Comments on: Proposed fire code ignites major controversy among Chicago building owners

By: Blane Lane

Blane Lane — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 21:16:00 +0000

Good debate here: http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2013/07/25/fire-sprinkler-requirements

By: Granville Beach Resident

Granville Beach Resident — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 20:17:00 +0000

I am an owner at Granville Beach, too, and I will be going tonight. I can’t afford this huge cost- this was my first condo, I bought it in ’06 (bad idea, of course) so now I’m ALREADY 30k underwater and I will walk away from my mortgage if this goes through. That, of course, will affect my neighbors, as their property values will plummet as the entire neighborhood is uprooted. Also, I am a commercial insurance broker. I totally get the importance of sprinklers, but others are right- we have a very low response time and as Blane mentioned, we already have spent a lot of money on our new system, just recently.

By: Blane Lane

Blane Lane — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 15:22:00 +0000

No comments? This is a government overreach that will force people from their homes up and down the Lake Shore and city.

Evacuation drills, alarm systems, fire doors and fire prevention is what’s needed. Not a multi-billion dollar, nanny state mandate. I live in the Edgewater Beach Co-Op, and we just spent a lot of General Fund money on a fantastic new fire system that puts us ahead of the city’s Section 13-196-206 of the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago, “the Chicago Building Code.

The Cook County building fire in 2003, which is the deadliest in recent history, was a result of mis-communication and a lack of adhering to protocols; panic, and putting people in harm’s way of the smoke did more damage. IF there is fire, there is going to be smoke, despite a sprinkler system.
Residents must be responsible along with their boards to conduct muster drills, work with the local fire departments and have a plan of action.

Make yourself heard, residents of high rises.