Fire dept. closes motel for faulty smoke detectors

By Kim Sloan
Dalton Daily Citizen

May 02, 2008 11:12 pm

— The lack of working smoke detectors in many areas of the Econo Lodge motel at Tampico Way in Dalton has led to the hotel’s closing by Dalton Fire officials.
The motel had many rooms were smoke detectors were not working or present, said Capt. Jeff Dugger of the Dalton Fire Department. The smoke alarms in the hallways were not working and the fire alarm did not work.
The problem was discovered when Dalton firefighters went to the motel for pre-fire planning. Dalton firemen visit area buildings every Monday to assess a structure’s layout. This gives firefighters advance knowledge of the building’s design and structure in case a fire occurs. Pre-fire planning is not an inspection, but after firefighters noticed the lack of working smoke detectors they turned their report over to Dugger, who is the department’s inspector, he said.
The hotel’s fire inspection report, obtained through an Open Records request, indicates that the motel had several other problems:
• The emergency exit signs and lights were not working.
• The roof was sagging.
• Electric skillets were in some of the rooms and must be removed.
The motel will remain closed until the repairs are made, Dugger said.
“The owners are very receptive,” he said. “They have electrical engineers and architects and are working on making the repairs.”
While it is common to require businesses to close to make repairs after fires, Dugger said in his five to six years as a fire inspector he has only had to close a business once or twice based on an inspection or pre-planning report.
No one answered the phone at the motel on Friday. No phone listing was found for Rasik Sheth, the motel’s listed owner.