NATCHEZ &8212; If the Adams County Jail cannot pass fire marshal standards next week, it will not be allowed to hold state or federal inmates for more than 30 days, Sheriff Ronny Brown said Thursday.

State fire marshals will visit the jail next week to determine if the jail meets state requirements to house, state and federal prisoners.

The biggest problem, Brown said, is the jail has never had a sprinkler system. When the jail was built over 30 years ago, the building codes were different, he said.

There is no benefit to housing state or federal inmates, Brown said. But even if the jail accepts not housing them, the fire code violations still exist.

Brown said the state fire marshal does inspections every year, and though the jail has corrected many small problems, the issue of sprinklers remains.

The jail, made of cinder block and steel, would make it hard to install a sprinkler system, Brown said.

&8220;It would be hard, but they can still run pipes if they have to,&8221; Natchez Fire Marshal Capt. Aaron Wesley said Thursday.

Wesley said his office, along with the state fire marshal&8217;s office and the sheriff&8217;s office were working together to find a solution.

County Supervisors President Darryl Grennell said the board of supervisors has not discussed what a sprinkler system might cost.

&8220;According to the maintenance department, it&8217;s going to be somewhat difficult to get a system inmates won&8217;t be triggering all the time,&8221; Grennell said Thursday.

&8220;That&8217;s one of the big deals.&8221;

He said there was already a system in place to extinguish fires &8212; fire hoses on every floor. He also said it was his understanding there was not much in the jail that would burn.

&8220;You&8217;ve got to keep in mind the mattresses and pillows are fire-resistant,&8221; Grennell said.

But fire hoses and flame-retardant mattresses are not enough to meet standards to hold state and federal inmates.

Grennell said if a sprinkler system were to be funded by the board of supervisors, it would be discussed during budget deliberations.

The state fire marshal was in the field and could not be contacted late Thursday.