N.C. Building Council Declines Proposal on Sprinklers in Some Homes

The North Carolina Building Code Council declined to consider a request that sprinkler systems be required in new large or multistory homes, a setback for firefighters who sought the change following an October beach house fire that killed seven college students.

The council, which sets design and construction standards in North Carolina, instead told a committee to study whether a residential sprinklers requirement is feasible. Chairman Dan Tingen said he was committed to considering the committee’s recommendation.

“We want to have a thorough debate,” Tingen said. “There’s more than one side to the issue.”

Fire prevention advocates were disappointed by the 7-6 vote, saying sprinklers would reduce the threat of injury and death as people escape from a big home. They cited specifically the Oct. 28 fire at Ocean Isle Beach that killed seven South Carolina college students.

“I am very disappointed, as all of you are,” Bonnie Woodruff, whose son was killed in a 1996 fraternity house fire in Chapel Hill, told dozens of firefighters during a break in the meeting. “I want America to know that having a sprinkler system is like having a fireman in every room.”

The petition from fire officials would have required sprinklers in new homes of more than 3,600 square feet or structures three or more stories off the ground. The two-story beach house that burned in October would have fallen under the proposal because it was built on pilings.

Tingen, who only votes in case of a tie, said the firefighters’ proposal would have narrowed the focus of any discussion of sprinklers because it only applied to certain-sized homes.

“If you’re going to require sprinklers, we should have it across the board,” said Tinger, a Raleigh homebuilder.

The firefighters’ proposal would have required committee discussion and a public hearing before the council could finalize the change. Any rule change usually takes about nine months to complete, Tingen said.

In a statement, the North Carolina Home Builders Association praised the council’s decision, saying it “supports the development of an effective public fire-safety education program.” The association argued current building requirements adequately provide for fire safety and that the costs of sprinkler systems exceed the potential property losses they might prevent.

The change would have increased the cost of a new home by as much as 2 percent, according to the proposal.

The firefighters also wanted the council Tuesday to keep in place after 2009 a provision in the code that would allow local governments to require sprinklers in new homes.

“The council’s vote is indicative of a lesser interest in public safety than in a few meager dollars,” said Assistant State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin.