The Chapel Hill Town Council passed an ordinance in the fall of 1996 requiring all Greek houses to have sprinklers installed by Nov. 11 of this year. The move was prompted by a fire at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house that killed five UNC students in May 1996.
Fourteen of the 24 fraternity houses have finished installing sprinklers and are open for the semester. Three other houses will open shortly after finishing their sprinkler installations.
The remaining houses are closed for reasons not related to sprinklers -- Delta Sigma Phi and Pi Lambda Phi have closed indefinitely for financial reasons, and five other houses are not opening because of extensive renovations.
All 11 sororities have their sprinkler systems installed, with some having completed the project just in time for students to move in this fall.
Kappa Delta president Megan Shepherd said her sorority finished installing its system two weeks ago. Shepherd said the new system will clear the minds of people still worried about the Phi Gamma Delta fire. "It's going to be more for the parents," she said. "They'll feel safer more than anything."
Other houses completed their sprinkler projects significantly ahead of schedule. Sigma Nu president Matt Honeycutt said sprinkler installation in his house was finished in summer 2000.
The sprinklers proved to be a saving grace for Sigma Nu when a small fire started in the house in December. Honeycutt said the system prevented what could have been another disaster.
But Jay Anhorn, director of Greek affairs, said all houses must take additional fire safety measures, including monthly inspections by a house-elected fire marshal. Each marshal must be trained by the Chapel Hill Fire Department.
Honeycutt said all inspections and violations are reported once a semester to the Office of Greek Affairs.
