ATLANTA — The Georgia State Fire Marshal tells Channel 2 Action News that a report detailing fire protection system problems at the GSU Stadium is not as concerning as it may look, and people are only allowed in areas that have been brought up to code in recent months.
Dwayne Garriss sat down with Channel 2’s Nicole Carr to review a fire protection system report issued for the GSU Stadium in August.
The report details nearly 700 recommendations to recall, repair and/or replace sprinklers. It also identifies about 60 areas that had no sprinklers at all. The stadium’s backup pump that supplies water to sprinklers did not meet industry standards, either.
Garriss issued the stadium a conditional Certificate of Occupancy, restricting visitor access to certain areas, and requiring a Fire Watch system while other parts of the stadium are brought up to code.
The university is in the middle of securing consultants and contractors to fix the issues in order of importance as they move through phased renovations on their new property. They purchased the former Turner Field in January through a deal brokered by the Fulton County Recreation Authority.
“If the building was occupied completely, then I’d say about 30 percent of it (the report) would be of concern," Garriss told Carr. “But the building phase that’s occupied right now? I have absolutely no concern.”
INSPECTORS AND THE STATE
The inspection was completed by a Dacula-based fire protection agency. Garriss pointed out that inspectors and the state are not necessarily interpreting fire code the same way, nor do they have the same motives.
“One, you have an industry who makes money by having installations and doing work, and (with the other) ... you have a person who has no interest in the value of the building other than the protection of life,” he said. “I’m not saying that what is written is incorrect, but how you read it and how you can interpret it, it is very important to understand what is a requirement, and what is a “should” -- a recommendation.”
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Garriss said many of the recall recommendations are based on manufacturer suggestions, not federally mandated instructions.
“Even in the code itself, it says a recommended (recall/replacement) ‘should’ be remedied versus they ‘shall’ be,” he said referencing state fire code.
“To the person sitting in the stands that says, 'OK, to me that’s a play on words when it comes to my safety,' what do you say?” Carr asked.
“Well as a code official ... ’should’ is very specifically spelled out in the code that says it’s strictly a recommendation and not a requirement,” Garriss answered.
SAFETY GUARANTEED
Garriss said fans should rest assured that they’re safe if they are allowed to enter certain parts of the stadium. Lower-level seating, office space and locker rooms were a part of Phase I renovations, and immediately brought up to code prior to the state issuing a Conditional Certificate of Occupancy, he said.
That Occupancy Certificate allows the stadium to operate while using Fire Watch, a protocol system that requires several staff members, including the GSU Fire Marshal, to man a panel alert system and start evacuation procedures in the case of a fire emergency.
Because that panel system is also in question inside the inspection report, it’s physically manned by someone during GSU events.
There are no signs or barriers to block off restricted areas that aren’t up to code, because Fire Watch is in place, a university spokeswoman said. She added fire alarms and smoke detectors are all in good condition.
Garriss said he is comfortable with the city’s water supply and pressure is adequate to service the working sprinklers while the backup pump is brought up to code. He says pressure to open the state-owned property for Panthers football was not a motivator for issuing the occupancy certificate.
“Pressure or not, I still have an Oath of Office I’m responsible for and my whole charge is protection of life and property and I’ve got to be able to sleep at night,” Garriss said.
NEXT STEPS
State inspectors won’t return to the stadium to conduct another occupational certificate inspection until it’s required by law next year. That because of staffing issues, Garris said. His office has 16 inspectors for the entire state.
It’s unclear how many of the issues were inherited from the time when the Braves owned Turner Field, and how many issues occurred during the period before the sale, as the stadium was unoccupied.
Channel 2 is in the process of requesting past inspection reports.
GSU officials hope to have the necessary upgrades and renovations done by December. The bidding process for that job continues, with contractors surveying the stadium property as recently as this week.
Cox Media Group
