In a Thursday morning interview with NewsLanc, Hamid Zahedi, managing partner for the Hotel Brunswick, expressed frustration with the Fire Bureau’s decision yesterday to close the hotel due to an as-yet-unspecified list of code violations. Zahedi claims that the decision was made without any attempt to negotiate a practical solution to uphold safety while allowing the hotel to maintain operation: “It is reasonable [to say,] ‘I want somebody here 24 hours a day, awake, doing their rounds.’“
“Even if you have no alarm,….there are ways around it.” Zahedi suggested posting of guards until repairs could be made. He confirmed that the fire suppression system (sprinkler system) was operational throughout the hotel.
Before yesterday’s inspection, the last Zahedi had heard about a June 30 deadline for installing a new alarm system was in a letter dated May 6. Since that time, he was told by one of his contractors that the deadline had been extended until September—yet, even with the extended deadline, more staff would be needed to complete the massive installation.
City code officials did visit about once each week throughout the renovation process; however, Zahedi said, those visits were very brief, often only to confirm that contractors were there, working to implement a new system. Yesterday, about six inspectors arrived early in the day, according to Zahedi, and spent around an hour assessing the facility.
The Fire Bureau then notified Zahedi that the facility would have to be evacuated immediately and closed for business. The hotel also had to close its doors to two busloads of reserved visitors. Apart from the fire alarm malfunction, Zahedi was provided with no additional details as to what was deemed hazardous. The full list of cited hazards will be provided to Zahedi in a letter from the Fire Bureau today.
Yesterday, Zahedi appealed to the City to intervene: “I put a few calls into the City, but my calls were not answered. Then I went in person to City Hall. I met with [Economic Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Director] Randy Patterson, and he said that it was out of his hands.”
The Hotel Brunswick has contracted its alarm system supervision to Yarnell Security Systems, a reputable local business with over 37 years of experience in the field: “I’m not a technical person,” Zahedi said, “and if there’s something not right, we expect them to tell us.” Today, Yarnell has had workers assessing the existing alarm system to determine what caused yesterday’s malfunction.
Still uncertain as to the full extent of the Fire Bureau’s citations, Zahedi questions the rationale behind yesterday’s radical actions: “I think the City should have made sure that we had enough time to do this. This was not a detrimental thing, it wasn’t a matter of life and death. If it was, why wasn’t this place closed way back?”
Sounds like a way to help out the new Convention Center if you ask me??? Something long standing that has never been messed with and now the new “Giant” in Downtown comes to approval and they are looking at the one’s that bring competition near it. Who’s next?