Why “Good Enough” in Fire Safety Design is a Disaster Waiting to Happen

Why “Good Enough” in Fire Safety Design is a Disaster Waiting to Happen

“Good enough” is the last thing you hear before the roof caves in.

Now I don’t mean to alarm the good people reading this — but if you’ve ever heard a contractor, developer, or armchair architect utter the phrase “it’s good enough,” I strongly suggest you grab a fire extinguisher and back away slowly.

ACT I: The Cult of Just-Enough

There’s a kind of religion spreading across the land. Its holy trinity is:

• Budget first

• Speed second

• Safety… somewhere down the list between landscaping and snacks for the ribbon-cutting ceremony

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These are the folks who think a fire-rated wall only needs to be kind of sealed. That the exit sign only has to mostly glow. That the sprinkler heads will probably work when the time comes.

Well I’ll tell you what “probably” means when a fire breaks out: It means probably not.

ACT II: Building to the Bare Minimum

Too many builders treat the fire code like a speed limit in the Wild West — just a suggestion for slower folks.

They think passing inspection means they’ve achieved immortality. But the fire don’t care about your permits. The fire don’t care about your cost-saving spreadsheets or your cousin’s “innovative” idea to use old shipping pallets as interior walls.

Fire cares about physics. About time. About air.

And when that smoke hits the ceiling and starts crawling like a thief in the night, all your shortcuts will come due — with interest.

ACT III: What Real Safety Looks Like

Real fire safety isn’t about checking a box. It’s about protecting lives.

It’s rated walls that go all the way to the deck — not stopping at the dropped ceiling like a lazy guest leaving a half-empty plate. It’s doors that close and latch. It’s alarm systems that are tested by someone other than the intern with a clipboard and no batteries. It’s sprinklers with coverage, not “a couple up front and one in the back just for show.”

It’s doing it right even when no one’s watching.

Because someday — someone will be. And if you’ve done it wrong, they might be doing it from a hospital bed. Or worse, they might not get the chance at all.

✍️ Final Word from a Man Who’s Seen a Few Burned Buildings

So next time someone shrugs and says,

“It’s good enough, right?” You look them dead in the eye and say: “Not for my people. Not for my building. And not on my watch.”

Because “good enough” might pass inspection, but it’ll fail reality.

And reality, my friends, doesn’t give second chances.