A fire at Trump Tower in New York City killed a man on the 50th floor last week. The residential portion of the building did not have a functional sprinkler system, which could have saved a life, reduced damages in the building, and allowed the fire to be extinguished quicker.

Some people have thrown blame on the current President, but in his defense, Trump Tower was built when a mandatory ruling to have sprinkler systems installed did not exist.  The building also never had to be retrofitted to include them. That ruling didn’t occur until 1998, so developer Donald Trump was within his obligations.

He, like most building developers when the ruling was passed, complained about the additional cost of installation, but mostly, complained about having to go back and try to install sprinklers in buildings that didn’t have them.

The designs of the buildings did not take into consideration having to add pipes and sprinkler spigots, and installing them in places where it wasn’t originally supposed to go made the buildings look shabby and ugly.

That excuse has a lot of merit. Especially today, aesthetics and appearance are major selling points, and add to the bottom line when making a sale. If it doesn’t look pleasing, you will have a hard time renting or selling the space.

However, a loss of life brings to light the fact that many older buildings and homes do not have sprinkler systems that would save lives. Does it make sense to rip apart classic architecture to install these systems?

Not really.

It does, however, make the importance of having smoke detectors in every residence more prominent. While newer residences should have sprinkler systems designed into their planning and construction, many older homes must rely on having the detection devices in every bedroom and on every level of the home.

All fire-safety devices must be regularly inspected and tested with operational power and backup battery systems that work properly. Although the detection devices warn you of possible smoke and fire, that is still a much better alternative than retrofitting an older home to have a sprinkler system, or worse, going without anything.

Make sure that any home you are living in has the minimum protection of having smoke detectors throughout the space. Early detection can save lives, homes, property and memories.