Galt council backs mandate for sprinklers

Following an emotional debate over money, fire and saving lives, the Galt City Council on Tuesday night backed the idea of making fire sprinklers mandatory for every new home or business built in the city.

The council must still vote on a new sprinkler ordinance this spring before the move is official.

Four of five council members favored the idea — spearheaded by Councilman Tim Raboy — with several saying it was their duty to enact bold and potentially life-saving laws.

"Sometimes we create laws for those who can't protect themselves," Councilman Donald Haines said, comparing the idea to past mandates on seat belts and child safety seats.

Several critics, including a local developer and a building industry advocate, called the potential move unnecessary and burdensome.

Elk Grove developer Mike Guttridge, who has built homes in Galt since 1980, said he doesn't oppose fire sprinklers per sE.

But forcing builders and eventually homeowners to pay for them isn't right, he said.

"It's government intervention — it's just one more thing," Guttridge said, following the nearly three-hour discussion on the topic.

Before the debate, Raboy played a short video demonstrating how quickly sprinklers can put a fire out. The video, by comparison, showed how fast a room can become engulfed in flame and smoke without a sprinkler system. It took just two minutes in the video for a thick cloud of smoke and flames to fill a bedroom.

Ardie Zahedani, a legislative advocate for the North State Building Industry Association, argued that cost must also be considered.

"Three or four thousand dollars (to install the sprinklers) will push a family out of a new home," he told council members. "Let's remember the person who's right on the edge and could be pushed over."

Councilman Darryl Clare strongly opposed the plans, noting most Galt residents choose not to install sprinklers in their homes.

Indeed, city records show only six homeowners since July 2003 have requested permits for sprinklers.

He argued that the public has "already spoken" on the matter and chosen not to pay to protect themselves.

"You can't put a price on a person's life ... but we do every day," he said, noting the public engages in many risky activities, from smoking cigarettes to eating fatty foods.

Ronny Coleman, a former fire chief and advocate for sprinkler systems, said there were many myths associated with sprinklers.

They don't all go off when one goes off, he noted. And they're not as costly to install as some think.

One local sprinkler installer at the meeting said installation runs about $1.50 per square foot for a new home, and up to $2.50 per square foot for an existing or older home.

"This is not a matter of technology," Coleman said. "It's a question of public policy. It's a question of public will."

Contact reporter Chris Nichols at chrisn@lodinews.com.