Inspection following fire finds problems

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October 15, 2008

Sprinkler system faulty at Horace Nye Home

By LOHR McKINSTRY The Press Republican Wed Oct 15, 2008, 12:00 AM EDT

ELIZABETHTOWN -- An inspection of Horace Nye Nursing Home following a minor fire has found deficiencies in the home's sprinkler system.

Nursing Home Administrator Deborah Gifford said Tuesday that the Essex County-owned facility's fire-suppression system was inspected last week.

"We had some areas that need to be addressed."

The chief problems were the tanks that hold fire-suppression gas and the spray nozzles, she said.

"Those are to be replaced. We started the process to get those in place."

The ceiling-mounted spray nozzles activate in the event of a fire and flood the area with fire-suppression gas.

The system was set off in August when a lift motor at the Nursing Home caught fire.

Gifford said a hydraulic line on the lift ruptured, and oil leaked into the motor and caught fire. Elizabethtown Fire Department was called and extinguished the fire.

"We did have a small fire," Gifford said. "My staff acted appropriately. It has been reported to the state."

But County Manager Daniel Palmer said the inspection by the State Building Codes Office was not a reaction to the fire.

"Those inspections are done every year."

He said the new nozzles will be the most expensive part of the work.

County Department of Public Works Superintendent Frederick Buck said the lift was taken out of service after the fire.

"The fire was caused by a hydraulic fluid hose squirting fluid."

There was no evacuation of the Nursing Home residents and only a small amount of smoke, he said.

The inspection found additional problems beyond the fire-supression system, Gifford said.

"The other areas have to do with some wiring and some plumbing."

She said they can handle the last items in-house, "with the skills and expertise we have," in the County Department of Public Works.

The county will hire a contractor to replace the fire-suppression heads.

lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com