Effectively Managing the Fire Protection and Life Safety Design Process
During the commissioning of the life safety and fire protection systems for a hotel that was about to open, problems began to surface.
The following story is true. A hotel was scheduled to open the first week in December, just in time for the holiday season. After a nationwide advertising program, the rooms had been booked solid for the first three months following opening day, and the banquet halls and ballrooms were booked for holiday parties. Unfortunately, during the commissioning of the life safety and fire protection systems, problems began to surface. Contractors worked around the clock, and consultants were hired to solve the problems. As the days slipped by, most were successfully resolved, but deficiencies related to the smoke management system proved to be a challenge. The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) would not grant a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) until the fire protection and life safety systems were fully operational.
The day of the scheduled grand opening came and went, and still no CO, much to the embarrassment of the hotel chain which had to find alternative accommodations for its guests and alternate venues for the parties that had been booked. The hotel finally opened three weeks late.