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Staff: building lacks hand‑pull fire alarms; estimates $15,000–$17,000 to install system
Summary
A staff member told the Points and Grounds Committee that the city building (built 1986) has sprinklers but no hand‑pulled fire alarms and that early vendor estimates to install a full alarm system range from $15,000 to $17,000; staff plans to seek funding in the 2026 budget and said some elevator upgrade work may reduce the net cost.
Chris, a staff member, told the Points and Grounds Committee that, during tornado-shelter planning, staff discovered the building does not have hand‑pull fire alarms even though it has sprinklers. He said early estimates from vendors including Silco and Johnson Controls put the cost to install a full notification system at about $15,000 to $17,000 and that the administration expects to request that funding in the 2026 budget.
Chris described how the current sprinklers do not reliably notify city staff or the fire department in all activations; he said the elevator smoke‑alarm system that was upgraded as part of the elevator work does call the fire department and that ‘‘a good chunk of what it would cost to put in a system is already paid for with the elevator.’’ He said the building was constructed in 1986 and has been ‘‘grandfathered’’ with respect to some features.
Staff described the installation estimate as preliminary and said they had asked three companies for assessments. Chris recommended that the administration include a full fire alarm system in the 2026 budget so the building’s common areas would have a functioning alarm and central notification to the fire department.
Committee members expressed surprise that the building lacked a full fire alarm system; no formal vote or procurement action for alarm installation was recorded in the transcript.
