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Lewes considers sprinkler requirement

If adopted, regulation would apply to all new construction
September 9, 2021

To sprinkle or not to sprinkle, that is the question Lewes Mayor and City Council is thinking about as it considers requiring fire-suppression systems in all new homes.

When Lewes council last adopted the International Building Code, it excluded the section that required fire suppression. To date, only Newark has adopted that section of the code.

Paul Eichler of the Delaware Fire Sprinkler Coalition said sprinkler requirements for certain types of buildings have been part of the International Building Code since 2009. By 2011, he said, it had also included single-family homes.

“It is a proven practice for saving lives and saving property,” he said, noting that Maryland, California and Washington, D.C., have all adopted the code with the fire suppression requirement.

“It is a huge benefit to the occupants of that residence,” Eichler said. “It is a huge benefit to first responders who show up and try to have a positive effect on the fire.”

Lewes resident Ed Rush, who’s spent 45 years in the fire service in New York and now locally, said sprinkler systems can make a huge difference in whether someone survives a fire. Building materials used in new homes cause fires to flash over much faster than older homes, he said.

“The modern houses burn so fast and so hot that the smoke alarm might not even give you enough time to get out,” he said. “You’re talking about human life here – your residents and your firefighters – as opposed to a few extra dollars and some annual maintenance.”

Eichler estimated a sprinkler system costs about $2 per square foot, meaning to add a sprinkler system to a 2,400-square-foot home would cost about $4,800.

Local builder Mark Grahne, a board member with the Builders and Remodelers Association of Delaware, said his experience with the cost of sprinkler systems is a little different. He said he’s working on a home in Broadkill where the sprinkler system cost was more than $8 per square foot. He said other systems could cost less, but council needs to realize each house has different needs that could affect the cost.

Another problem, he said, is finding people to design, install and maintain sprinkler systems. The majority of companies he’s aware of are in New Castle County, and many of them are struggling to find workers.

He said he’s an advocate of the existing law that gives homeowners the choice to have sprinklers.

“I’m not trying to show any disrespect to saving lives,” he said. “Most lives that are lost in fires are due to the fact that there weren’t working smoke detectors in homes. A sprinkler system gives you more time to get out of the house. That’s the main purpose.”

Rush said fire-suppression systems can definitely put out a fire, citing his recent experience responding to a fire at Jefferson Apartments where the fire was extinguished by the sprinklers.

“They had minimal damage, and those people were probably back in their apartment that night,” he said.

Eichler said the ongoing substantial growth in the area will also have an effect on the fire department’s response time.

“You have a fantastic fire department serving this community, but your fire department is stretched thin, at best,” he said.

City Manager Ann Marie Townshend said review and permitting would be done through the city’s Building Department. City building officials have received certification through the International Code Council.

The fire-suppression requirement would only apply to new homes; however, future versions of the International Building Code could add the requirement to homes undergoing substantial renovations, Townshend said.

 

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