Huntley to vote on fire sprinkler law

The Huntley village board will decide today whether to do away with the village's requirement that builders install fire sprinklers in all new homes.

If the board votes to scrap the requirement, as some predict it will, new Huntley homeowners will be able to choose whether they want fire suppression systems in their homes.

The board's decision to revisit the fire sprinkler ordinance has inflamed debate between village officials who support the move and local fire officials who say fire sprinklers are the most important fire prevention tool they have.

"Overall, the damage is actually less with sprinklers than it is without," said Fred Olson, treasurer of the Huntley Fire Protection District and a former fire chief.

But some Huntley trustees say sprinkler systems should be optional because of the significant cost to the homeowner. The average cost of fire sprinklers in a 2,000-square-foot suburban home is $8,000 to $9,000, and the systems require annual inspections, according to United States Fire Protection, a fire sprinkler vendor.

"I'd just as soon change it so people have an option on it. They can vote with their checkbook," Trustee Paul Mercer said. "It's a lot of money that you're forcing people to spend."

Other trustees say their concern for firefighter safety outweighs their issues with the cost and reliability of fire suppression systems.

"The bottom line is these systems … save firefighters' lives," Trustee Pam Fender said. "I can't put them at more risk."

Fire officials also raised concerns about trustees' motives, asking whether they have been influenced by homebuilders or their desire to save money on homes they plan to build themselves.

The Huntley village board in February approved Trustee Niko Kanakaris' plans to build six single-family homes on Grove Street. The homes were approved before Kanakaris was a trustee.

"If you're holding off on building single-family homes, and you're a trustee, and you're going to vote on that issue … I think we're going to consider that a conflict," Huntley Fire Chief Jim Saletta said.

But some of Kanakaris' board colleagues disagreed.

"Does that mean I can't go out and build a house now because I vote on this?" Mercer said. "Yes, he's going to build six homes, but I don't think there's any conflict of interest."

Kanakaris could not be reached for comment.

Huntley fire officials plan to state their case for fire sprinklers again tonight, and other fire safety officials may attend tonight's meeting.

Huntley's residential sprinkler requirement has been in place for two years. At least 1,300 homes in the fire district, most of them in Huntley, already have had the sprinklers installed under the ordinance.

Saletta said he hopes the disagreement over fire sprinklers won't harm the fire district's relationship with the village.

"Hopefully, we can resolve this and move on," Saletta said.