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Greenwood waives $400 false-alarm invoice for new State Bridge Suites after hotel replaces faulty detectors
Summary
The Greenwood board granted an appeal to waive a $400 invoice for four recent alarm responses at the new State Bridge Suites, after the hotel’s manager said defective detectors were replaced and the fire department confirmed the devices were operating as intended.
The Greenwood Board of Works and Safety voted April 20 to grant an appeal waiving a $400 false-alarm invoice for State Bridge Suites, a hotel that opened last October, after the manager and fire department described the cause and fixes.
Jamie Patel of the Greenwood Fire Department told the board four alarms occurred at the hotel earlier this year — with incidents recorded Jan. 25 and Jan. 28 and another in mid-February. Patel said the smoke detectors were performing as designed and that many of the activations traced to the buffet/kitchen area; ladder-truck responses and engine dispatches create a measurable expense for the department.
“My point is that the smoke detectors are doing exactly what they’re intended to do,” Patel said. The department’s operational goal, he told the board, is to deter repeat activations and limit unnecessary emergency responses because of the cost and resource use.
Chris, the hotel’s general manager, said the property experienced a cluster of issues after opening and worked with the fire department to replace the faulty kitchen unit and other defective devices. “Since we’ve replaced those units we’ve gone multiple months now with no issues,” Chris told the board, urging a one-time waiver of the two fees that led to the $400 bill.
Council members noted the expense of each response; the board’s discussion referenced a fee schedule (the transcript cites initial fees of $150 and $250 and that subsequent responses may be assessed at a higher rate). A motion to grant the $400 appeal passed; board members warned that another alarm would not receive a similar waiver and that future incidents would be billed at the standard, higher rate.
The board’s action was procedural: the appeal was granted on a motion and carried by voice vote. No vote tally by name was recorded in the minutes. The hotel was told to continue working with the fire department to ensure devices remain properly adjusted and that staff monitor kitchen activity to reduce nuisance activations.
