A Veritable Tale of Two Fires

Recently, two commercial structure fires have made the headlines in Bay County. Despite having similar characteristics, each resulted in drastically different outcomes. What can we learn and how can these events be applied to a safer holiday season?

In the past month there has been a flurry of structure fires including a shed fire and a microwave oven fire inside an apartment. Neither of these compared to the Senor Frog’s fire or the more heart wrenching catastrophic blaze at St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club. Looking at both fires we can see one building with nothing more than a charred, blow out window on the second floor. While the other, an inferno leaving behind nothing more than a heap of blacked building material, surrounded by a scorched facade.

Senor Frog’s is a new commercial building. They broke ground, or sand, around 2019 in what was first known as the Hang Five Bar & Grill. The two story pole barn style structure followed the newest building codes including an up to date fire protection system. Smoke detectors that were triggered by a malfunctioning air handler or lighting control box on the second floor, reported signals directly to fire control allowing for an immediate five minute response time. Firefighters choose to douse the containable fire, two of which sustained minor steam burns, having since recovered. I spoke with the fire suppression technician that helped install the original fire protection system at the location. He explained that these systems can be exceedingly complex. They require electricians and electronic technicians, each a certified expert to meticulously install products and systems that have to work precisely in an emergency. They handle relay boxes which can do anything from simply sounding an alarm, to taking over the controls in elevators. We can even see water pressure readings if a sprinkler system has been activated. Costs can run up to $30,000 and this is without the yearly inspection fees that can reach $2,000. Cody from B & C Fire Safety stated, “These systems are worth their weight in gold if the time ever comes.” But for such a price comes the endless debate of safety versus cost.

Luckily, Florida has some of the most strict building and fire codes in the country. These codes make sure facilities have at least a minimal safe level of fire protection which is spelled out in thousands of pages of intertwined codes. The question here is, are these codes being as thoroughly enforced? Fifty Percent of damage from Hurricane Andrew was determined to be from building code violations. Fire insurance companies love to run these numbers, as well as save money on the back end during disaster renovation. Customers at the front end also want to find ways to save money during initial construction and upgrades. This is a good reason why the codes are so specific. However, there is one area of the fire protection code that is extremely difficult to nail down. The issue is with thousands of “grandfathered in” structures throughout the state. More specifically, “buildings officially authorized” as the NFPA 5000 code catalog describes them. Senor Frog’s was a fresh commercial structure featuring the latest fire protection codes. The St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club that has been around since 1933 is a bit more complicated. We know the club had renovations after Hurricane Michael to say the least. According to NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), “...pre existing structures that undergo renovations to a certain extent are subject to being brought up to current code regulations.” Unfortunately in the case of the club, over an hour of silent internal combustion passed with no effective sprinkler system. The yacht club, in dire peril as the fire grew, was also incapable of signaling an automatic SOS which is exactly what Senor Frog’s did.

After Hurricane Michael we can see videos on Facebook showing the inside of the club house as its gutted and renovated. The county permits show commercial renovations as recent as 2021, however they appear to be for Building 2, a second structure on the property. Further investigation lead to finding the information for the main structure was locked up elsewhere. A facility called E.P.C.I. Services near the cove, self defined as a business performing fire inspections and consulting. Contacting former contractors that worked on the renovations also lead to a dead end. No one wanted to talk about smoke alarms or sprinkler systems, only how they loved the yacht club and were also members. The city fire department did not want to comment very much with the ongoing investigation as well. The Lieutenant admitted the news had already leaked known information of there being no alarm monitoring system in the building. The investigation has now been handed upwards to the Florida State Fire Marshall and I believe a picture is beginning to take shape. B & C Fire Safety quoted, “It’s up to the inspector to decide what is needed.” Permitted restoration, after the hurricane would have forced inspectors to review the existing fire protection system. A 2022 NFPA article in regards to upgrading old buildings says, “...but requiring all buildings to be retroactively improved to meet the current codes and standards may be costly and could impose a significant hardship on building owners.” This was the case with another non for profit yacht club across the country. They ended up appealing a required sprinkler system installation upgrade and won. It is possible E.P.C.I fire inspectors decided openly not to upgrade the facility based on NFPA’s “officially authorized” (existing building) clause. This and a number of other code determinants in the situation could create enough wiggle room to avoid costly fire protection systems in the club house. In retrospect, should the building have installed at minimum a supervised alarm system? Based on cost and being a timeless landmark, yes. Was it required by code? It appears the answer is no, the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) was allowed to make the determination using the gray area covered under existing structures. None the less the case is still open so we shall see if the smoke clears.

Fire Chief David Collier summed it up perfectly in expressing how the yacht club presents an opportunistic view point, “...it just shows the need, for your facility or business, even your residence, to have an alarm monitoring system.” You don’t need to spend $30,000 for peace of mind. Home fire monitoring systems that will send notifications to your smart phone in an emergency cost around $100. Another well priced option for about $20 is a small home fire extinguisher. Either way, with those two options you’ll be prepared for dried out Christmas trees and candles catching the curtains. Happy Holidays to all.

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