*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED *** Cowboys Golf Club is distinguished as the first and only NFL themed golf club in the world. Franchise owned by the Dallas Cowboys; the property is described as one of the region’s only all-inclusive world class golf resort properties. The club is open to the public not only golf, but also dining, hospitality and private events, weddings, golf tournaments, corporate outings, business meetings, fundraising galas and other special occasions.
The clubhouse is a multi-level building that encompasses a lobby, restaurant, bar, pro shop, and administrative staff. The club house is protected by a fire alarm and a sprinkler system. The sprinkler system that protects the clubhouse is both a wet and dry system.
On January 15, 2016 at approximate 22:12 the Grapevine Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 1600 Fairway Drive (Cowboys Golf Club). Fire crews investigated and found that on the lower level, where the carts are serviced and stored and where supplies are kept, that a sprinkler head had activated due to a fire. The fire was contained and extinguished by one sprinkler head. After reviewing the video cameras, it was determined that the cause of the fire was due to careless smoking of an employee. The damage was minimum and the business was able to open the next day and sustain normal operating hours. The monetary loss of the fire was minimized to sprinkler repair and minor restoration and cleanup cost.
And then on October 8, 2016 at 22:19 the Grapevine Fire Department responded to another structure fire at the same above address. The fire crews determined that there was a sprinkler head activation on the lower level. Fire investigators determined through video surveillance that fire was caused by the recklessness of an employee playing around with a lighter. The employee was using the lighter to catch a cardboard box full of golf tees on fire. He mistakenly thought he had put the fire out. After about 2 hours of a slow smoldering fire, the fire was able to grow eventually large enough to activate one sprinkler head. The fire was contained and extinguished by the single sprinkler head.
Both fires at the Cowboys Golf Club have many similarities. Both fires were initiated by careless human acts and both fires were extinguished by the same sprinkler head. Not only did the same sprinkler head protect the building, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in replacement cost, content loss and revenue, but the sprinkler head also protected the people that were remaining on the floor above. During both incidents the fire was able to grow without notice to the point of being put out by a sprinkler head and the only knowledge of the fires was when the fire alarm activated alerting everyone of a problem.
The simple installation of a sprinkler system proves that it is much more than code compliance. It is about when lighting strikes and in this incident twice, the sprinkler saved and protected property and lives.