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1997 SESSION

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SB 1092 Fire suppression systems in college or university dormitories.

Introduced by: Stanley C. Walker | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY:

Fire suppression systems in certain college or university dormitories. Requires all buildings, regardless of when constructed, which are more than 75 feet or more than six stories high and are used, in whole or in part, as dormitories to house students by any public or private institution of higher education to install sprinkler systems by September 1, 1999. The Board of Housing and Community Development is required to promulgate regulations establishing standards for automatic sprinkler systems in such dormitories. The Code of Virginia currently grandfathers buildings constructed prior to 1973 under the 1986 regulations, thereby exempting such buildings from various requirements including fire suppression systems (sprinkler systems).

Across the Commonwealth, 13 high-rise dormitories that were built before automatic sprinklers were required do not contain such systems, while housing some 7,200 students. All of these buildings were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s and are not, currently, required to comply with the fire and building codes. Most of these buildings are owned by the Commonwealth and located on the campuses of public institutions of higher education, i.e., James Madison University, Longwood College, Norfolk State University, Radford University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia. Although no lives have been lost, some fires have occurred in some of the unprotected, high-rise dormitories which have resulted in some injuries.


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