Fire Sprinkler Systems Should Be Mandatory

For years San Clemente has been the only city in Orange County with the foresight to require fire sprinklers in homes as well as high-rises. Considering that most lives are lost in residential, not commercial, fires, it makes sense to provide the proven protection of sprinklers to residences too. That’s a life-saving fact that several more cities have finally begun to realize--and do something about.

Earlier this year Anaheim passed one of the toughest sprinkler ordinances in the nation, requiring sprinkler systems in all new homes, apartments and commercial buildings. And this month Dana Point, Stanton and Seal Beach adopted similar sprinkler requirements for all new construction.

In January, city councils in Placentia, Brea, Yorba Linda, Cypress, Los Alamitos and Tustin, as well as the County Board of Supervisors, will consider local laws that will make sprinklers mandatory in all new homes. The sprinklers should be required, not only in those communities, but throughout Orange County.

Unlike smoke detectors that are only a warning system, anti-fire sprinklers extinguish a blaze before it becomes a major disaster. And the reliable sprinkler heads, which have been in use more than 100 years, require no maintenance and rarely fail or malfunction.

The main argument against residential sprinklers is the cost, which adds an estimated $2,000 to the price of an average new home. We realize the added expense could affect the affordability for some home buyers. But the economic impact is minimal. In most cases it amounts to less than the price of a carpeting upgrade. It is further offset by reduced insurance premiums and a generally lower public outlay for fire protection.

But the cost involved pales in comparison to the safety sprinklers buy.

A report compiled by a committee of fire chiefs that was recently released by the League of California Cities documented the reductions in fire losses and deaths in communities that have sprinkler system programs. It cited a study of sprinkler experience in Australia and New Zealand over the past 82 years that showed 99.8% of the time sprinklers controlled or extinguished the fires. In the United States the success rate is 96.2%

The report concluded that automatic fire sprinkler systems save lives, property and firefighting costs. The fire safety experts who put that study together recommended local ordinances requiring sprinklers. It’s a life-saving recommendation the community cannot afford to ignore.