Superman Building Developer Wants to Remove Fire Suppression System
GoLocalProv News Team
Superman Building Developer Wants to Remove Fire Suppression System
Specifically, High Rock Westminster, the corporation that owns the building, has applied for “Demolition of existing sprinkler system in High Rise building,” according to city records and Silva.
The Superman Building is 26 stories tall — 428 feet.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSilva told GoLocal, “We oppose this plan; it is a violation of the fire code.”
According to the fire code:
High-rise modifications —Existing high-rise buildings, including those containing student-occupied assembly occupancies, shall be protected throughout by an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with this [law].
The entire building shall be required to be protected by an approved automatic sprinkler system, installed pursuant to the provisions of NFPA 13, as applicable, on or before January 1, 2016. The applicable version of NFPA 13 shall be that version in force and effect at the time plans for the installation of the system were approved …
The Developer Can Appeal
The Rhode Island Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal & Review is responsible for developing and reviewing a comprehensive fire safety code.
Despite the Providence Fire Department and thus the City of Providence’s opposition, the developer does have the right to circumvent the city's decision and appeal to the state body — Rhode Island Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review.
According to the Board of Appeal and Review, it “will make a good faith effort to schedule a request for an appeal hearing within 30 days of the filing date.”
Consigli Construction Co., Inc. is the general contractor for the redevelopment.
FEMA Warns About the Difficulty of Skyscraper Fires
The Federal Emergency Management Agency warns about the difficulty of fighting skyscraper fires.
Occupied floors located high above the ground present many serious challenges for fire and life safety, such as:
- Fire and smoke tend to spread vertically because of the buoyant nature of the heat produced during a fire. Buildings with occupied levels above a fire floor pose a significant danger if the fire is not extinguished quickly.
- It can be difficult to evacuate large numbers of people from elevated floors, resulting in longer evacuation times and challenges for first responders trying to reach the elevated floors.
- Fire department aerial apparatus can only access a limited number of floors from the ground, complicating firefighting operations.
For these reasons, modern high-rise buildings are required to incorporate several design features that limit the likelihood of fire, quickly detect, and suppress fires that occur, and protect occupants during an evacuation. Features generally required include:
- Fire-rated compartmentation;
- Noncombustible construction;
- Fire alarm systems, including fire department communications systems;
- Automatic fire sprinklers;
- Smoke control systems; and
- Multiple fire- and smoke-protected exit stairs.
Rhode Island is home to one of the deadliest fires in American history
The Station nightclub fire occurred on the evening of February 20, 2003 — killing 100 people and injuring 230.
It was one of the most deadly nightclub fires in New England history, second only to the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston -- a reported 490 lives were lost.
Work Crew of 5 Onsite
As GoLocal unveiled on Sunday, despite the developer’s promise to spend $25 million on internal demolition beginning in October, a month later, there were virtually no activities, and a crew of only five was working on site.
In April of 2022, state officials, including then-Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, Governor Dan McKee, and developer David Sweetser, announced the plan that provided nearly $100 million in federal, state, and city appropriations, tax credits, and tax stabilization dollars to subsidize the Newton, MA-based Sweetser’s plans to rehab the Superman building into apartments.
No Additional State Funds
On October 5, 2023, while appearing on WPRO radio, McKee said, “We are going to hold up our side of the bargain" --- but warned there would be no additional public dollars.
“I can’t see putting in more money coming into the project in a way that is coming out of Rhode Island taxpayers,” said McKee on Thursday on The Matt Allen Show.