It seems a warning more appropriately aimed at fifth-graders than firefighters attending a national conference in Baltimore: If there's no fire, don't pull the fire alarms. Don't activate the sprinklers and don't empty the water pipes.
The warning was given Thursday morning by Baltimore Fire Chief James S. Clack, who said that last year visiting firefighters pulled numerous false alarms and flooded the top floors of the city-owned Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel, causing "hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage" and earning him a scolding from the mayor.
"I got in trouble," Clack told hundreds of attendees who are visiting from across the country. More than 16,000 firefighters are expected to pass through the 27th annual safety and training expo, which began Wednesday and ends Saturday with a parade of fire trucks.
Clack reminded the visitors what he doesn't need to tell city residents — the 757-room, $301 million hotel was built with taxpayer money, and the city is self-insured. But taxpayers won't be footing the bill; the money to cover the damages comes from the hotel's revenue.
And so as Clack welcomed his guests to Baltimore, he urged participants to have a good time while touring the Inner Harbor and other attractions. But, he told them: "Leave the sprinklers alone. Leave the fire alarms alone."
His admonishment, which took up most of his three-minute welcome address, came a day too late.
On Wednesday night, a firefighter pulled the fire alarm, the chief said, prompting four engines, two trucks and a battalion chief to speed to the hotel across from Camden Yards for what amounted to a prank call.
The cost to taxpayers: roughly $1,000.
Fire officials said no criminal investigation was launched and no one ever figured out who was responsible for last year's damage. Neither city officials nor the hotel told the public about the incident at the time, and the general manager of the hotel did not return calls seeking comment on Thursday.
The firefighter convention, one of the biggest in the country, draws fire buffs and firefighters from nearly every state. Thursday's keynote address came from a fire commander who had rescued people trapped in the rubble of Haiti's earthquake. This year's theme emphasized the importance of first responders wearing seatbelts while responding to emergency calls.
There are more than 85 classes and hundreds of exhibitors promoting the newest in fire safety gear and technology. More than 460 fire companies are represented, and many brought fire engines that are on display. There's also a flea market.
Tom Noonan, president of Visit Baltimore, the sales and marketing arm of the convention center, described it as one of the city's largest conventions, bringing in $12 million to $15 million each year. He said the problems in 2009 were discussed at length with its promoters, whom he described as "horrified that this kind of activity took place."
Noonan said the hotel investigated but never found the fire alarm culprits. He did say that last year's expo was the same weekend as the European exhibition soccer match between Chelsea and AC Milan, which drew 72,000 fans to M&T Bank Stadium. Three hundred soccer fans shared the convention center Hilton with 400 firefighters.
"The thinking is that [the damage] was caused by firefighters, but nobody ever proved that fact," Noonan said. "Is there a strong possibility it was firefighters? Absolutely. Could it have been soccer fans? Absolutely. … This expo has come to Baltimore for 27 years, and 26 of those years we've never seen any issues."
But officials said the valves on stand-pipes that were opened can only be loosened with a special tool carried by firefighters, casting doubt that soccer fans were responsible. Stand-pipes are high-pressure pipes on each floor of many commercial buildings that serve as built-in fire hydrants, making it easier for firefighters to quickly get water to flames.
Capt. Stephan G. Fugate, president of the Baltimore fire officers union, called the damage last year "a poor reflection of the fire service" in that firefighters wasted valuable funds and resources.
But Fugate said most of the attendees are volunteer firefighters from small towns and rural hamlets. "None of our people stay in the hotel," Fugate added.
The union chief described the volunteers as young, noting that full-time professional firefighters call them "squirrels," an admittedly derogatory term.
Fugate said last year's damage occurred on the Friday night of the conference when some stand-pipes were opened on one or more floors. Clack said at least a dozen rooms flooded, but Fugate described the damage as far more extensive, with water cascading down several levels.
"I'm not at all surprised," he said. "These are a lot of young kids. It may be their first time by themselves, and the younger you are, the more likely you are to roughhouse." He said volunteers have a "different mindset" than their professional colleagues.
"They get excited when they see a fire engine with lights and sirens," Fugate said. "That's what's behind this. They live and breathe this stuff. For us, we love our jobs, but at the end of the day it's a job. For volunteers, it's more of a hobby."