Bill addressing sprinkler mandate passes state House

BY ERIC HRIN (Staff Writer)
Published: March 8, 2011

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TROY - A House bill that would eliminate the state's residential automatic sprinkler mandate had third consideration and final passage Monday in the House, according to state Rep. Matt Baker's office.

The vote was 154-39, the information from Baker's office notes.

Last month, local Republican lawmakers and those representing the building industry expressed support for the bill here in Bradford County.

At Baker's Troy office, members of the Bradford County Builders Association attended a meeting with Baker and state Rep. Tina Pickett on speaker phone and state Sen. Gene Yaw attending in person. Fredrick Cabell Jr., director of governmental affairs for the Pennsylvania Builders Association, was also on hand.

The bill, House Bill 377, sponsored by state Rep. Garth Everett, was addressed in the discussion. Among other things, it would remove the mandate that sprinklers have to be installed in new one- and two-family homes built in the state of Pennsylvania, according to a spokesperson for Everett's office. The sprinkler mandate went into effect Jan. 1.

A spokesperson for Baker's office said the Senate weighs in next.

Expressing his opinion, Baker said the sprinkler mandate is "particularly egregious" to rural areas and rural homeowners.

Baker was concerned about increased home costs for rural residents resulting from the mandate. He said the sprinklers aren't necessary because homes have "fully functional, interconnected smoke detectors that actually give residents over a 99 percent chance of surviving a fire."

On the opposite side of the issue, state Sen. Tim Solobay posted a Feb. 9 news release on his website, noting he recently "urged colleagues and safety experts to band together to prevent special interests from watering down Pennsylvania's new sprinkler requirements."

He said he was joined by dozens of firefighters from across the state.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

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