8 Lessons Learned From The Recent Trump Tower Fire

A long-time family friend of mine lives on the 32nd floor of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, and I was worried about him when I heard about the April 7 fire on the 50th floor. Fortunately, he was fine and his apartment was not damaged.

The fire was contained to one apartment, but tragically, the resident died. Fire department officials said the large apartment was heavily furnished and “virtually entirely on fire” with flames shooting out of the broken windows. The cause of the fire? Sequenced power strips powering multiple components. Compounding this preventable tragedy, there were no smoke alarms in the apartment.

Trump Tower was built in 1983 when sprinkler systems were not required for commercial high-rises.

Many high-rises across the country that were built over 10 years ago are not up to code with today’s fire and security standards and requirements. That’s frightening. Even newer high-rises built with sprinkler and alarm systems may need to be retrofitted as building codes and requirements change. Bottom line, no matter how old the building is, fire and security systems need maintenance, annual inspections are necessary, and systems must be updated.

8 LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE TRUMP TOWER FIRE

• Owners of older residential high-rises are not required to install fire and security systems unless the building undergoes major renovations.
• Older buildings are vulnerable to malfunctions of the fire and security systems.
• While building owners are responsible for installing fire and monitoring systems, property managers are usually responsible to make sure that the systems are compliant with current building codes.
• Damage caused by smoke from fires gets into other units of buildings, such as through vents and hallways. Many floors and units in the Trump Tower were directly impacted by the smoke, which is difficult to repair.
• Firefighting crews also create damage while handling the fire emergency, such as structural, electrical, and water damage.
• Residential and commercial occupants, no matter how old the building is, should make sure there are working fire alarms (hard-wired and/or battery) strategically placed in their units.
• People may not realize that overloaded electrical outlets are one of the major causes of residential fires. Power strips and surge protectors don’t provide more power, and extension cords are for temporary use only. Also, appliances should always be plugged directly into wall outlets.
• Annual fire and security system service, maintenance, and 24-7 monitoring save lives.

No matter where you live and work—high-rise, office building, warehouse, single-family home—you need to be aware of the fire and security systems protecting you and the property. Check out smoke alarms and monitoring equipment at least annually and make any repairs or upgrades as needed. Don’t let a tragedy like the one in Trump Tower happen to your property and its occupants.

ABOUT BROTHERS FIRE & SECURITY

As one of the premier providers of fire and security solutions in the Upper Midwest, Brothers Fire & Security strives to build long-term, value-added relationships. We work with business owners and property management companies, as well as all types of public institutions to solve fire and security needs. By taking advantage of our integrated bundled services, many of our clients find that they can save 25-30% on their safety services, annual inspections and more. From a single location to franchises throughout the region and the country, our integrated approach saves our clients valuable time, money and stress. We provide fire protection systems, security systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, 24-7 monitoring, fire extinguishers, card access and kitchen hoods.