Mansion alarm sounded 3 times

[TexasStooge]

By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News

Twice within about an hour before a fire that destroyed a multimillion-dollar mansion in November, Dallas firefighters drove to the property's closed gate in response to alarm calls there. But they left after they didn't see or smell anything suspicious.

The crew saw smoke the third time they responded to Scott Ginsburg's mansion in the 4700 block of Park Lane just before 9 p.m. Nov. 8. After breaking through the front gate, they attacked a blaze that required about 80 firefighters and resulted in about $11 million in damage.

Dallas Fire-Rescue officials are conducting an internal investigation to determine what went wrong and whether department policies were violated.

"We're not blaming anyone for it," said Dallas Fire Deputy Chief Joe Kay, who supervises dispatchers. "Once we dispatch someone, it's the person in charge of the fire apparatus' decision.

"We'll back him up if he busts down a door or if he decides not to make entry. We're not averse to forcing entry anywhere, but you don't want to do it needlessly."

The fire's cause remains under investigation.

Fire officials, as well as Mr. Ginsburg, are interested in finding out how much information the fire alarm monitoring company, Chubb Security Systems, gave firefighters.

"I can't fret about what happened to me because I can't change the past," said Mr. Ginsburg, a businessman who has owned the 12,448-square-foot, six-bedroom house since 2000.

"It raises significant questions for a homeowner who hires a security service. ... There was an accurate report of what went on in that house that was given to Chubb. We need to find out what information was given to the fire department."

Greg Sutphin, Chubb's general manager at the company's Texas headquarters in Austin, declined to comment.

Nothing suspicious


At 7:49 p.m. Nov. 8, according to taped conversations with dispatchers, Chubb representatives notified dispatchers that an automatic fire alarm was activated at the mansion, according to fire officials. Firefighters pulled up to the gate and spent 13 minutes at the scene. Nothing appeared suspicious, so they decided not to break through the gate for a closer look.
At 8:29 p.m., Chubb again called fire dispatch, reporting another automatic alarm. The company representative informed fire dispatchers that it was the second alarm at the house. Again seeing nothing, firefighters left after about four minutes, officials said. They recommended that Chubb contact the homeowner and reset the alarm.

At 8:52 p.m., Chubb notified fire dispatch of a third alarm, this time saying that multiple sensors were tripped. When firefighters arrived after about four minutes, they saw smoke and began calling reinforcements.

Fire spokesman Lt. Joel Lavender said the crew members did their best to assess the situation early, but he added that it was dark, overcast and raining.

"Upon gathering the facts of the evening, we decided we should check our policies and procedures to see what happened and why it happened," Lt. Lavender said. "The main thing is, anyone can try and Monday-morning quarterback, but we want to know, what can we learn about this fire? What can we do better to protect the citizens of the city of Dallas?"

He said the incident could lead to policy changes, such as possibly requiring firefighters to use ladders to scale fences of properties in some cases, such as when multiple alarms have sounded.

Using thermal imagers, which can see hotspots from a distance, also may have helped, he said. The department has 11 for each shift citywide.

Cost of forced entry

From 2000 to 2001, firefighters responded to about 13,000 automatic fire alarms, Chief Kay said. Of those, 37 resulted in a property loss of greater than $500. Only four of those were losses from smoke and fire damage. The remainder was from firefighters forcing their way inside.
Whatever the reason for the delayed response, the result is not only the loss of Mr. Ginsburg's home but danger to firefighters.

"By reacting as late in the game as they did, it put some courageous firefighters in maximum danger," Mr. Ginsburg said. "As a result, I also lost my house. We can't change that part of it. What we can change is the policy of the department, as to what information it requires from security companies and how they use it."