What a terrible, tragic, horrific, sad, frightening and
disappointing week it has been in Los Angeles. There are
almost no words to describe the fire damage, the loss of
life and the property damage.
Florida has legislation on the books for high rise
condominiums for years which requires either the
installation of fire sprinklers or an engineered life safety
system. Over the years, every time the deadline came close
for condominiums to comply, the Florida Legislature would
simply extend it, bending to the lobbyists who cried that
the owners of condominium units couldn’t afford it. The
last time there was an attempt to extend the deadline was
when Rick Scott was the Governor and that terrible fire
occurred in London. Governor Scott vetoed the bill.
So…………..here we are. The time has come and there won’t be
any further extensions. Here is what the law says:
Firesafety.
— An association must ensure compliance with the Florida
Fire Prevention Code. As to a residential condominium
building that is a high-rise building as defined under the
Florida Fire Prevention Code, (75 FEET IN HEIGHT FROM THE
LOWEST POINT) the association must retrofit either a fire
sprinkler system or an engineered life safety system as
specified in the Florida Fire Prevention Code.
So what is an engineered life safety system?
ELSSs are designed to be as effective as a full fire
sprinkler system.
Components:
Smoke detection and alarm system: Detects smoke and
sounds an alarm
Partial automatic sprinkler system: Releases water to
extinguish fires
Compartmentation:
Restricts the spread of fire
SOME ASSOCIATIONS MAY THINK THAT THEY DON’T HAVE TO COMPLY
BECAUSE THEY PREVIOUSLY VOTES TO WAIVE THE FIRE SPRINKLER
REQUIREMENT. THEY WOULD BE WRONG. BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU
PREVIOUSLY VOTED TO WAIVE THE FIRE SPRINKLER REQUIREMENT,
YOU MUST STILL INSTALL AN ENGINEERED LIFE SAFETY SYSTEM.
HERE ARE THE DEADLINES IF THE ASSOCIATION WANTS A FIRE
SPRINKLER SYSTEM
The local authority having jurisdiction may not require
completion of retrofitting with a fire sprinkler system or
an engineered life safety system before January 1, 2024.
By January 1, 2025, the association shall retain a
Florida Registered Professional Engineer to develop the
engineered design criteria for the fire sprinkler system and
submit the engineered design criteria to the FIRE MARSHALL
for review and approval.
