Lawmakers: No sprinklers for new houses
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – March 5, 2010 – A House committee moved Wednesday to block the Florida Building Commission from adopting a provision that would require all newly constructed homes to install fire sprinklers.
The proposal (PCB GAP 10-22) was unanimously adopted by the House Governmental Affairs Policy committee, but only after it drew significant opposition from representatives of Florida Professional Firefighters and the sprinkler industry, who said that the sprinklers offer a greater level of protection to homes and to firefighters who might have to enter burning houses.
Buddy Dewar, who represents the sprinkler industry, said because of changes in building materials, houses are more prone to collapse at a faster rate now than they were 30 years ago.
“One of the great benefits of sprinklers is they, in fact, save lives,” Dewar said.
But homebuilders – already in one of their worst years in history because of a building slowdown – argue they can’t handle the additional expense, especially while the housing market is still in the dumps.
Kari Hebrank, a lobbyist for the Florida Building Materials Association, said that for every $1,000 increase in costs, about 25,000 Floridians are “priced out” of buying their own home.
“We can’t afford any additional mandates at this time,” she said.
Currently, the Florida Building Commission adopts the state building codes based on recommendations of the International Residential Code, which recently approved an amendment that would require all newly constructed one and two-family homes and town homes to include fire sprinklers. The commission is expected to adopt similar standards in the 2010 edition of the Florida Building Code. The legislation, approved by the committee, would ban the commission from doing that.
Rep. Robert Schenck, R-Spring Hill, who sponsored the bill to prevent the building code from including the requirement, said he didn’t believe the state should be “putting another burden” on would-be homebuyers.
“Let’s protect the markets just a little bit,” he said.
Source: News Service of Florida, Kathleen Haughney
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