Cody City Council Approves $165,000 for Auditorium Fire Suppression System

The Cody Auditorium is one step closer to installing a six-figure fire suppression system to ensure all future events can safely and legally serve alcohol.

During its latest meeting, the Cody City Council voted to authorize Mayor Matt Hall to sign Amendment 1. That amendment allows the City and Engineering Associates to design the much-needed fire suppression system in the Cody Auditorium.

Under the International Fire Code, the Cody Auditorium is classified under Group A2 – a banquet hall with a capacity of 300 people. For a venue in that group with that capacity, serving alcohol is prohibited unless the venue is equipped with an automatic fire extinguisher system.

Regulations stipulate the City of Cody must install a fire suppression system in any venue that hosts events with alcohol – and the auditorium is long overdue.

Last night’s vote is good news for the City of Cody. Fire suppression has been a “hot-button” issue at the Cody Auditorium for some time.

In February 2021, Fire Marshal Sam Wilde said he would not extend a grace period that allowed events with alcohol at the Cody Auditorium. As a result, many events held at the venue were canceled or moved elsewhere.

That September, the City of Cody voted to allocate $150,000 to install a fire suppression system. The money came from the State of Wyoming through the American Rescue Plan Act.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act economic stimulus bill was passed by the 117th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. Over $350 billion of that stimulus went to state and local governments.

Of the one billion dollars allocated to the State of Wyoming, Governor Mark Gordon sent $850,000 to the City of Cody. The funding was to be used at the City’s discretion over four years.

The City is now approved to “enter into an agreement” with the western-based fire system company Rapid Fire Protection.

Founded in Rapid City, Rapid Fire Protection specializes in designing and installing fire suppression systems. The company’s systems include anything from alarms and sprinklers to carbon dioxide and foam suppression systems.

There’s no information on what kind of system will be installed at the Cody Auditorium. However, that system cannot exceed a cost of $165,789.00 (the maximum permitted by the City Council.)

In addition, the City Council also voted to install a new sound system in the auditorium last year. No updates on that sound system have been shared since that September 2021 vote.

A timeline for installing the fire suppression and sound systems is currently unavailable.