Beginning in January 2011, a change in the Pennsylvania building code goes into effect that mandates sprinklers be installed in all newly constructed single family homes. This has been a hotly contested subject and has fueled many litigation battles over the past months. On one side of the debate is the Professional Builders Association (PBA), who claim that making sprinklers mandatory will drive up the cost of new construction and may persuade many to not build new homes and thus hurt their business. The PBA maintains that with the housing market struggling to regain its footing during these challenging economic times, new regulations that may hurt new housing starts is hardly a good way to attempt a recovery from a tough period.
On the other side of the fight is the fire service in Pennsylvania, both career and volunteer. The fire service insists the sprinkler requirement will save the lives of citizens, firefighters, and proper ty from the devastating effects of residential fires. There is no doubt that adding sprinklers will increase the cost of building a new home. Both sides will throw out various figures as to how much. I have been told that many upgrades to kitchen and bathroom items will exceed the cost per square foot that the sprinklers will add to the final cost of the home. There is also a very real possibility that homeowners who have sprinklers will see a decrease in their homeowners’ insurance premiums.
Some may ask why do this now? Firefighters who have witnessed first hand the damage a fire can bring might ask, what took you so long? Here is a firefighter’s take on this subject. I have no intention of listing numerous statistics to confuse the issue. However, there is one statistic I want to share. In a letter to state senators in October, state Fire Commissioner Ed Mann wrote, “please consider that since the late 1980s, when sprinklers became law in Prince George County, Maryland not one person has died in (a) home protected by automatic sprinklers. On the other hand, at least 100 people have died in the same time period in residential fires where no sprinklers existed.”
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Another reason why firefighters feel this change is needed is that new construction and the items that fill our homes these days are much more dangerous than ever. Most of the items in our homes are made of plastic or other materials that, when they ignite, give off poison gas that can kill quickly. The sprinklers will quickly extinguish or at least keep fires contained, thus limiting an occupant’s exposure to the hazardous, deadly smoke, giving them the time they need to escape. Many new homes are built with pre-engineered and lightweight structural components. When exposed to fire these items become compromised and are prone to fail in as little as five to eight minutes, just about the time the first fire truck is pulling up to the scene. The unknowing fire fighters walk or crawl into the zero visibility and the floor under them gives way sending them into the fire below.
It used to be that a firefighting crew had time to mount an interior attack on a fire before collapse became a concern. Unfortunately, with fires in new homes, the battle may be lost before the firefight begins, sometimes with a very tragic result. Will sprinklers increase the cost of building your dream home? Yes, they will, but what price can you put on your families safety or that of the firefighters who come to help?
For those who have watched a movie or TV show where a sprinkler head activates and suddenly all of the sprinklers in the room are flowing, that is just Hollywood theatrics. It does NOT work like that in the real world. Surely the court battles will begin anew in January as the builders try to repeal the sprinkler requirements. I hope our newly elected or re-elected officials in Harrisburg do what is right to keep a measure in place that is meant to make us all safe and protect our property. After all, “our home is our castle,” and we all want our castle and those who live in it to be there for many years to come.
– Gary Hamilton – Asst. Chief