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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Cheers to snow, jeers to lawn letters ... Volunteers have options for outside work ... Tractor-trailer burns on Siskiyou Summit ... Our View: Cheers to snow, jeers to lawn letters ... Volunteers have options for outside work ... Tractor-trailer burns on Siskiyou Summit ... MEDFORD City will beef up fire-suppression inspections New database keeps track of compliance Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 11, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Sep 15, 2015 at 11:09 AM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 11, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Sep 15, 2015 at 11:09 AM » Social News An automatic fire extinguisher in a restaurant vent can tamp down a blaze before it gets out of control. But fire officials say they too often find fire systems that were disabled or not working. The city soon will have access to a new computer system that will keep track of hundreds of businesses and large buildings to make sure they are keeping up with required inspections. The system will send up a red flag that will alert the fire marshal. “The benefits from this are safer communities,” Medford Fire Marshal Greg Kleinberg said. Brycer LLC of Illinois provides the software, known as The Compliance Engine, free of charge to the city and collects $10 for each inspection report from about 12 contractors who work locally. Because there are such a large number of businesses that fail to get the inspections done on time, Kleinberg said contractors stand to make an estimated $18.9 million in Oregon alone through this tracking system. He said other communities such as Eugene and Springfield use The Compliance Engine, and he expects more cities will sign onto it over time. Kleinberg said he and other inspectors attempt to go out to as many businesses as possible to make sure they have installed the correct fire-prevention systems and are keeping up with mandatory inspections. Without the right manpower, Kleinberg said, it’s impossible to inspect all the businesses in the city. City Councilor Daniel Bunn said the new system should help the city inventory businesses that have fire-suppression equipment and eventually make sure all that equipment is working properly. "We should be able to clear it up over the next few years," he said. The new database will gather more and more information, and it will be relatively easy for the city to notify businesses they are out of compliance and could potentially face a fine. Kitchen-hood extinguishers must be inspected every six months, and often the systems fail because they get clogged by grease and fumes. Also, some hood extinguishers have been worked on by contractors who aren’t certified by the manufacturer and the extinguishers don't operate properly. Kleinberg said that faulty restaurant hood extinguishers account for 30 percent of all fires nationally. The database will track a variety of required annual inspections, including fire alarms, stovepipes, smoke-control systems and other suppression systems. “Sprinklers do a good job of saving a building,” Kleinberg said. He said the 2007 Poplar Square fire ripped through several buildings and stopped at the Tin Tin Buffet, which had fire sprinklers. Unfortunately, smoke and water damage sidelined the restaurant for about a half a year. Olive Garden in 2005 had a fire in a maintenance room, and a sprinkler quickly doused the flames, and it didn’t disrupt food production, Kleinberg said. “Most important, all those employees continue to work,” he said. On the same day as the Olive Garden fire, a gas station in Central Point burned down and had to be demolished. “It put people out of work for several months,” Kleinberg said. He said the city will begin using the new computer system in November, but it could take several years before all the data is fed in as the city collects more information about businesses with fire-suppression equipment. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at @reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 11, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Sep 15, 2015 at 11:09 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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