TUSTIN : Home Fire Sprinkler Proposal to Be Aired
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A proposed city ordinance requiring fire sprinklers in single-family homes and duplexes will again go before the City Council today.
The council delayed approving the ordinance after builders opposed it at a May 17 hearing, saying the law would make homes more expensive for new buyers.
On May 3, the council introduced the ordinance as an amendment to the 1991 Uniform Fire Code. It would require fire sprinklers in single-family homes and duplexes with floor areas of 3,600 or more square feet, or if the nearest fire station is more than five minutes or 2.5 miles away.
Orange County Fire Department officials, who argued for the ordinance, said sprinklers are needed to reduce residential fires.
Members of the Building Industry Assn. said fire sprinklers are costly, increasing the price of a home by $2,000 to $3,000 per unit, a cost that could keep many families from qualifying for a home.
The two sides are expected to square off again today. In two public hearings so far, residents have not spoken for or against the proposed ordinance.
County fire officials have urged cities to adopt ordinances making fire sprinklers mandatory for new residences. Sprinkler systems help detect, contain and extinguish fires, unlike ordinary smoke alarms, according to Fire Marshal Sam Husoe.
Husoe said fire sprinklers also help lower insurance rates and reduce the cost of fire protection.
However, Kelly Sylvester of the builders’ association said most cities that contract with the Orange County Fire Department have no fire sprinkler ordinances.
She said a recent association survey showed that Cypress, Los Alamitos and Stanton have such ordinances. Lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills voted down a sprinkler requirement in new homes, while Laguna Niguel and Yorba Linda declined to consider a fire sprinkler ordinance when those cities updated their fire codes.
Sylvester said that since new homes are less likely to catch fire than older ones, the fire sprinkler requirement is not necessary.
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