Senior Community is Under 24-Hour Fire Watch

Last month a routine annual inspection by the of the , 901 Seminole Boulevard, found the fire detection and alarm system to be out of service, according to fire officials.

The independent and assisted living facility has more than 100 residents. The facility has a full fire system with fire doors, dampers, sprinklers, and alarms, said Division Fire Chief and Fire Marshall Tim Wedin.

"It all looks like it works but none of it is currently working," Wedin said .

Fire officials were told the fire detection system was apparently hit by lightning in October, Wedin said.

Currently the facility is under a 24-hour fire watch until the system is restored. This means the facility staff must walk the building every 15 minutes and manually report a fire, Wedin said.

The facility has applied for a permit from the city to get the fire detection system operable, Wedin said.

The system must be upgraded to meet current code as well. This includes adding "inside notification," which means if a fire alarm is pulled, people inside their units can see the fire alarm. When the current system was working, someone would need to go to the hallway to see the flashing lights alerting them to a fire alarm, Wedin said.

The life safety division of the city's fire department has been actively working with the facility to restore the fire detection and alarm system, according to fire officials.  Wedin said the situation is very unusual and typically facilities take care of fire safety issues immediately.

"The ownership and management team of the Barrington are aware of the seriousness of not having a detection and alarm system and the fire department is working with the staff to ensure that the safety of the residents is the highest priority until the automated system is restored," according to a city report.

The Barrington has not yet returned a call for this story.