Alb. Fire Marshall: Sprinklers Needed in Restaurant Freezers

From firerescue1.com -Those on either side of a city ordinance are like fire and ice when it comes to whether it makes sense to require sprinklers in walk-in coolers of restaurants.  Albuquerque Fire Marshal Victor Marquez said the fire code adopted by the city in 2005 requires taverns and bars, nightclubs, banquet halls and restaurants over 5,000 square feet or with an occupancy of 300 or more to have sprinklers "in all spaces." "All spaces means all spaces, whether it's a storage space or walk-in cooler," Marquez said. Business owners have said the full retrofits, including coolers and freezers, would cost between $60,000 and $100,000. Wight says a member was recently required to install a fire suppressant sprinkler in a walk-in freezer, at a cost of $2,000. The member was not named in the letter. "The cost may keep the employer from hiring another employee, or he may have to raise prices," she said. "The unintended consequences may be that the owner finally gets fed up and decides that it is not worth it to do business in Albuquerque.  More News New Mexico

Alb. Fire Marshall: Sprinklers Needed in Restaurant Freezers