Home fire sprinkler debate heats up Home fire sprinkler debate heats up (December 03, 2003)

** Menlo fire district law would require automatic systems in most new homes and many major remodels.

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

Like many abstract concepts, fire safety is something few would oppose. Putting it into practice is more difficult.

As a plan by the Menlo Park Fire Protection District to require automatic fire sprinklers to be installed in most new homes and many homes undergoing major remodeling moves from proposal toward reality, detractors are stepping up their criticism.

The Atherton City Council has given preliminary approval to the ordinance after being won over by district presentations about sprinklers saving lives.

According to U.S. Fire Administration figures quoted by the district, 80 percent of fatalities from fires occur in family residences, and installing both alarms and sprinklers reduces the risk of death in a home by 82 percent.

But some critics are still not persuaded as the plan heads to the Menlo Park City Council, which is expected to take action on December 9. Some residents are questioning sprinkler costs and whether the devices are necessary in new homes.

"Safety, like child welfare, is always a good argument, but at some point you have to ... balance between protecting ourselves and enjoying the quality of life," Menlo Park architect Henry Riggs said.

The fire district has wanted for several years to enact the ordinance, but city officials were unenthusiastic, said Ollie Brown, a member of the district board. The district launched a renewed push partly because of the popularity of large basements, which could trap people during blazes, said Mr. Brown, a former longtime district firefighter.

The proposed rules vary by city. All areas would require new buildings of 1,000 square feet or larger to include a sprinkler system, but the rules would be different for remodels.

In Atherton, buildings of 2,500 square feet or more face the requirement if more than 50 percent of the structure is remodeled, Menlo Park Fire Chief Paul Wilson said. In Menlo Park, the ordinance would apply to remodels affecting 75 percent or more of the structure, he explained: "They didn't want to address every single renovation."

In East Palo Alto, the houses are generally smaller, so the requirement would apply to a home of any size undergoing remodeling of 40 percent or more. Additions would have to have sprinklers if they add 50 percent or more structure space to the home.

In unincorporated county areas, where builders are already required to put sprinklers in new homes of 1,000 square feet and up, the ordinance would also apply to homes larger than 1,000 square feet undergoing remodeling of 75 percent or more.

The ordinance was expected to go to the East Palo Alto City Council on December 2, and its hearing before the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has not yet been scheduled, Chief Wilson said.

Fire departments serving Woodside, Portola Valley and Redwood City mandate sprinklers in all new residences, and Palo Alto requires them in new homes west of Interstate 280.

Recalling a fire last Christmas day that killed two children in East Palo Alto after a fireplace was left unscreened, Chief Wilson said, "We believe one sprinkler could have controlled that fire."
Are they worth it?

Menlo Park architect Michael Lambert wonders whether other safety measures would provide protection as well at a lower cost. He mentioned alarms with smoke detectors, and seismic valves that shut off gas lines in an earthquake.

He added that fires are less likely to start and spread in newer or remodeled homes, which have modern electrical wiring. Mr. Riggs agreed, saying walls in homes these days are often built containing the mineral gypsum, which he said provides fire resistance.

"I just hate to see a client forced into a safety level that should be optional," said Mr. Riggs, who does some of his work in homes on the Peninsula.

Geoffrey Aus, fire marshal for the Menlo Park district, agreed that gypsum does burn less easily than wood, and that tests show gypsum wall board can hold up for an hour during a fire. Eventually, though, the wall would "degrade and collapse," he added.

Chief Wilson said the cost of sprinkler installation is typically under $3 a square foot. Atherton Building Official Michael Hood has also put the figure between $2 and $3 a square foot for new homes.

Menlo Park City Manager David Boesch said he's also concerned about sprinkler costs, especially in remodels.

"Then you're ripping open the ceilings, changing internal plumbing," he said.

Fire officials note that many insurance companies give clients with an automatic sprinkler system a discount on fire coverage rates. Lonny Haskins, a spokesman for State Farm Insurance, said his company gives a 10 percent discount if the system is installed throughout the home and 5 percent if it's in just a few rooms.

That doesn't mean much to Mr. Lambert, who said, "If it (a sprinkler system) was so safe, the insurance companies would give us more of a break on our rates."

As for alarms and other means of fire safety, Mr. Brown said those methods are certainly recommended, but that sprinklers add a higher level of protection.

Another concern raised is the possibility of leaking and water damage. Chief Wilson said it is very uncommon for the systems to leak, and noted that water damage is typically localized in a fire.

"A common fallacy is that when they go off the whole house is affected by a shower," he said. "Only the sprinkler closest to the fire goes off. But it makes for great movies."

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