The Gorham Town Council amended a local ordinance at its September 4 meeting that will require all new residential units, including one- and two-family homes, to be equipped with fire sprinklers. The sprinkler system ordinance was originally adopted on July 7, 1987. The amended ordinance is aimed at saving lives, preventing injuries and property loss, and saving taxpayers the costs of hiring additional firefighters and constructing more fire stations in the growing town.
The Town Council’s vote was 5-2, with Vice Chairwoman Sherrie Benner and Councilor Suzanne Phillips opposed to the changes after months of meetings to discuss the ordinance. Phillips favored allowing voters to decide whether to approve the amended ordinance in a referendum. Benner said she’s received feedback that people want to make their own decisions about whether to install sprinklers. The amended ordinance, renamed the Fire Suppression Systems Ordinance, will take effect on October 5. A sprinkler permit will cost $75.
The previous ordinance already covered the construction of new residential units of three or more family units. Land use ordinances also covered some subdivisions on the outskirts of Gorham without access to public water. According to Gorham Fire Chief Robert Lefebvre, there were over 260 single family homes, not including condominiums, that were sprinkled prior to the recent amendments. He went on to say that the International Building Code (IBC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Life Safety Code have both required one- and two-family homes to be sprinkled since 2011. However, when the Maine State Legislature adopted these codes they removed those sections from the code.
Cost is one big factor that has been cited as a major disadvantage to the amendment. Chief Lefebvre said that while prices vary, a Cape Cod style house on public water could cost approximately $5,000. That price tag could be as high as $12,000 for other style and size homes. While there are multiple factors that impact the cost of installing a system, the square footage of the dwelling is the most significant driver.
The Gorham Fire Department has tracked sprinkler system permits since 1987 and estimates the average cost to be between $2.30-$2.35 per square foot. Costs could be slightly higher with new system designs and inflation. There are also savings to be had by installing a sprinkler system, according to Lefebvre. He stated that most insurance companies will give a homeowner a 8-15% discount on their insurance for installing a sprinkler system. Lefebvre also estimates that approximately 50% of a sprinkler system can be saved on the cost of other building materials that would not be needed because of the existence of the system.
Dan Brown from Village Builders in Gorham said, “The risk is that costs will be driven up and drive construction outside of town. Gorham is on the front edge of this and surrounding towns are not doing this. While it is in the best interest of the public and the fire department, I am not sure the benefits outweigh the cost.”
Lefebvre is not unsympathetic to the costs that will be incurred in complying with the requirements of the new ordinance, however, he said, “As fire chief, I am concerned about the fire related deaths and injuries of citizens. Similar uproars were heard with mandatory seat belts and airbags in automobiles. Both of these devices save lives. When you install a sprinkler system, you have bought a fully staffed fire truck, fully staffed 24/7 with a one minute response time.”