NFPA Journal - Spring 2023 - 64

ADVOCACY,
Outreach by Lorraine Carli
LEGISLATION,
AND PUBLIC
EDUCATION
Get the Cogs Moving
A RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLER STRUGGLE IN HAWAII ILLUSTRATES
THE VALUE OF THE NFPA FIRE & LIFE SAFETY ECOSYSTEM
I
n July 2017, a seven-alarm
fire ripped through the
Marco Polo condo highrise
in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The 36-story building
was not sprinklered, and the blaze
killed four people and injured many
more. For decades, the city had explored
mandating sprinkler retrofits to bring
older buildings like the Marco Polo
up to current safety codes-the building
was completed in 1971, four years
before the city began requiring sprinklers-but
the measures were continually
abandoned due to cost concerns and
pressure from policymakers. According
to local news reports, a 2005 survey of
residential buildings in Honolulu indicated
it would cost about $2.5 million
to sprinkler the roughly 570 units in the
Marco Polo; by comparison, the 2017
fire destroyed or damaged more than
100 units at a cost of over $100 million.
In late 2021, the Marco Polo completed
the installation of sprinklers throughout
the units and common areas at a cost of about $6 million.
The Marco Polo is a good illustration of how the NFPA Fire &
Life Safety Ecosystem™
We know tragic
events often drive
change in the world
of fire and life safety.
But that doesn't
always need to
be the case.
by these hazards. Every cog is essential;
if elements of the ecosystem are
missing or ignored, tragedies can occur.
The larger story of the Marco Polo
includes ecosystem successes, such as the
installation of sprinklers in the complex.
Newer efforts on the island of Oahu,
where Honolulu is located, also reflect
successes, including an ordinance that
requires buildings to pass a fire safety
evaluation; if they can't pass, they must
be retrofitted with sprinklers. But ecosystem
failures are also on display. Nearly
300 buildings in Honolulu 75 feet or taller
have failed the mandated safety evaluation
and are pushing back on sprinkler
installations, leaving thousands of residents
at risk of loss should a fire occur.
According to media accounts, not only do
some of these buildings lack sprinklers,
they also lack adequate means of egress,
have blocked exits, and include doors that
don't close properly-all severe deficiencies
in the event of a fire. Greg Harrington,
an NFPA principal engineer, told the
can be applied to help us better understand
a range of safety issues, and to help reduce loss from fire
and other hazards. The ecosystem was unveiled in 2018, in part
as a response to a series of recent incidents with devastating
consequences, including the Marco Polo fire. The ecosystem is
designed as a holistic approach to safety and is built on eight
interconnected cogs, including policymakers setting the right
regulatory framework; jurisdictions using the most updated
codes and standards; the need to apply all of the standards,
including referenced standards; prioritizing safety across the
board; promoting the development of skilled workers in the
design, installation, inspection, and ongoing maintenance
of buildings and other structures; supporting effective code
enforcement; providing effective preparedness and response
capabilities; and educating the public on the dangers posed
64 | NFPA JOURNAL * SPRING 2023
media that the described scenarios " make a bad situation worse. "
In the latest twist to this tale, the effort to sprinkler more
buildings in Honolulu is now being buoyed by the rising cost of
insuring unsprinklered buildings and the lessons learned from
Marco Polo, which are, simply, that sprinklers save lives and
reduce property loss. Local media report that there are currently
about 10 additional buildings indicating they will move forward
with sprinkler installations-an important ecosystem success.
We know tragic events often drive change. But that doesn't
always need to be the case. Oahu's move toward improving
building fire safety, while progress, is only one small step
toward addressing the overall problem. In Honolulu and across
the globe, everyone who plays a role in the fire and life safety
ecosystem shouldn't wait for another tragedy to take action to
get the cogs moving together. Lives depend on it.
LORRAINE CARLI is vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA.
MICHAEL HOEWELER
NFPA Journal - Spring 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Spring 2023
