Westlake Fire Dept. keeps sprinkler requirement

from statesman.com


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Photo by Rachel Rice

Fire Marshal Mike Lacey of the Westlake Fire Department, left, inspects a Rollingwood home after a sprinkler system was installed as job foreman Catalina Tavera of Western States Fire Protection looks on.

By Rachel Rice

Austin Community Newspapers Staff

“It’s like having firefighters already at your home 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” – ESD 9 Fire Marshal Mike Lacey

Emergency Service District 9 will keep its sprinkler installation requirement for new homes, due in part to the combined efforts of ESD 9, Water District 10 and West Lake Hills.

Senate Bill 1596, related to the dis-annexation of territory from emergency service districts, had an amendment added in mid-May that took the authority to require sprinkler systems in homes away from emergency service districts.

“We heard about this at 10 a.m. and by mid-afternoon we were on the hill lobbying to change what was being proposed,” Water District 10 board president Clif Drummond said. “(Sen. Kirk) Watson is the man that rode to the rescue.”

Through their joint lobbying efforts, ESD 9 (also known as Westlake Fire Department), Water District 10 and West Lake Hills persuaded Watson (D-Austin) to add a grandfathering clause to the amendment, which would allow ESD 9 to keep its sprinkler requirement in place that has been in place since 2007.

ESD 9, which covers West Lake Hills, Rollingwood and the surrounding area, is the only ESD to require sprinkler systems to be installed in new homes. Fire Marshal Mike Lacey said the requirement is necessary to protect large homes situated in a wildland urban interface.

“A sprinkler system can ensure a fire doesn’t throw embers that might affect the entire community,” Lacey said. “It keeps the fire small and contained and makes it less likely that you would see the devastation that happened in (the Bastrop fires).”

Lacey said many homeowners were unsure or skeptical about the sprinkler systems for a variety of reasons, including potential cost and concerns about water damage. Lacey tries to allay many residents’ concerns – the average cost is $1.75 to $3 per square foot, he said.

“The (sprinkler) heads activate individually, unlike what people see on TV when all of them go off at once,” he said. “They have to be exposed to 135 degrees for the cap to fall off, and exposed to 155 degrees for water to spray. Most fires can be controlled by the activation of no more than two heads.”

Not all of the rooms in a home need be protected, he added. Garages, small closets and small bathrooms are not required by ESD 9 to have a sprinkler head. Tests are performed free of charge by the fire department to make sure the system can produce 200 pounds per square inch for two hours without leaking.

“It’s like having firefighters already at your home 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Lacey said. “Having a smoke alarm and sprinkler improves the chances of surviving a fire by 82 percent, according to the [National Fire Protection Association].”

Lacey added that having sprinklers in a home reduces demand of water pressure from a fire hydrant by more than half, crucial in an area with varying elevations and, in some cases, older hydrants and pipes.

“[Sprinklers are] able to contain a fire, keep it in one room, they utilize less water, and residents have added time to escape,” Lacey said. “They keep fire damage to a minimum and allow residents to get back into their homes faster, as well as protect the lives of firefighters who are able to perform rescues quicker and make sure fires are completely out quicker. There’s a huge difference when comparing that to a fire that’s progressing unchallenged.”