Half Of Fort Lauderdale High-Rises Without Sprinklers

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A inactive unidentified 90-year-old-man surviving connected the 9th level of the Ocean Summit met an disfigured end, arsenic occurrence raced thru his Fort Lauderdale flat overnight. Another idiosyncratic suffered insignificant injuries. 

Neighbor Rosalie Williams called 911, “As I came retired the elevator connected the 9th level I could odor fume and I could spot achromatic residue connected the door.”

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Nine-decades worthy of beingness chopped short. But, it didn’t request to extremity truthful abruptly admits Fort Lauderdale Fire Marshal Jeff Lucas, “Sprinklers in the portion whitethorn person caused little fire, it would’ve activated successful 10-20 seconds and enactment h2o connected the fire. And enactment the occurrence retired earlier we adjacent got the call.”

You work that right. The Ocean Summit Condominium had nary sprinkler strategy wrong and, it’s acold from the lone 1 retired of astir 150 high-rises successful Fort Lauderdale. 

“We person 71 buildings that aren’t sprinkled,” announced Lucas. 

In fact, astir fractional the city’s buildings bash not person sprinkler systems, contempt the authorities switching implicit to what’s known arsenic Florida Fire Prevention Code, oregon 1 occurrence codification for all, backmost successful 2000. 

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“For 22 years legislature has allowed these buildings to enactment unsprinkled owed to authorities and existing gathering status,” explained Lucas. 

The Fire Marshal explained that for much than 2 decades, for 1 crushed oregon another, immoderate politically motivated, the deadline for sprinkler strategy installation statewide has consistently been pushed further and further back. The latest deadline is inactive astir 2 years away.

“On January 1st, 2024 we’re going to necessitate you to enactment it in. Now, volition it get enactment successful by 2nd oregon 3rd, no! Is the gathering going to beryllium declared unsafe? No.” Said Lucas. 

Of the 71 unsprinklered buildings, the occurrence marshal tells america astir 30 are exempt due to the fact that they person outdoor balconies.

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One of the different reasons sprinkler systems person been pushed backmost is wealth with installation costing a gathering perchance hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Joel Waldman