Oconto High School Didn't Have Sprinklers

"This building was built in 1969 and the codes in 1969, at that time, didn't dictate that that would have to happen," said Jack Mlnarik, City of Oconto Fire Chief. The school was also grandfathered into not having to keep up with other fire code changes, including installing a smoke detector in the bathroom.And while the school faces millions of dollars worth of damages and repairs, getting a sprinkler system isn't part of that cost. "What they're going to do is restore it back to the 1969 building plans," said Mlnarik. "When you do that then you just have to restore it to what the plans were at that time." The school district says student safety is a top-priority and will look into getting a sprinkler system in the future. "That's one of the things that i think our school district will look at now during this renovation," said Dr. Sara Croney, Oconto Unified School District Superintendent. "Is that something we need to add into a referendum because it's a half a million dollars." A previously planned referendum was scheduled for review at Monday's school board meeting, but officials will now look at adding the cost of a sprinkler system to that referendum first.

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Oconto High School Didn't Have Sprinklers