A $1.5 million state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression system has been installed at Grant Cottage State Historic Site, funded by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
The cottage, in Gansevoort, is the Saratoga County retreat where Civil War General and U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant spent his final days.
“This new equipment will better protect this National Historic Landmark, and its irreplaceable collection of historic furniture, floral arrangements and President Grant’s personal items from potentially devastating loss,” state Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. “It is a crucial investment in innovative technology to help preserve the cottage and its collection for the future generations of visitors.”
The new system deploys a mixture of nitrogen and water mist, rather than streams of water, when sensors detect a fire. In the event of a blaze, the mist rapidly lowers fire temperatures while the nitrogen displaces oxygen, depriving the fire of the fuel it needs to continue. Mist systems also deploy much less water than traditional fire sprinkler systems, reducing the risk of widespread water damage to rooms and contents in the aftermath of a fire.