the requirement for a sprinkler system can only come from a currently licensed fire protection engineer," said Katie Quaranta, an OU spokeswoman. "But, the leadership of the Russ College believes that Stocker Center should be protected by a (sprinkler) system.”
She said OU is in the final stages of designing and contracting for a new fire sprinkler system in Stocker. But no action has been taken yet. “The university is moving as fast as possible to design and implement the repairs to return the fire sprinkler system to service,” Quaranta said.
Officials acknowledge that some engineering experiments could cause a fire but, for the time being, “We have surveyed Stocker Center with the Athens Fire Department and ... all parties involved agreed that current risks are manageable," Quaranta said.
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