Grant
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Fire systems allegedly put in improperly
By Yolanda Rodriguez
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/07/06
Restaurant owners thought they were protecting their businesses from fire —- but the Marietta Fire Department says they wound up getting burned.
At least two Cobb County restaurant owners paid a man to install equipment to suppress possible fires, investigators said.
Yet the man who installed the equipment —- James Gardner of Knight Fire Protection —- had been warned by the state fire marshal's office not to install, inspect, test or recharge kitchen restaurant fire suppression systems, said Scott Tucker, commander of the fire marshal's office of the Marietta Fire Department.
"He wasn't supposed to do anything," Tucker said.
The state fire marshal's office regulates people who install such equipment, but Gardner did not have a license, Tucker said.
Investigators charged Gardner last month with theft by deception, a felony.
Tucker said Gardner charged the owner of Cajun John's, on Powder Springs Road, $1,500 for work on the restaurant's fire suppression system. Gardner also charged a restaurant on Windy Hill Road $7,000 for work.
Both have since gotten the equipment they needed.
Tucker said an investigator discovered that a piece was missing during an inspection of Cajun John's before it opened.
The missing piece of equipment melts if heat from a stove gets too high, releasing a powder that puts out the flames.
The investigator questioned Gardner, who allegedly installed the equipment. Tucker said that when the investigator asked about the missing piece, Gardner responded, "I was hoping you wouldn't see that."
Gardner is being held at the Cobb County Jail with no bond. His lawyer, Charles G. Harbin Jr., said, "I believe any work that required a license had been subcontracted out to someone who had a license."
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Dec. 22 in Cobb Magistrate Court.
Tucker said Gardner has also done work at other locations throughout metro Atlanta. Tucker cautioned anyone who has fire extinguishers or a sprinkler system to ask the local fire department to inspect the equipment if Gardner or his company has worked on it.
"There could be some systems out there that don't work properly, which give people a false sense of security," Tucker said.
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By Yolanda Rodriguez
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/07/06
Restaurant owners thought they were protecting their businesses from fire —- but the Marietta Fire Department says they wound up getting burned.
At least two Cobb County restaurant owners paid a man to install equipment to suppress possible fires, investigators said.
Yet the man who installed the equipment —- James Gardner of Knight Fire Protection —- had been warned by the state fire marshal's office not to install, inspect, test or recharge kitchen restaurant fire suppression systems, said Scott Tucker, commander of the fire marshal's office of the Marietta Fire Department.
"He wasn't supposed to do anything," Tucker said.
The state fire marshal's office regulates people who install such equipment, but Gardner did not have a license, Tucker said.
Investigators charged Gardner last month with theft by deception, a felony.
Tucker said Gardner charged the owner of Cajun John's, on Powder Springs Road, $1,500 for work on the restaurant's fire suppression system. Gardner also charged a restaurant on Windy Hill Road $7,000 for work.
Both have since gotten the equipment they needed.
Tucker said an investigator discovered that a piece was missing during an inspection of Cajun John's before it opened.
The missing piece of equipment melts if heat from a stove gets too high, releasing a powder that puts out the flames.
The investigator questioned Gardner, who allegedly installed the equipment. Tucker said that when the investigator asked about the missing piece, Gardner responded, "I was hoping you wouldn't see that."
Gardner is being held at the Cobb County Jail with no bond. His lawyer, Charles G. Harbin Jr., said, "I believe any work that required a license had been subcontracted out to someone who had a license."
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Dec. 22 in Cobb Magistrate Court.
Tucker said Gardner has also done work at other locations throughout metro Atlanta. Tucker cautioned anyone who has fire extinguishers or a sprinkler system to ask the local fire department to inspect the equipment if Gardner or his company has worked on it.
"There could be some systems out there that don't work properly, which give people a false sense of security," Tucker said.
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