In considering an expansion for our 10 year-old, single-story, 12,000 square-foot facility, the question of fire suppression has been raised. The original building was designed without a sprinkler system (with fire-rated walls, though I have not yet been able to ascertain the specific ratings). The local fire station is only a block away, and the feeling was that the likelihood of accidental discharge outweighed the risk of fire damage. According to the NPS Museum Handbook, "there have been many museum fires and very few accidental discharges." Now we are considering whether it would be wise to install a sprinkler system if and when we add on. A dry pipe/double activated system with a built-in delay feature allowing the system to be shut down by building occupants in case of an alarm has been recommended. I should mention that we are located on a university campus and tied into campus security. I would appreciate any feedback, recommendations, experiences and/or horror stories. Thanks for your help! -- Pam Pam Endzweig ([log in to unmask]) Collections Manager & Staff Archaeologist UO Museum of Natural History 1224 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon 97403-1224; USA Ph 541-346-5120/Fx 541-346-5122