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Santa Barbara Backs Fire Sprinkler Mandate
New buildings and many remodeling projects will now be required to install fire-suppression sprinkler systems after the Santa Barbara City Council unanimously approved the change Tuesday. The council voted to move ahead with amendments that would affect single-family homes and all new construction, commercial and residential.
Fire Marshal Joe Poire presented the council with information about the change to the city’s sprinkler ordinance, which was adopted in the 2007 fire code. He said the ordinance updates were imminent, but have been delayed to get community feedback.
The amendments would change the city’s fire code to require new single-family residences and commercial buildings to be built with the sprinklers, as well as be required for remodels that are greater than 50 percent of the square footage, or greater than 1,000 square feet.
Also needing the systems will be commercial remodels up to or greater than 50 percent of the total square footage. Any existing commercial space that changes to a more “hazardous” use, like a retail store becoming a night club, would also require the sprinklers.
Poire said many jurisdictions in California have similar ordinances. “The reason why is because sprinklers save lives and property,” he said.
As many as 78 percent of all structure fires occur on residential properties, Poire said, and account for most of the deaths of civilians and firefighters. Sprinklers can respond quickly, preventing what Poire called “flashover,” which results when all combustible material, including smoke, in a space ignites, creating a dire situation for people trapped inside and for firefighters trying to rescue them.
Poire showed a sobering video of a Christmas tree igniting, with the small fire growing to flashover in less than a minute. “About 38 seconds into this fire, you would not have been able to cross that room and lived to tell about it,” Poire told the council.
He showed a second video of a similar room that had one sprinkler head of standard size, which releases about 20 gallons of water per minute. The video showed that the sprinkler head kept the smoke layer from igniting and eventually put the fire out itself.
It takes approximately eight minutes for the fire department to respond to a smoke alarm and douse the fire with the final application of water, Poire said. “During that time the fire continues to grow,” he said.
Two local incidents have proven the effectiveness of the sprinklers, including against a blaze that broke out in a residential building in the 4200 block of Calle Real.
“The victim was on a burning mattress, the fire sprinkler was above and the victim was unconscious at the time,” Poire said. “This absolutely would have ended up in a fatality had there not been a sprinkler system.” Instead, the victim suffered minor injuries and damage to the property was minimal.
According to Poire, sprinklers don’t go off all at once and they are activated by heat and not smoke. As for causing excessive water damage, he said that when firefighters show up, the teams usually pump about 300-400 gallons per minute, as opposed to the 20 gallons per minute of a standard sprinkler head.
The systems themselves usually cost about 1 percent of the cost of a home, nationally. In Santa Barbara, homeowners and builders could expect to pay $2.75 to $3.50 per square foot, and insurance often offsets a portion of the cost. The sprinklers are meant to address internal fires, but could not address natural wildfires, like the Tea Fire, Poire said.
Helene Schneider called the ordinance a “no-brainer” and endorsed the amendments.
Das Williams said he saw the issue when it was before the ordinance committee, and acknowledged it would result in a higher cost. “But the lives that this would save we cannot put a cost on,” he said.
Admitting he was skeptical of the changes was Councilman Dale Francisco, the mayor pro tem who presided Tuesday in Mayor Marty Blum’s absence.
“I’m concerned any time we add further to the cost of building new homes,” said Francisco, who also served on the ordinance committee. But as he learned more about the process and building codes, which were brought about “to stop fires from happening,” Francisco said he now approves the proposal.
The item passed without dissent. In addition to Blum, Councilwoman Iya Falcone was absent Tuesday.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Comments
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» on 04.15.09 @ 05:40 AM
Apparently the City Council did not hear the Fire personnel expressing concerns that sprinklers WILL NOT WORK if all the water pressure is gone when engine trucks are using water, and/or when power goes out. DO WE HAVE FACTS that this additional cost to builders/homeowners is really worth it? Obviously we’d like it to be… but do we really have all the facts to burden homeowners with yet another cost???
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» on 04.15.09 @ 07:50 AM
Once again, the idiots in the city council spent your money with out really understanding the issue.
I hope that they also took the time to give another raise to the city employees..
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» on 04.15.09 @ 08:37 AM
The cost is way too high.
Each system requires a huge new water meter to be installed at a horrendous cost.
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» on 04.15.09 @ 10:42 AM
How much did they really research this?! What are the costs to maintain the system? And how effective are they really? Sure, it is great to save lives, but I’d rather see a sprinkler requirement over the head of drunk drivers. Now that would really save a lot of lives!
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» on 04.16.09 @ 05:35 AM
Interior fire sprinklers are great for fires started inside of a structure, but they won’t do anything for a wildfire (such as the Tea Fire), where the fire is on the exterior of the dwelling. I hope the City Council understood this. Also, who is going to ensure that an installed fire sprinkler system is kept in working order?
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» on 04.16.09 @ 09:36 AM
Right now people are free to make a choice whether or mot they want a fire sprinkler system.
It is simply not right for the council to force all of us to pay the huge $50,000 cost of a system that we don’t ant or really need.
The purpose of a Fire sprinkler system is not to save the building but to save lives by giving the occupants time to get out of the building when it catches on fire. So , yes, they are needed on a hugh 4 story building where it takes 10 minutes to get out of it but they are sure not needed in a single family residence where one can get out of it in 30 seconds.
All that is needed to save lives is to require a working fire alarm system.
if every home had a fire alarm system then it is a fact that not one life would be saved by having a fire sprinkler system i a single family house.
And these systems are ugly and often need exposed pipes visible in the room. In order to work they require a new 1 1/2 inch water meter and new pipe from the water main in he street to the house at a cost of around $20,000 in addition to the high cost of the system itself.
And to install a system in an existing house would require that the ceiling between the first floor and the second floor e removed and reinstalled at great expense. And houses with open beam ceilings have no attic to run the pipes so therefore all the pipes have to be run exposed inside the room.
This was sure not thought through. by our stupid fire marshall!
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» on 04.17.09 @ 02:20 PM
Just whose hair-brained idea was this anyway.
We citizens don’t need it and we don’t want it.
Stop trying to shove things down our throat.
If you council-members want an expensive sprinkler system in your house then you pay for it.
But don’t force us to install one in our house when we don’t want it.
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» on 04.22.09 @ 08:19 AM
How does adding $25-$75,000 to the price of all new housing lower the cost of housing? Oh sure, the city council will just push for more subsidized housing, built with your tax dollars, so of course cost does not matter!
Why don’t they install sprinklers in their own houses if this is such a great idea? Nothing speaks louder than an example.
Why not ban all flamable substances? We can live in stone houses like Fred Flinstone and write on clay tablets. This neolithic lifestyle would make the council feel right at home.
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