HomeMy WebLinkAboutBackgroundBACKGROUND REPORT
On July 31, 2012 a six-inch diameter steel water service line that supplied water to the
fire sprinkler system of Morgan Tower burst underground where it passed under the
southwest corner of the Nutrition Center. The rupture caused significant flood damage
to the offices, kitchen, dining area and adjacent parts of the Morgan Tower lobby and
resident manager's living area. More significantly, from a Health and Safety standpoint,
the burst pipeline resulted in the loss of water flowing into the Morgan Tower fire
sprinkler system thus leaving the nine -story 150 unit senior housing complex without the
required fire protection.
Temporary Emergency Above -Ground Fire Sprinkler Line
Acting on the best interests of the tenants and to limit, as quickly as possible, liability on
the City it was determined, in concert with the Fire Marshall, the Morgan Tower's Asset
Manager, the City Manager and City Attorney, that a quick temporary solution to the
water supply should be found. This action was supported by the following section from
the California Fire Code:
901.7 Systems out of service. Where a required fire rotection s stem is out of service
the fire department and the, fire code official shall be notified immediately and, where
required by the fire code official, the buildinc shall either be evacuated or an approved
fire watch shall be provided for all occur ants left unprotected by the shutdown until the
fire protection system has been returned to service_
While staff proceeded with an expedited search for a temporary pipeline repair, the
Property Management firm, at the direction of the Fire Marshall, engaged a firm to
provide the required Fire Watch services. A total of three firms were contacted (Metro
Fire, Cosco Fire Protection and Schmidt Fire Protection Company) to provide the
emergency repair service, Metro Fire was contacted first through an existing
relationship to the City but proved unable to satisfy the scope of work. The other two
contractors both submitted proposals and Cosco Fire Protection was selected based on
cost and ability to meet the emergency schedule. While a week was lost working with
Metro Fire, Cosco Fire Protection completed the project from engagement to completion
within a week's time. The cost of this emergency fix was $16,314. Formal authorization
is requested to retroactively memorialize this emergency repair,
Permanent Underciround Fire SprinklerLineInstallation
The above ground temporary fix to the fire sprinkler supply line user has been
completed. However, in order for the system to be fully functional it requires that a
NCFD Pumper Truck be integrated into the temporary system to ensure that constant
pressure to the fire sprinkler heads is maintained throughout the entirety of Morgan
Towers. The temporary fix is not to be considered sufficient to meet Fire Code
requirements because it doesn't return the system to its original normal and operational
condition. This situation requires immediate action as per the citation below:
[California Code of Regulations, Title 19, Division 1, Sec.3.241 Maintenance of
Equipment All fire alarm systems, fire detection systems, automatic sprinkler or
extinquishinsystems, communication systems and all other equipment, material or
systems required by California Code of Regulations Title 19 Division 1 shall be
maintained in an o erable condition at all times. Upon disruption or diminishment of the
fire protective qualities of such equipment, material or systems, immediate action should
be instituted to effect a reestablishment of such equipment, material or systems to their
original normal and operational condition.
Despite the temporary fix, which solved the evacuation concern stated above (901.7
Systems out of service), the situation still represents a Health and Safety threat to the
tenants of Morgan Tower and a significant risk management issue for the City and
should be considered a threat emergency and the need for repairs should be
considered emergency in nature and contracted for accordingly using the process
enumerated in the California Public Contract Code Section 2250 whereby, in this case,
Council "makes a finding based on substantial evidence set forth in the minutes of its
meeting that the emergency will not permit a delay resulting from a competitive
solicitation for bids, and that the action is necessary to respond to the emergency." This
finding will memorialize the prior temporary repair as being authorized and allow staff to
quickly solicit bids from the two responsive prior bidders on the above ground temporary
fix so that an "immediate action can be instituted to effect a reestablishment of
....systems to their original normal and operational condition" (see [California Code of
Regulations, Title 19, Division 1, Sec.3.241 Maintenance of Equipment above.)
Insurance Funded Flood Repairs
The insurance company providing property insurance to the Property Management firm
managing Morgan and Kimball Towers worked directly with ServPro, a flood clean up
company, and Lavin Construction, a general contractor specializing in insurance repair
work, to perform the necessary demolition and clean up and follow up repairs to return
the flood damaged areas to a fully functional condition. The City is not responsible for
overseeing the work or providing compensation for said work but, as owner, is required
to authorize the actions as per insurance practices wherein the owner is typically the
entity purchasing the insurance coverage. In this case, we require the property
management company to provide insurance. Today's action will memorialize the City's
understanding of this relationship and allow the final restoration work to be completed.