Hundreds Of Honolulu Residential High Rises Fail To Meet ‘Acceptable’ Fire Safety Standards 5 A new report on the results of comprehensive safety evaluations was recently shared with the Honolulu City Council. Very few high rises have fire sprinkler systems.
More than 281 high-rise residential buildings in Honolulu have failed to pass a safety evaluation required by the city and are at greater risk from fire than new buildings, according to an analysis provided by the Honolulu Fire Department to the City Council this month.
Only 21 of the buildings that were studied have an “acceptable” life safety score, according to fire department officials.
Tens of thousands of Honolulu residents live in these problematic buildings.
None of the 302 buildings that were evaluated have water sprinklers, which have been customary in new high-rise office buildings on the mainland for almost a century. In Hawaii, fire sprinklers have only been required in high-rise buildings since 1975 but much of the housing stock was built before then and was grandfathered in under the old rules.
