N.J. Assembly panel advances home sprinkler system measure
MONDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2011, 4:13 PM
STATE HOUSE BUREAU
TRENTON - Legislation to require sprinkler systems in new homes passed an Assembly panel Monday, but not before reigniting a debate about whether the safety measure would be worth the added cost amid a staggering economy.
The bill (A3278) would direct the state Department of Community Affairs to withhold occupancy permits for new one- and two-family homes unless they are equipped with sprinkler systems similar to those required in hotels, dormitories and apartment buildings.
"Sprinkler system have been protecting lives for 100 years throughout the United States," Timothy Travers, a spokesman for the National Fire Protection Association, told the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee. "Building homes without fire sprinklers equates to building substandard housing."
Fire safety officials support the legislation, saying the systems have been proven to save lives and limit property damage caused by blazes. But opponents fear adding any additional costs to new home construction, an industry struggling to rebound after the recession.
"Unfortunately, this bill adds thousands of dollars in costs to the housing that middle and modest income families are already struggling to afford," Dominick Paragano, president of the New Jersey Builders Association, said in a statement opposing the bill.
The Christie administration last year doused an effort to require the residential sprinklers when it chose not to implement the provision contained in the 2009 International Residential Code. Lori Grifa, head of Community Affairs, said the department was worried the requirement "might impede the recovery of the residential construction sector."
Similar requirements are in effect in Maryland, South Carolina and California. A residential sprinkler mandate took effect in Pennsylvania this year, only to be struck down by the Legislature and Gov. Tom Corbett.
Some lawmakers in New Jersey have advocated for the sprinkler requirements for at least a decade, but to no avail.
The bill (A3278) would direct the state Department of Community Affairs to withhold occupancy permits for new one- and two-family homes unless they are equipped with sprinkler systems similar to those required in hotels, dormitories and apartment buildings.
"Sprinkler system have been protecting lives for 100 years throughout the United States," Timothy Travers, a spokesman for the National Fire Protection Association, told the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee. "Building homes without fire sprinklers equates to building substandard housing."
Fire safety officials support the legislation, saying the systems have been proven to save lives and limit property damage caused by blazes. But opponents fear adding any additional costs to new home construction, an industry struggling to rebound after the recession.
"Unfortunately, this bill adds thousands of dollars in costs to the housing that middle and modest income families are already struggling to afford," Dominick Paragano, president of the New Jersey Builders Association, said in a statement opposing the bill.
The Christie administration last year doused an effort to require the residential sprinklers when it chose not to implement the provision contained in the 2009 International Residential Code. Lori Grifa, head of Community Affairs, said the department was worried the requirement "might impede the recovery of the residential construction sector."
Similar requirements are in effect in Maryland, South Carolina and California. A residential sprinkler mandate took effect in Pennsylvania this year, only to be struck down by the Legislature and Gov. Tom Corbett.
Some lawmakers in New Jersey have advocated for the sprinkler requirements for at least a decade, but to no avail.
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