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The Clark County BIA then contacted its state association and NAHB’s Construction, Codes and Standards department for information about the drawbacks of mandatory fire sprinklers. It also conducted significant research of its own so it could develop an effective rebuttal and education campaign, which it called the Fire Sprinkler Education Program.
The fire department's advocacy minimized the added costs involved, embellished life safety issues and even brought in a Canadian national fire official who compared communities without fire sprinklers to “communities that are being terrorized by a serial killer.”
In contrast, the industry-created Fire Sprinkler Education Program:
The builders’ program gave the city council a fair and politically attractive alternative to the mandate and the mandate was defeated.
The Fire Sprinkler Education Program was successful because it focused on solutions rather than on simply defeating the mandate. By clearly demonstrating its commitment to the community, the BIA earned buy-in from the local fire department, the local Realtors® association and the city council.
For its efforts, in addition to achieving its policy goals, the Clark County association and campaign was honored with NAHB’s State & Local Government Affairs Recognition Award.
No city in Washington state has sprinkler mandates, and the Clark County builders association’s efforts will likely prevent similar measures from being considered in other area cities.
In the past few years, sprinkler manufacturers, fire services and other groups have pushed to mandate fire sprinkler systems on a broad level. An estimated 20-30 attempts to mandate residential sprinklers are put forward across the country each year. In addition to Washington, the issue was active in Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont last year.
For more information on the BIA of Clark County’s efforts, contact Matt Lewis at 360-694-0933. Learn more about the NAHB’s work on fire sprinklers online, or contact Jeff Inks at 800-368-5242 x8547.
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