Saratoga News

Photograph by Janet Orsi

Saratoga Fire District dispatcher Hal Netter can tell what type of alarm has gone off in the home because the alarm sends a special code to the dispatch computer.

Ordinance saves homes from fire damage

By Michelle Alaimo

Major house fires in Saratoga are scarce, thanks to a unique city ordinance which requires fire alarm systems in homes of 5,000 square feet or more or in Saratoga's hazardous hillside area.

One home on Mendelsohn Lane was spared extensive fire damage on Christmas Day because of a smoke alarm that connected the house to the fire station. The smoke detector set off an alarm at the Saratoga Fire District station, which allowed firefighters to respond within minutes and confined the fire to only one upstairs bedroom, Capt. Steve Sporleder said.

The Mendelsohn Lane fire is just one example of how well the system works. Since the ordinance was enacted in 1984, Saratoga Fire District Chief Ernie Kraule said, the number of fires to which the district and county fire district have responded has dropped significantly.

Kraule explained that the system is vital because homes in Saratoga are so large, some nearly 10,000 square feet. Because of the large home sizes, he said, smoke detectors alone are not sufficient to help residents in the event of a fire. For instance, a fire could start in a second-floor bedroom without anyone in the home hearing the alarm if residents were all downstairs. In this case, the residents would receive a call from the fire district dispatcher informing them that an alarm in their home has gone off. Saratoga Fire District dispatcher Hal Netter said he can tell what type of alarm has gone off in the home because the alarm sends a special code to the dispatch computer. The information is relayed to the homeowner, who then checks to make sure there is indeed a fire, not just a false alarm. If no one answers the dispatcher's phone call or a fire is found, the appropriate fire district responds.

When an alarm from a home or business signals the dispatcher's computer, a series of codes is also sent, indicating whether one or two fire engines should be sent and whether county firefighters or the Saratoga Fire District should respond.

Kraule and other firefighters, who came up with the ordinance in the early 1980s, said they did so because many times the dispatcher received calls from residents near a fire, who said they smelled smoke. Kraule said sometimes 15 minutes would elapse between the time the fire started and the time someone discovered their home was on fire--and by that time it was too late to save the structure and lives.

The Saratoga and county fire district both oversee enforcement of the code. More than 500 homes and businesses--including four schools, three churches and several care facilities--are connected to the alarm system. From the time a home's plans reach the city's Planning Commission to the time the home is completed, the fire district is involved. Netter explained that the district is sent a copy of the plans from the commission and decides what, if any, type of fire alarm system is needed. The commission then notes the requirement on its approval papers.

When the house is constructed, the fire district completes an inspection to make sure the system works properly. It is up to the homeowner to contact an alarm installation company and have the system installed. Depending on the size of the home, the system--which could include smoke and heat detectors and a sprinkler system--could cost up to several thousand dollars.

But the cost is worth saving a home and lives, fire district officials said.

"It gives us an early detection of any type of fire," Netter said. "The whole key is to get people out of the house and give us early detection."

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