False Alarms Going Downhill in Vail

Apr 1, 2005 12:00 PM

           

Facing a barrage of false fire alarms, The Vail Cascade Resort and Spa in Vail, Colo., has performed a major upgrade of the resort's fire alarm system.

Building layout and system configuration were two major contributing factors that led to the upgrade. Large events posed unique problems for the resort, such as how to run a fog machine with smoke detectors under a 28-foot ballroom ceiling. “In the eyes of the customer, the reasons why false alarms occur are secondary to the simple need for a solution,” says Clint Bartels, president of Acme Alarms, Rifle, Colo., the installer.

Vail Cascade Resort and Spa has been named one of the top four ski resorts in North America by Condé Nast Traveler. It offers 15,000 square feet of meeting and conference facilities with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and creeks. The problem was repeated occurrences of false alarms, resulting from cooking, special devices like the fog machines and by resort guests.

Resort officials decided to install the Identiflex 654 and 658 Digitally Assigned Analog Addressable Control Panels from Gamewell, Northford, Conn., a part of Honeywell's Fire Group. Acme installed the panels with a four-bay expansion cabinet assembly to monitor and control fire safety devices in the resort's new 78,000-sq.-ft. Aria Spa and Club, which provides retail shopping, a swimming pool and spa, and basketball, tennis, racquetball and squash courts. The system was also deployed at the resort's convention center, ballroom complex and five-story Terrace wing.

“We have seen a 98 percent reduction in false alarms,” says Jay Rocha, the resort's general manager. “We have only had one (false) alarm — and that was when one of our creative chefs decided to barbecue outside the convention center, which blew smoke into the building and set off the smoke detectors. The system operated as it was supposed to.”

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