Twin Lakes Fire Service Helps old State Farm building “Get to a better state.”

“We were opening walls and mechanical chases that have been closed since 1929,” says Ryan Donaldson, president of Twin Lakes Fire Service. For nearly a century, the State Farm Downtown Building has been part of the fabric of downtown Bloomington.  And now, Donaldson’s company is working hard to give the historic building a much-needed fire suppression upgrade.

“It takes a lot of special care to implement a modern fire system in a building that’s been around since the Depression,” says Donaldson. Over the last year, however, Twin Lakes Fire Service has proved that it’s up to the challenge, designing and installing the advanced fire suppressions systems that silently safeguard a long list of apartments, hospitals and industrial operations throughout the region.

In 2015, the Champaign-based company landed the State Farm job, beating out multiple contractors and earning the three-year project to design and install a new fire suppression system for the local landmark. While State Farm employees continue to go about their normal, daily routines, Twin Lakes Fire Service will install a fire pump, new standpipe, sprinkler piping and system controls required to protect all 13-floors and basement of the building that was constructed when Hoover was president.

While the project has its share of challenges, Donaldson says his crew is up for the task. “I think retrofits are one of the things that we’re especially good at,” says Donaldson. “On a project like this, we know we’re guests in somebody else’s house. So we work really hard to minimize the disruptions and get the job done while keeping out of everybody’s way.” The project will wrap up in 2017, helping ensure that the historic Bloomington building will be around to celebrate its centenary — and many years beyond.