Builders of new homes and commercial structures larger than 1,000 square feet will have to install sprinklers under a fire code updated Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors. The changes will take effect Jan. 1.
The updated code will affect primarily residential construction. Currently, sprinklers are required only for homes of more than 5,000 square feet.
The update, approved unanimously by supervisors, also will require residences to have more visible address numbers that contrast with their background and are at least 6 inches tall on residential homes and 8 inches tall on commercial buildings.
County/Cal Fire Battalion Chief Rick Swan, who outlined the changes, said unmarked or poorly marked homes are frustrating for firefighters and dangerous for residents.
The sprinklers are going to be expensive, said Jerry Bunin, legislative affairs director for the Home Builders Association of the Central Coast.
Bunin estimated that sprinklers would add from $5,000 to $10,000 to the cost of a home. He said the association supports voluntary sprinkler installation, rather than"an unnecessary and counterproductive expense that makes homes more expensive."
Swan acknowledged that "sprinklers are not free," but said they save lives and reduce fire damage.
Supervisor Jerry Lenthall, a former police officer with experience making fire calls, agreed.
"Any time we add costs, it's going to be counterproductive to affordable housing," he said. "But costs take a back seat to saving lives."
Nationally, 80 percent of the annual 4,000 fire deaths occur in homes, Swan said in his report.
He said that the new standards apply in the county's unincorporated areas.Most cities and some communities have their own standards and some of them require sprinklers in all new homes.
Republished with permission of The Tribune.
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