2.24.22 – Georgetown, Texas
The Georgetown City Council unanimously approved amendments to the City’s fire codes Wednesday requiring all animal-care facilities to install fire alarms.
This comes on the heels of the deadly fire at the Ponderosa Pet Resort that killed 75 animals in September 2021. There was no staff on scene at the time of the fire and the facility did not have a sprinkler system or smoke detection installed.
All newly built facilities must also have additional fire protection such as a sprinkler system if it can’t be staffed with overnight on-site supervision and an electronically supervised carbon-monoxide detection system. Equestrian facilities are exempt from the new fire-code amendments.
These new changes will make the City’s fire codes among the strongest in the country when it comes to protecting pets and animals. Most fire codes do not require fire prevention features for animal-care facilities.
“The code amendments the council approved this week make Georgetown one of the safest places to board your pet in the entire country,” Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “These amendments represent a long-overdue change in how the fire code protects these important members of our families. The features animal-care facilities are now required to install will help prevent tragedies like the one we experienced here in September from happening again, and we’re available to work with anyone who wants to bring our model to their community as well.”
All existing facilities must adhere to the new changes within 18 months of the codes going into effect on March 9, 2022. That would give them until September 2023 to bring their facilities up to the new fire-code standards.