Debate over home sprinklers heats up (Coming soon to developments near you?)

Baltimore Sun ^ | June 27, 2005 | Timothy B. Wheeler

[Cincinatus' Wife]

If they'd had a choice, James Dietzel says, he and his wife, Carol, would not have put a fire sprinkler system in the spacious new home ....

.....But the Dietzels didn't have a choice because sprinkler systems are required in all new homes built in Montgomery County. Dale Thompson, whose company is building the Dietzels' new home, estimates that the fire suppression system adds about $25,000 to the cost of their two-story brick colonial.

... fire safety advocates push for communities across the country to adopt building codes mandating the systems in all new dwellings. There are signs in Maryland and nationwide that the effort could be gaining traction.

..... home builders question the need for them, arguing that sprinklers are an unjustifiable expense that few buyers want,...

"I think people feel intuitively safe in a [new] single-family house, and they should," said Tom Ballentine, government affairs director for the Home Builders Association of Maryland. He and other industry officials contend that smoke detectors, already required in all new homes, and modern construction materials and techniques have significantly reduced the risks to life and property from fires.

The debate extends beyond Maryland, with fire safety advocates and real estate interests nationwide arguing the merits of residential sprinklers.

Nationally, fire deaths have declined 8 percent from 1994 through 2003, ...

But fire safety advocates say the national average of 3,900 deaths remains too high, and they note that 87 percent of those killed in residential fires were in single-family homes or duplexes......in older homes - many without working smoke detectors ....

...Builders say new home buyers' coolness to sprinklers is no surprise, especially in suburban counties where fire deaths are low. Howard County, for instance, has averaged one fire death a year since 2000.

[rabidralph]

I live in a townhouse, built in '97. All the units have sprinkler systems in them and a few of them have malfunctioned over the years--no fire but the sprinkler goes off and soaks the entire house. I don't plan on putting one in my next house.

[Servant of the 9]

That is an average cost of tens of millions per life saved, and one of the most spectacularly inefficient uses of money in history.

There is some justification for requiring sprinklers in multi-family dwellings, because no one can control their neighbors stupidity, but none for putting them in single family residences.

SO9

[FreedomPoster]

Building codes are an interesting case study in increasing governmental encroachment in everyday life. Having looked at the process for getting codes changed, I assure you it is not necessarily at all based on any sort of rational cost:benefit analysis. Typically, product manufacturers with a big vested interest are heavily involved.

That said, I strongly question the idea that a system would cost $25k for a typical house, even a typical large house.

[metesky]

fire safety advocates push

The word "advocate" has become code for "industry shill".

Altruism is a liberal disease.

[fso301]

That is an average cost of tens of millions per life saved

I doubt they save any lives, just property.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Same as with seatbelts.

[kitkat]

***Altruism is a liberal disease.***

And then, after making sure you and your family are entirely safe, the Supreme Court liberals take your home away from you.

[G.Mason]

3,900 deaths per year related to home fires so "fire safety advocates" want fire sprinklers in my home? I'm keeping busy just staying away from doctors and hospitals.

"Doctors Are The Third Leading Cause of Death in the US, Causing 250,000 Deaths Every Year"

The author is Dr. Barbara Starfield of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health and she describes how the US health care system may contribute to poor health.

ALL THESE ARE DEATHS PER YEAR:

a. 12,000 -----unnecessary surgery 8
b. 7,000 -----medication errors in hospitals 9
c. 20,000 ----other errors in hospitals 10
d. 80,000 ----infections in hospitals 10
e. 106,000 ---non-error, negative effects of drugs 2

These total to 250,000 deaths per year from iatrogenic causes!!

From ... http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Ldoctordeath.htm

[Concentrate]

More pipes to worry about freezing in the winter.

[Abby4116]

More pipes to worry about freezing in the winter.

And remember, insurance companies have limited the amount they will pay for mold damage. Piping through every room in the house sounds unreal.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The article states sprinklers add 1% to the cost of the house. Here's a LINK to a story about building permits in the D.C./Maryland area and the fines being handed out as people build, remodel and add sheds. They mention that building permits allow the taxing authority to know how to assess the value of your property.

[Concentrate]

More pipes to worry about freezing in the winter.

[muir_redwoods]

"That said, I strongly question the idea that a system would cost $25k for a typical house, even a typical large house."

Your doubt is well-founded but don't forget to factor in the cost our friends the litigation lawyers add. The potential for lawsuit in the event that it goes off when it shouldn't or doesn't when it should is immense.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I think this will put a premium on older resale homes.

[Koblenz]

Well, I have a slightly different take here... There may not be many deaths, but that's probably due to smoke detectors. But when someone's house has a fire, that doesn't merely put a cost on that owner and his insurance company, but it puts a cost on the community as a whole because it has to send the fire trucks. Since we have community fire services, does it not make sense for them to have some influence in how the new homes are built?

$25,000 seems like a lot for a home sprinkler system however. My question would be, how much in insurance would the homeowner save over 30 years due to the sprinker system? Because that'd be the market placing a value on the usefulness of the system.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Concur with your 25,000.00 as "too high" - BUT remember that it apparently comes with that 1% of the cost of the house figure also.

Or, if they are requiring 1 sprinkler per, plus more for bigger rooms, then figure that he may have 25 or thirty "rooms" - including closets and storage spaces and built-in shelves...

But, in any case, Hillary's government is here to help you.

[Gabz]

And folks wonder why we looked further south to Virginia than Maryland when we decided to leave Delaware...........

[Cincinatus' Wife]

....how much in insurance would the homeowner save over 30 years due to the sprinker system? Because that'd be the market placing a value on the usefulness of the system.

Fair question but I doubt it would recoup the cost. Insurers give you a break for locks, alarms, etc. but it really is a minimal amount.

[Gabz]

But, in any case, Hillary's government is here to help you.

And don't you feel oh so much safer???????????