Lack Of Sprinklers At Deadly Apartment Fire Raises Questions About Building Codes
ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A deadly fire at an Adams County apartment building forced more than a dozen people out of their homes. It happened early Tuesday morning at the Waterview Apartments on Coronado Parkway. One person was killed.
Fire officials said the building did not have fire sprinklers, adding it was constructed in 1984 when sprinklers were not required for that type of structure. Rarely are buildings required to upgrade their safety measures when fire codes change, says Adams County Fire Rescue Division Chief Mark Schuman.
"One of the issues with fire codes is there's never an 'always' or a 'never.' There's always exceptions to fire codes," he told CBS4. "In this case, the open walkways in the middle of the complex allowed them to not have sprinkler systems at the time it was constructed. Sprinklers always help as it minimizes damage. It's impossible to speculate as to whether it would've saved the occupant or not."
As for the rules to keep residents safe, Schuman explained that varies depending on where you live and the age of your complex.
"Unless they have a major remodel of the structure, they're not required to upgrade to sprinkler systems," he said.
So, why not force those upgrades?
"I wish there was a simple answer to that," Schuman told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann.
A somewhat simplified answer is because Colorado is a local-control state. That means each county or municipality makes its own building or fire codes.
"In Colorado, we have a little bit of a unique system in that we don't have a state fire marshal. So, we don't adopt fire codes on a statewide basis," Schuman explained. "Literally every jurisdiction that has control over building and fire codes can adopt whichever version of the code they want."
Some counties may be more progressive with fire safety than others, like Boulder County according to Schuman. Plus, there's the added cost.
"Anything [builders] add on increases the price of the home," he said.
In turn, that likely increases already steep rent prices and forces some people to live in older buildings. Schuman said it's always a good idea for people to ask questions before signing a lease.
"Do they have smoke detectors? Are they wired so that if one goes off, they all do? Is there an alarm system for the entire building," Schuman suggested.
In the case of the Waterview Apartments, the complex does have fire alarms. Schuman explained they are a pull-system, like what's in most schools.
"Nobody pulled that alarm as they were leaving this morning," he said. "So, even though they had a building-wide alarm, it wasn't activated because it has to be done manually."
All the more reason, Schumer said, to know the safety standards where you live as it could save a life.
"Safety is everybody's concern," he said.
Anyone who may want to better understand the safety of any property can check with the code enforcement division in their local community. In Adams County, the public can use a tool called "Eye on Adams" to check properties.