The city of Bonney Lake is moving toward requiring sprinkler systems be installed in all new residential construction, if one councilman has his way.
Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman led the way for the council during a June 15 workshop as he pressed for requiring sprinklers in all new construction, not just large homes, as was recommended by East Pierce Fire and Rescue.
The council was discussing a proposal from East Pierce that would require sprinklers to be installed in all new residential homes larger than 5,000 square feet when Swatman asked why only large, expensive homes should have sprinklers, given that the cost of the technology is decreasing.
“The time has come,” he said of residential sprinkler requirements.
According to East Pierce Deputy Chief of Operations John McDonald, while commercial sprinkler systems function primarily as property-saving devices, residential sprinklers are designed to save lives.
“The whole idea is to give you time to get out,” he told the council. “Smoke detectors do a great job of warning you but it doesn’t get you out of the house.”
According to McDonald, more than 3,000 people die in house fires each year nationwide.
McDonald also said that on average, a residential sprinkler system costs $1.61 per square foot and the price can drop as low as $1.10 per square foot when the sprinklers are required due to competition and experience with the product.
“The cost of sprinklers is not insignificant, but it’s not going to drive people out of the market,” McDonald said.
“For $1.62 I think it’s a good investment for anyone to make,” Swatman said.
Swatman also said that homes are priced according to what the market can bear and are not necessarily reflective of the cost.
Building Official Jerry Hight agreed.
“Sprinklers don’t drive up the price of houses, the market does,” he said.
Swatman also argued that with all of the construction in the pipeline and in what could be the city’s annexation areas, now was the time to act.
“It’s not something you get to do again,” he said of adding sprinklers to homes.
Most of the council seemed to agree with Swatman that the city should make sprinklers, but Councilmember Mark Hamilton worried that adding cost to homes in Bonney Lake would cause builders to go elsewhere. Hamilton said he favored lowering the trigger below 5,000 square feet, but was not sold on requiring them in all new houses.
Hamilton said he would like to see sprinkler requirements added to the state code to level the playing field for all cities.
McDonald said the residential sprinkler requirement was adopted in the national fire code, but the state of Washington removed the provision, deciding to leave it up to cities.
With the Association of Washington Cities meeting scheduled for later this month, the council decided to move the issue to the first workshop after the meeting so members could discuss the measure with other cities around the state.
