Home Economy License revocation of inspector who OK’d Harborside Inn’s fire suppression system upheld

License revocation of inspector who OK’d Harborside Inn’s fire suppression system upheld

By

Christopher Allen

-

01/10/2024

Harborside-696x385-3-1 — THE HARBORSIDE INN on Block Island, pictured in 2015, was torn down after fire severely damaged the building on Aug. 19. / PBN FILE PHOTO/DAVID LEVESQUE

WARWICK – The R.I. Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review on Tuesday upheld a previous decision to revoke the journeyman license of Peter Fruend, the inspector who wrongly listed the Harborside Inn’s fire-suppression system compliant before the Aug. 18 fire that destroyed the historic 36-room hotel on Block Island. More than 50 firefighters

Already a Subscriber? Log in

To Continue Reading This Article

Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Critical RI business news and analysis updated daily.
1 year of print (26 issues).
Unlimited access to all subscriber only content on our website, on any device.
Free email alerts.
Annual Book of Lists Print Edition.
All special issues produced during subscription term.

Click Here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article

PBN Branded Content

Facing the Holidays with a Cancer Diagnosis

The holidays are often painted as a time of joy, tradition, and togetherness. But for…

Learn More

No posts to display

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

WARWICK – The R.I. Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review on Tuesday upheld a previous decision to revoke the journeyman license of Peter Fruend, the inspector who wrongly listed the Harborside Inn’s fire-suppression system compliant before the Aug. 18 fire that destroyed the historic 36-room hotel on Block Island. More than 50 firefighters and four ladder trucks responded to the blaze. No injurers were reported but the hotel was deemed a total loss and has since been torn down. The appeals review board sits as an independent body tasked with reviewing code enforcement decisions made by the State and local Fire Marshal's Offices, according to its website. In the fire's aftermath, the state fire marshal's office in its August report said grease build-up and the failure of the fire suppression system contributed to the fire and that “Freund stated that he had verbally advised the building owner that the two components were not listed for use together but that, when the building owner did not want to pay for a new control head, Freund tagged the system as compliant regardless.” Citing "gross malpractice and/or incompetence," the state fire marshal issued a notice of revocation for Freund’s journeyman license on Sept. 22. The owner of Emergency Services of New England LLC, Freund told investigators that the system contained two components not designed to be used together and that the manufacturer had warned that incompatible parts could cause the system to fail. Freund also admitted to doing so for two other New Shoreham businesses he was tasked with inspecting – Club Soda and Mohegan Café, according to the report. In a press release after the decision, R.I. State Fire Marshal Tim McLaughlin said board members made their decision "based on the facts presented to them." “Maintaining the revocation of this license will prevent any further work in Rhode Island by this individual, guaranteeing the safety of the public," he said. A written decision on Tuesday's affirmation is forthcoming, according to the press release. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Harborside was built in the late 1800s. Property owners VVO Real Estate Holding LLC presented plans to build a new hotel to the New Shoreham Historic District Commission in November. Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@pbn.com.