Florida Builders Challenge Ordinance

[FFD941 20]

FIRE ENGINEERING ARTICLE

Feb. 6--BOYNTON BEACH -- It's only air, but developers of the touted Promenade development don't want it.

Builders of the luxury condominiums are challenging a city ordinance that requires its two 14-story towers to include a pressurized air system that firefighters could tap into to replenish their air supply while fighting fires.

City commissioners plan to discuss the request for review of the ordinance by Promenade's Miami-based developer Panther Real Estate Partners during the Feb. 13 commission meeting. The ordinance, adopted July 6, 2004, requires buildings 75 feet and taller to integrate these breathing air systems into their projects.

Boynton Beach is the only city in Florida to adopt a law that makes the breathing air systems a requirement, said Chuck Akers, of the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association.

A Jan. 24 letter from the developer's attorney, Robert Fine, contends the city ordinance can only be enforced with an amendment to the Florida Fire Prevention Code.

Boynton Beach Deputy Fire Chief Ray Carter said the ordinance could be locally enforced without changes to the state's fire code.

"Every single highrise that comes in line in the city of Boynton Beach will have this system," Carter said.

Developer Jeff Krinsky, of Panther Real Estate Partners, declined to comment. Fine referred calls to attorney Paul D'Arelli, who also declined to comment.

With the city's focus on redevelopment of its waterfront and downtown area, the number of proposed multistory buildings has grown to 29 projects in the city's redevelopment district -- for a total of more than 3,700 housing units.

Only the Promenade and another development, 500 Ocean, are subject to the ordinance requiring the air supply system, said Michael Rumpf, the city's planning and zoning director.

Construction has yet to begin at the Promenade's cleared site, on the northeast corner of Federal Highway and Boynton Beach Boulevard on the Intracoastal Waterway's edge. Adjacent to the Promenade is Marina Village, the city's first high-rise, which has integrated the system into its two 15-story towers, Carter said.

Marina Village's system cost the developer $176,000, according to May 2004 commission meeting minutes.

In Fine's letter, he estimates revising plans for the Promenade to include the breathing air system would "result in project delays of 2-3, have a construction cost of $2.5 million to $3 million, and most importantly, create a significant life, safety and liability issue since the Rescue Air System ... has not otherwise received regulatory approval."

However, the Promenade developers agreed to install the air system as part of the conditions of approval in its development agreement that was issued July 20, 2004, Rumpf said.

The thin piping system runs up the core of a high-rise and is attached to an air filling station every three floors. Firefighters, who carry about 70 pounds of equipment, don't have to run downstairs and outside a burning building to refill their air tanks, which last about 20 minutes each.

"It's about protecting the people who are going to live here after the developer is gone," Carter said. "It's worth the investment."

Fine's letter also states the system is not rated by Underwriters Laboratories Inc., a not-for-profit product safety certification organization. Carter said the system is not dangerous.

"It's just air," he said, likening the technology to scuba diving air tanks. "It's not oxygen."

Erika Pesantes can be reached at epesantes@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6602.

What does everyone think...seems like a great idea to me

[Guest partyrock]

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Edited February 10, 2007 by partyrock

[jd783 64]

I have never heard of this it just seems like something else to inspect and go wrong. Stage 2 floors below with spare air cylinders.

[FFD941 20]

Good point...Why should we put our lives in the hands of an occupant when all we have to do is bring our own supply with us just as the fire service has done for years.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Instead of the air centers try instaling more sprinklers, CO detectors, conbustable gas meters, smoke alarms or other meters for haz-mat or other

all of these things will limit the amount of time a Fire fighter needs to spend in the building and thus possibly on air

If they catch ever the emergency is early why is there a need to bring in air when it is not needed

not to say that this idea is not novel nor a good one but there are other ways of protecting the building with the building

[tbendick 27]

This is a pretty cool idea. Working in a Hi-Rise area, my last tour I worked we had a fire on the 28th floor, thank god for working elevators. It's not uncommon for the guys I work with to have to hike 30 plus floors when the elevators go out.

Now if we had it in the city, I am sure we would still follow all our normal SOP's such as 2nd Alarm units bring one bottle each. But this could help save time when the elevators go out and units are walking up.

As far as installing smoke, co, sprinklers, etc. They also fail at times, LA's major hi-rise fire the standpipes were drained at the time of the fire. The fire I had the other night, the system was off line due to tourch work on another floor.

So one more thing that we might be able to use might not be so bad. If it fails when you try to use it o well. Then it's just back to the old way.

[Arrowxt 8]

Not a bad idea , but in a way a bad idea.

Ponder that after the initial cost were incurred who would have to maintain the system?

What about this:

What about the developer having to provide SCBA stations , with the initial purchase of the SCBA charged to the developer (spare bottles ) and then the fire department/district/city then maintain them.

just wondering out loud

Arrow

[Guest partyrock]

There's an Isreali engineer who has caught some press in the past few years with his safety concepts. One was a highrise rescue slide (thing aircraft egress slide on steroids) and another was a platform brought by the FD to a highrise that would use an installed track to climb the building with equipment. It could also be used as a rescue plattform. The one he pitched had an estimated 500lb capacity and could be used as a high point for rope rescue. I'm not sure about the feesability of the engineering, but the from a practical standpoint it seemed like a good idea.

Edited February 13, 2007 by partyrock