Fire sprinkler installations in Greek houses up for debate
Installing the sprinklers would be an expensive task in the economy.
Published Feb. 23, 2009
The Columbia Fire Sprinkler Task Force discussed the enforcement of sprinklers in Greek houses Monday, which followed a small fire in Greektown on Sunday night.
Donna Henson, mother of deceased fraternity member Dominic Passantino, spoke at the meeting. Passantino died in a fire at his fraternity house in 1999. Henson said she wants to warn other parents of the dangers of inadequate fire protection in student housing.
"I don't want another parent to have to endure the pain I had to endure," Henson said.
She advised parents to check fire safety before allowing their children to move in. She said it is especially important that student housing be protected from fire because students might not always make the best decisions or be able to react to a fire if impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Task Force member Skip Walther said he didn't want to pass judgment on Passatino, but he is unsure fire sprinklers would have saved Passatino's life because of the structure of the room and the location of his bed.
"If you look at the fire report, there are several factors that don't have anything to do with sprinklers that caused the fire," Walther said.
Walther said the sprinkler systems would be expensive to install, and it might not be realistic with the economy.
Task force member Wayne Whitehead asked what was considered Greek housing. He said it is not fair to ignore students who live in annexes outside of the main Greek houses.
"They're part of the same fraternity or sorority but are living a couple blocks away," Whitehead said.
Columbia has no official definition of an annex.
An ordinance passed in 2007 allowed Greek houses to retrofit their houses with fire sprinklers until 2013. The task force wants to advise City Council to revise, repeal or retain the ordinance, Walther said.
Walther is concerned houses will have to undergo cosmetic construction after the sprinklers are installed to retain their quality, which would be expensive.
Task force members said Greek community alumni would likely donate money to support the sprinkler installation.
Sprinklers would cost roughly $167,655 for every house, including the carpentry and repainting of the walls.
Columbia Fire Department Battalion Chief Steven Sapp said other Greek communities have successfully put in fire sprinkler systems.
Columbia resident Richard Shanker urged the task force not to base the decision on the economy.
The task force agreed sprinklers would be a good addition to Greek houses, but disagreed about the timeline for the sprinklers and if Greek Life should attempt the expensive installation in this economy.
The task force estimated about 36 houses would need to be updated and decided seven years were sufficient to raise funds for the projects.
The task force decided Greek houses include organizations such as Evans Scholars. Fraternities and sororities can apply to City Council for variances if they aren't able to meet the time requirement.
The task force will recommend the city help with fundraising, such as offering low interest loans.
If sororities or fraternities do not comply, they can lose their occupancy permits and be shut down by the fire department.
The task force stressed fire education programs and more inspections as ways to make Greek houses safer.
Task force member Bob Hutton said the main goal was safety, not to shut down Greek houses.
-- Reporter Jessica Holdman contributed to this report.