Fire code change requiring extra Sheetrock up for Cape council vote

The Cape Girardeau City Council will again vote on an updated residential building code Monday that could help save firefighters' lives but raise the cost of building homes in the city.

The updated code includes a recommendation from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department that requires builders to install an additional layer of Sheetrock on the basement ceilings of residential dwellings to reduce injuries suffered by firefighters and residents during a fire. The extra Sheetrock would cost $1,000 to $3,000 to install, Cape Girardeau fire chief Rick Ennis said.

Earlier this month, the council voted 4-3 to adopt new codes without the Sheetrock amendment. The amendment will be given a second reading Monday.

Mayor Harry Rediger voted against leaving the Sheetrock amendment out of the codes and said although he supports the code, it probably will not pass Monday.

"I really don't see the vote changing," he said. "It's a nonissue."

Council member Mark Lanzotti said the extra money to install the Sheetrock would put Cape Girardeau at a disadvantage in the housing market because surrounding cities like Jackson and Scott City do not require Sheetrock in homes. Charging up to $3,000 extra to build a home in the city could drive homebuyers away, Lanzotti said.

"I want to be sure the cost to build in Cape Girardeau is the same as or lower than Jackson," said Lanzotti, who made the motion to leave the amendment off the new codes earlier this month.

Despite the potential threat to the city's housing market, Ennis said Sheetrock is worth the money.

"The Sheetrock is put in place to protect firefighters and residents," Ennis said.

Installing the Sheetrock will contain the fire longer at its point of origin, giving firefighters more time to extinguish the fire and for residents to escape safely, Ennis said.

Cape Girardeau's new codes comply with those established by the International Code Council, a national standards body that provides building code guidelines to government agencies. Sheetrock is on the ICC's recommendation list and may become a standard in 2012.

Ennis said he would like to see the Sheetrock code in place because state law prohibits Missouri from adopting mandatory fire sprinkler requirements. Sprinklers are a requirement in the ICC's 2009 codes, but the National Home Builders Association urged legislators to pass House Bill 90 to prohibit mandatory sprinklers in an effort to keep building costs down.

"We don't think about a fire ever happening until it happens and we lose a home or a loved one," Ennis said of the sprinkler legislation.

Ennis added that consumers should not be the ones dictating safety measures.

"When contractors use less expensive, lightweight materials, it increases the risks," Ennis said.

Lanzotti said he realizes the risks and respects the amendment but feels going without Sheetrock is best for now.

"We are not willing to charge contractors to do this," he said. "It comes down to balances and surroundings and we have to balance the cost with safety."

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St. Cape Girardeau, MO