Arlington Hts. debates tougher sprinkler law

Automatic sprinklers in single-family homes and duplexes are controversial, but a proposal requiring them in new homes will come before the Arlington Heights Village Board.

The Building Code Review Board recommends the village adopt most of the International Code Council model codes, including the sprinkler requirement.

If adopted, it would be a rule for all new home construction, said Arlington Heights Fire Chief Glenn Ericksen. Residents remodeling their homes would be required to install sprinklers only if they demolished 50 percent of the existing residence, not just for additions, he said.

Ericksen expects the proposal to reach the village board in June.

“The two big benefits of residential fire sprinklers are to improve safety for residents and for firefighters,” said Ericksen.

The main complaint against them is their cost, he added.

The village staff supports the proposal, and as few changes as possible in the international code have been recommended, said Charles Kobus, permit inspections and license official in the village’s building department.

Bob Ruffatto, an Arlington Heights resident who opposes requiring sprinklers, said he was one of three people who attended a recent hearing held by the code review board. He said he is a financial analyst with no connection to residential construction.

Ruffatto presented a detailed report called “A Mandate for Waste” to the board. Sprinklers cost $10,000 per home, and fire deaths in homes built to code are very rare, his report said.

Our children and grandchildren’s families are endangered by such laws because homes will be less affordable, Ruffatto contended in an interview Friday.

Some states have passed laws making it harder or impossible for municipalities to require sprinkler systems in single-family homes.

Arlington Heights code already requires automated sprinklers in multifamily homes and commercial buildings, said Ericksen.

Many municipalities in the area have adopted the requirement, including Des Plaines, Hoffman Estates, Long Grove, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows and Wheeling.