State can no longer enforce apartment building sprinkler rule

A 7-year-old rule that requires fire sprinklers to be put in new apartment buildings with three to 20 units will no longer be enforced by the state of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel says the Department of Safety and Professional Services rule now goes beyond the agency's authority.

While the Eau Claire Fire Department say the regulation is important for the safety and protection of the community currently only buildings with 20 or more units are required to have sprinklers

Chief Deputy Al Bertrang said, “We know that sprinkler systems do make a difference in saving lives and saving property and generally speaking it only takes one or two sprinkler heads to keeping it under control.”

In 2008 the Department of Safety and Professional Services adopted a law that required buildings with more than four units built after January 1st of 2011 to have sprinkler systems.

However, in 2011 Governor Walker signed a law prohibiting state agencies from passing rules that are beyond what is allowed by state law which invalidated the previously adopted sprinkler rule.

“Certainly whenever there's a bigger building there's more fuel from the building itself and there's more fuel from the contents of that building so the fire can spread, it can get hotter, it can get bigger in larger buildings,” said Bertrang. “The other factor with buildings with multiple units is that there's more people so there's greater potential for loss of life in larger buildings that house more people.”

The fire department does say if a tenant does realize their apartment doesn't have a sprinkler system there are steps they can take to eliminate fire hazards like locating where you fire extinguishers are or having a fire exit strategy.

“Have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home so that if there is a fire we have early notification so that we can get people out of the building and we can get the fire department to respond to mitigate the problem..

The Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association does says its looking at legislative action to re-establish the sprinkler rule.

However the Wisconsin Builders Association may push back as the reduction allows builders to save on costs.