Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Busy Airport Terminals Lack Fire Sprinklers
By Anne
State
KNSD-TV Ch 39 (NBC), San Diego (CA)
SAN DIEGO -- When you go on vacation, it's probably the
farthest thing from your mind -- fire safety at the airport. But did you know,
some parts of Lindbergh field do not have fire sprinklers?
"I can't
believe it. I'm pretty astonished, amazed there isn't," said airport traveler
Vikki Grant from Lake Tahoe. She was in Terminal One Wednesday
afternoon.
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority said Terminal
One and Terminal Two East do not have fire sprinklers in place. The main reason?
According to Sharie Shipley, the Airport Authority spokesperson, these terminals
were built before sprinklers were required.
But San Diego Fire Marshal
and Deputy Chief Sam Oates believes there's another reason.
"It's always
the same reason. It's the money," Oates said.
Oates said the Port
Authority declined to add sprinklers to Terminal One, when fire officials
suggested it. However, Oates acknowledged that fire sprinklers are expensive. He
said estimates range from $4 to $8 a square foot.
Shipley said Terminal
One and Terminal Two East are getting an upgraded fire-alarm system this
summer.
Shipley said the new system would supplement the fire
extinguishers, hydrants, and hoses already in place throughout the
airport.
This new system will be automated; it will include mini-smoke
detectors installed at various locations throughout the terminals. Shipley said
the new system will be "equal" to a fire sprinkler system.
Oates
disagrees.
"An alarm system can't put out a fire," he said. However,
Oates says the lack of sprinklers at Terminal One does not worry him as much as
the lack of fire sprinklers in some high-rise buildings in downtown San
Diego.
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http://video.nbcsandiego.com/player/?id=104870