Fire Safety

Two politically controversial approaches to fire safety will come before the Orange County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday during a public hearing to review proposed fire code changes. One would ban all fireworks, except those used by professionals in public displays, and the other would require fire sprinkler systems in new apartment buildings.

Both measures should be adopted, not only in the county’s unincorporated areas under board control but in all of the county’s 26 cities.

Opposition to a fireworks ban traditionally has come from fireworks manufacturers and service club members who don’t want to lose revenues from selling fireworks, and opposition to sprinklers has come from some builders who oppose the relatively small additional construction costs of the fire sprinkler systems.

Sprinkler system benefits outweigh their cost and the trend in the county is to ban the so-called “safe-and-sane” fireworks. Huntington Beach last Tuesday became the 12th city in the county to enact such a ban. To really be effective, the ban should be countywide.

The issues before the board boil down to monetary considerations and public safety. The proposed fire code changes can prevent some fires and control others before they become major blazes.