Bill providing homebuyer choice on sprinkler systems goes to Missouri Senate

Legislation preserving a homebuyer's choice to install a fire sprinkler system in a new home is now in the hands of the Missouri Senate after state representatives gave the bill final approval recently.

The bill applies to homebuyers building a new home and, if passed, would extend the legislation through 2019. The law would otherwise expire Jan. 1 next year.

Bill sponsor Rep. John Diehl, R-Town and Country, said county and local governments shouldn't be requiring homeowners to purchase a feature that could drive up the cost of their home construction anywhere from $7,000 to $20,000.

"No government should be mandating that homeowners have to pick up those costs," Diehl said.

After attending a few hearings for the bill, Cape Girardeau fire chief Rick Ennis thinks lawmakers may not be as educated as they should be on the importance of installing fire sprinklers in a residence. One lawmaker said he didn't understand why anyone would install sprinklers, Ennis said.

"It's obvious to me that anybody that would make a statement like that probably doesn't understand fire development and what a sprinkler system can do for that," he said.

Ennis said that at a House hearing earlier this month that he invited lawmakers to Cape Girardeau to watch a sprinkler demonstration and live-burn exercise that took place Friday at 825 and 827 N. Spanish St. They didn't attend, Ennis said Monday, but the exercise could have cleared up some misconceptions he thinks lawmakers have about fire sprinklers. One structure was equipped with two sprinkler heads and the other just an alarm. The exercise shows, he said, that a home without a sprinkler is destroyed much more quickly.

Homeowners may also not be as informed as they should be when they're given the option of sprinkler installation, according to Ennis. He's concerned they're only getting partial information from builders. In August 2009, a state law went into effect requiring builders to offer consumers the option of having a sprinkler system installed in their new home.

"While I support everyone's freedom of choice ... there's no safety initiative that has ever been driven by consumer demand," Ennis said. "Look at seat belts or airbags. It wasn't because people wanted to pay extra to have that protection. They ended up being legislated, and it was required to have them put in automobiles."

The Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri isn't opposed to sprinkler systems, said Lyzel Krebs, staff vice president for government affairs, but is opposed to a mandate on installing them. Krebs said the group supports the 2009 law, though, and has worked with the Missouri Fire Service Alliance to develop a brochure for builders to distribute to consumers. The brochure provides a basic understanding of what it means to have a fire sprinkler system, she said.

About 200 builders are members of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri.

Krebs said installation costs can vary according to the type or water supply, but the Home Builders Association has found bids for putting fire sprinklers in new homes be range from $7,000 to $25,000, close to Diehl's estimate.

Insurance discounts

Residents may be able to recover some of the installation costs because most insurance providers offer discounts or a lower premium for homes with sprinkler systems. Ken Oberlohr at American Family Insurance in Cape Girardeau said his company offers homeowners a 10 percent discount if fire sprinkler systems are installed. Additional discounts are available for burglar or smoke alarms, he added.

Rep. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, questioned at a House hearing why it's all right for the state to intervene and not allow the matter to be decided on a local level. The bill would also prohibit local governments from passing ordinances to require sprinklers in newly constructed homes.

"I"m not sure that this is something that the state is better qualified to do than a local government," Schupp said.

As fire chief in Cape Girardeau, Ennis said he'd like the decision to be made by city leaders.

"I don't want that decision made at Jefferson City or in St. Louis," Ennis said.

ehevern@semissourian.com

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