Date: June 16, 2015
Time: 1500 hrs.
Incident: High School Auditorium
Content:
The Sandwich Fire Department was notified on Monday June 13, 2015 by the School Facilities Department of a failure of the smoke curtain for the Sandwich High School Auditorium stage. The 3/8 inch fire rated rope that holds up the curtain had failed causing the curtain to become unsecure. The smoke curtain is a requirement under the State and NFPA Fire Code to ensure limiting the spread of smoke and fire on the auditorium stage.
Fire Prevention Officer Daniel Keane worked with School Department staff to ensure the area was safe and the auditorium was closed until work can be completed to fix the issue. Smoke curtains are highly specialized pieces of fire protection equipment and only certain companies can conduct the work. A licensed contractor who specializes in this work was notified immediately by the school department and the new smoke curtain and device hangers will be installed in the next few days and the auditorium will be reopened to the public. The Sandwich School Department will notify when the auditorium is reopened.
John J. Burke, Deputy Fire Chief
Sandwich Fire Department