That one interaction with a retired fire chief that still bugs me 2 years later

I was running a new commercial panel at an old bank building in Akron back in 2022. The retired fire chief who owned the place walked up and told me I was mounting the strobes too high because "nobody looks up during a fire." I said code says 80 inches minimum but he argued experience beats code. We went back and forth for about 10 minutes before I just did it his way since he was the client. Half the crew on that job still jokes about it but part of me wonders if he had a point about real world visibility over spec sheets. Anyone else had a customer overrule you on something that actually made you rethink your usual method?

2 comments

2 Comments

piper_reed1mo ago

Oh man, yes! I had a plumber once tell me my bathroom was fine without a vent fan even though code said otherwise because "steam clears out quick enough" and honestly in his old house he was totally right.

logan7051mo ago

Three fire alarms in a row I had a landlord insist on putting the detector right next to the kitchen stove because "nobody burns toast in the hallway." Two years later I still set those things off every time I make bacon but honestly he had a point about false alarms being worse than a slightly less optimal spot.