Contact: Marty King
Phone: 414-531-9542
Email: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fire Sprinkler System Extinguishes Fire at Madison’s Tommy Thompson Commerce Center
Small fire results in stark contrast from costly unsprinklered GEF-1 building fire in 2014.
October 22, 2015 – Due to the quick response of a fire sprinkler system, no one was hurt in an overnight
fire on Wednesday morning in the underground parking garage of the Tommy Thompson Commerce
Center in Madison. The sprinkler system extinguished the fire, which began when a power line shorted
out in a storage room, and prevented the fire from spreading and causing major damage.
Although the building was closed for the day due to a power outage caused by the fire, the fire could
have been much more costly and disruptive to the state government building. The fire sprinkler save at
the underground parking garage greatly contrasts the unsprinklered fire at Madison’s GEF-1 state
government building in May 2014. The GEF-1 fire caused approximately $15 million in damage and
displaced workers as the building was closed for three months of restoration.
During the restoration of the GEF-1 building, City of Madison Fire Department officials recommended
the installation of a fire sprinkler system, but the Wisconsin Department of Administration declined the
recommendation. For that reason, the building is no safer that it was before the costly fire.
“When the GEF-1 insurance claim was finalized, Wisconsin taxpayers were still on the hook for
millions of dollars. That fire would not have resulted in such significant damage had the building been
protected with fire sprinklers. The money could have been better spent on retrofitting the building with
fire sprinklers to prevent any major fires,” says Marty King, who is the retired assistant chief of fire
prevention at West Allis Fire Department and current state coordinator for the nonprofit Wisconsin
Chapter of the National Fire Sprinkler Association.
“The successful activation of the fire sprinkler system at the Tommy Thomson Commerce Center fire
proves the effectiveness and value of fire sprinklers,” adds King. “Wisconsin legislators must take note
of the difference between these two fires and advocate for better fire protection, most importantly fire
sprinklers, in all state buildings to save lives and preserve the state’s resources.”
The National Fire Sprinkler Association Wisconsin Chapter (www.nfsawi.org) is a nonprofit trade organization composed of fire sprinkler contractors,
manufacturers and suppliers. NFSA Wisconsin Chapter is dedicated to educating and informing fire officials, building officials, architects, engineers, the
public, and elected and appointed officials of the vital role that fire sprinklers play in fire protection.
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