Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News
— OAKLAND — New homes built in Garrett County will not be required to contain automatic sprinkler systems, a statewide proposal that sparked heated debate in many Maryland counties.
The county commission removed the sprinkler re-quirement from the building code it adopted July 27.
The measure is included in the 2009 International Residential Code, adopted by the state of Maryland, which applies to one- and two-family homes. The revised code requires a minimum of two sprinkler heads to spray 26 to 30 gallons of water per minute for a 10-minute period, for a total of 260 to 300 gallons of water.
Counties had the option to adhere to the IRC as-is or to adopt it with local amendments, as Garrett County did.
“The argument for the sprinkler system did not measure up to the many objections against it,” said commission chairman Ernie Gregg. “You can argue the safety factor, but in our opinion there are adequate safety measures in place with things like smoke detectors. … You can’t weigh a person’s life against cost, but this would have placed an additional considerable financial burden on people.”
Despite the commission’s decision, modular homes must contain sprinkler systems, according to County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt. That state requirement could not be waived by the commission.
Pagenhardt said the commissioners received roughly 20 to 25 comments from the public on the proposed sprinkler requirement, but only two supported it.
“The commissioners listened to that commentary and agreed with the majority opinion that they heard,” he said.
Many of the opponents, such as Roger Sines of McHenry-based Roger Sines Construction Inc., argued that the added cost of a sprinkler system would deter people from building new homes in the county.
The cost of such a system could add anywhere from $8,000 to $20,000 to the cost of a new home, Sines estimated.
Previous estimates have figured sprinklers at a cost of between $1.60 and $2 per square foot of space, meaning that a system for an average 2,000-square-foot home would cost between $3,200 and $4,000. And many factors could drive up that cost. For example, homes relying on a private well could also be required to install a reservoir and fire pump to drive the sprinkler system.
The Western Maryland Home Builders Association submitted a letter to the commission requesting that the sprinkler policy be postponed to 2012.
But proponents of the measure said it would make homes safer for occupants and firefighters, and could lower the cost of homeowners’ fire insurance.
Dennis Mallery, president of the Allegany-Garrett Counties Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association, wrote to association members in June that the sprinkler issue comes down to a question of safety.
“There should be no debate over this issue,” Mallery said in his letter to firefighters. “The WMHBA continues to voice their concern that it is not the right time economically to require residential sprinklers in new 1-2 family homes. When is there a ‘right’ time? After a family member or firefighter is injured or killed?”
