“…The problem at each motel was either a lack of manual fire alarms or an insufficiently loud fire alarm…the specific fire code, chapter 4603.6.5.1, specifies that hotels or motels with 20 rooms or more must install manual 
pull systems with specific decibel levels…the cost of installing fire alarm systems at $10,000-$15,000…”
The city of Columbia charged two motels — The Deluxe Inn and America’s Best Value — on Aug. 30 for failing to install manual fire alarms. They are among seven motels found non-compliant with the international fire code after an inspection last year, said Columbia Fire Marshal Brad Fraizer. The motels were given one year after Aug. 25, 2011, to make the necessary adjustments.
Two of the original establishments cited, Super 7 and Motel 6, have since complied, but the other five are currently in violation of a city ordinance related to fire code non-compliance.
They are misdemeanor violations of two city ordinances (sections 9-21 and 9-22), which also violate Chapter 46 of the International Fire Code. According to City Prosecutor Steven Richey, the other three motels are being reviewed for compliance.
The state then makes a sentence recommendation to the judge, who will apply it based on motel and fire department statements about what they’re doing to comply. The city ordinance violations carry fines of between $1 and $1,000 and/or up to 90 days imprisonment.
The fire department was unable to specify which of the motels in question did not have fire alarms and which simply had alarms without the proper noise level.
“There was a range of violations with some hotels not possessing the systems and others that didn’t have the proper decibel levels,” Fraizer said.
