Good afternoon everyone,
The case for adding fire sprinkler systems is becoming stronger.
This is especially true in Sussex County, where we continue to see a boom in home building and a steady stream of big developments winding their way through the approval process.
To date, the home-building industry has been able to fend off calls for sprinklers by citing costs. Here’s a link to lobbying materials and other information on their website from the National Association of Homebuilders.
Getting sprinklers into new homes has been a long-running goal for the Delaware Fire Sprinkler Coalition, a group that includes members of the state’s fire service. The State Fire Marshal’s office also offers a guide.
The coalition’s most compelling argument is that sprinklers save lives. While smoke alarms have sharply reduced the number of deaths over the decades, sadly, the number of deaths per 1,000 fires has risen.
The cost argument has been undercut by the rising price of new single-family homes, which typically run in the $400,000 range.
The National Fire Safety Association, which is affiliated with the Delaware Fire Sprinkler Coalition, estimates that a system only adds about 1% to the cost of a new home.
After adopting residential requirements, nearby Bucks County, PA, reported no fire deaths in homes with systems over 22 years and a more than 90 percent decline in property damage, the fire safety group reported.
(Contrary to popular myth, water damage is less with a sprinkler since there is less need for high-pressure fire hoses.)
A case can also be made for refitting sprinklers into newer existing homes.
Costs vary but can run about $6,000 or less for an existing .home, below the cost of a nice deck.
Granted, you don’t have the chance to impress friends with a new sprinkler head, but there is an opportunity for bragging rights from lower insurance premiums and a higher resale value.
Regardless of decisions by local government and given the death toll per 1,000 fires, homebuilders have a moral obligation to strongly recommend potential buyers to add a sprinkler system while top-of-the-line smoke detectors.
I hope you had a chance to enjoy the nicer weather on Sunday, even with the cloudy skies. This newsletter returns on Tuesday, with Our View back on Wednesday. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
