SIKESTON - Fire protection sprinkler systems for residential care facilities may be made a city requirement.
The discussion on amending city code to require the sprinkler systems was opened during the regular Sikeston City Council meeting Monday.
Department of Public Safety Director Drew Juden confirmed the idea for such an amendment was a result of the July 20 fire at Green Meadows Retirement Home at 411 N. Kingshighway.
“I think we all realize that if that fire happened in the middle of the night, a lot of people could have been hurt seriously or killed,” Juden said.
Juden said the sprinkler systems are required by state law for new construction of residential care facilities but most existing facilities are not be required to have them.
Four residential care facilities in the city have sprinkler systems and three do not, according to Sgt. Tom Conn, the city’s fire marshal.
Juden said the city code amendment to require sprinkler systems would include any residential care facility including nursing homes. “The state of Tennessee has just done this statewide,” he said.
Officials will research cost and reasonable time frames for bringing facilities into compliance. Juden said he realized the requirement would be “somewhat of a financial hardship on these facilities.”
He clarified for Council, however, that the systems don’t spray the entire building when a fire is detected as depicted in movies and on television. Each of the sprinkler heads are individually activated by heat, according to Juden. “They will go only go off in the area where the fire is,” he said.
In other business during Monday’s meeting:
• The bid to provide the city and Board of Municipal Utilities with worker’s compensation insurance was awarded to Missouri Employer’s Mutual Insurance Company which offered coverage for a premium of $478,398 with no deductible. The quote was submitted by Don Newton.
The only other bid was from the current insurer, Liberty Mutual, which offered a policy with a premium of $288,363 but with a $200,000 deductible per occurrence and a $975,000 aggregate.
Karen Bailey, city treasurer, said that although Liberty Mutual’s premium is lower, after considering the city and BMU’s prior loss history and deductible the bid from Missouri Employer’s Mutual Insurance Company is the better of the two.
Using the past three years’ losses for an average, the city could expect claims of $88,459 to bring the city’s total cost to $197,370 although the total cost could be higher or lower depending on actual losses.
The city’s share of the MEMIC quote will be approximately $179,595.
• Council heard the first reading for the readoption of the city’s ethics code. City Clerk Carroll Couch said the city is required by state law to readopt the ethics code every other year to be in compliance with state statutes regarding conflicts of interest.
The ordinance must be adopted by Sept. 1 so the Council will be asked to take action on this bill during its Aug. 29 briefing session.
After adoption, a certified copy must be filed with the Secretary of State, according to Couch.
