A Georgia bill that would stop the state from adopting a building code requiring that new houses have sprinkler systems has been criticized by local and state fire chiefs and marshals.
“Right now, the way the bill is written, no city, county or the state can adopt any code (that includes a sprinkler system) if it passes,” said Fort Oglethorpe Fire Marshal Glenn Davis. “It takes the governing of the city and the county out of their hands.”
If enacted, House Bill 1196 states that no state residential and fire building codes can include a requirement that fire sprinklers be installed in residential buildings. The House of Representatives passed the bill 111-51 on March 22, and it is scheduled to go before a Senate committee April 12.
The latest code from the International Code Council includes a requirement that, in areas where the code is adopted, all one- and two-family residences and townhomes built after Jan. 1, 2011 must have sprinkler systems, archives show.
PDF: House Bill 1196
But if the new bill passes, the state won’t be able to adopt the International Code Council’s 2010 standards even if it wants to, said Chief Dwayne Jamison of the Bartow County Fire Department and president of the Northwest Georgia Fire Chiefs Association.
But Georgia Home Builders Association officials, who have lobbied for the bill, say the added expense for a sprinkler system is an unnecessary cost for those looking to build a home.
A sprinkler system can cost between $2,000 and $10,000 to install in a new home, said Deron Hicks, vice president of public affairs for the association.
“It’s been our position that this should be optional and should be a consumer choice,” he said.
While each state varies on how fire codes are adopted, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs adopts the building codes for the state, officials said.
If the state adopted the 2010 International Code Council standards but left out portions, cities and counties could enforce stricter codes, such as the sprinkler system requirement, if they choose, Mr. Davis said.
“Counties can go above and beyond what the state does, but they can’t go below it,” he said.
The city of Morrow, Ga., passed a fire code that includes a sprinkler system requirement and has had success with it, said David Wall, Georgia Fire Academy director and former Morrow fire chief.
The city passed the ordinance to save money, saying that homes with sprinkler systems would keep the city from having to hire more fire staff and build new fire stations, Mr. Wall said.
The bill wouldn’t take away an ordinance in a community that already has adopted its own fire code, said Rep. Terry England, R-Auburn, who is sponsoring the bill. Neither would the bill outlaw sprinkler systems in homes, but it would leave that option up to individual homeowners, he said.
Fire alarms are a good safety tool to stop residential fires, but sprinkler systems should be an option for homeowners, Mr. England said.
Dalton Fire Department Chief Bruce Satterfield said about 80 percent of deaths from fires are in residential buildings, which shows the current system is not working as it should.
Cities should be able to choose for themselves whether sprinkler systems are part of their building codes, he said.
“The people who write the codes have figured out it’s time to do something in our residential homes that will take care of these fire deaths,” Chief Satterfield said.