AN ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY consisting of several buildings, one of which was used as a residential personal facility for the elderly, experienced a tragic fire. The sprinkler system was protected by a fire protection monitoring service, which had merged with the defendant. In May 2017, the monitoring service company’s agents, representatives and employees closed several valves on either side of a leaking control valve, but failed to return all of the valves to their fully open positions, thereby preventing water from supplying the fire suppression systems protecting the building. Because the valve tamper switch was not in its proper position, it did not signal that one of the valves was not fully open.
In June, the monitoring service company inspected the fire sprinkler system and reported that all sprinkler main control valves and other valves were in the appropriate or closed position and that all control valves were sealed or supervised in the appropriate position. It also reported two deficiencies in the system but did not mention the control valves or tramper switches.
On Nov. 16, 2017, a fire started in the building and the smoke detectors activated and signaled the local fire and police departments. However, because the monitoring service company failed to properly reopen one of the valves during its previous repair work, the only water that reached the sprinkler heads was residual water in the pipe. Ultimately, the fire spread throughout the building and adjacent connected structures, causing the deaths of four residents, damages to the building, personal property and equipment located in the structures, loss of business income and extra expenses.