Menlo Park firefighters have nothing bad to say about fire-suppression sprinklers — they are a cheap and effective way to save lives and property.
Critics turned up, however, when fire officials asked the three cities in their jurisdiction — Atherton, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto — to pass an ordinance requiring the installation of fire sprinkler systems.
In September 2004, the Atherton council approved a slightly watered-down version of the district’s sprinkler ordinance that exempted remodeling and other “building alteration” projects.
The ordinance passed by Atherton requires new buildings over of 1,000 square feet or more to be equipped with fire-suppression sprinkler systems. Any new basement construction over 250 square feet requires sprinkler installation throughout the entire building, whether existing or new.
What Atherton’s ordinance does not include is a requirement for any remodeling projects over 2,500 square feet to include sprinklers installed throughout the building. The majority of Atherton council members balked at requiring an existing house to be retrofitted with sprinklers just because an addition or remodeling project was taking place.
East Palo Alto and county officials passed ordinances that were as strict or stricter than what the fire district officials requested, but the Menlo Park City Council rejected it.
The fire district board can pass regulations on its own, but needs cities to adopt parallel ordinances in order for them to be enforced.
Menlo Park fire inspector Bob Blach says that in Atherton, builders spend more on a new front door than they will on sprinkler systems in new homes.
“It adds 1 or 1-1/2 percent of the cost (of building). It’s nothing,” he says.
The sprinklers are often the cheapest way to mitigate an inadequate water supply, and unlike what you see in the movies, only the sprinklers closest to the source of the fire will go off, Mr. Blach says.
Atherton Mayor Alan Carlson defended the council’s decision, and said he was dismayed by the criticism leveled at the town.
“Like with anything, you have to balance interests,” he says. “We’re not going to compromise health and safety, but if you remodel, are we going to make you rip up your ceilings to put sprinklers in? We chose not to do that.”
