Proposed Burr Ridge code changes won’t include sprinkers

BY SANDY ILLIAN BOSCH | sbosch@pioneerlocal.com November 13, 2012 1:48PM

Updated: November 13, 2012 4:29PM

BURR RIDGE Members of the Burr Ridge Village Board said Monday homeowners should not be required to buy sprinklers.

Quite frankly, I really think that a sprinkler system in a single-family residence should be elective, Trustee Robert Grela said following presentations by representatives from Tri-State and Pleasantview fire protection districts.

The question arose as the village prepares to adopt a new set of building codes. The 2012 model codes, prepared by the International Building Council, calls for sprinkler systems to be included in every new residential structure.

Dave Zalesiak, Tri-State fire marshal, said damage from a residential fire in a home protected by sprinklers averages $2,100. That same fire without sprinklers would cause $45,000 damage.

That would be much higher in homes like those in Burr Ridge, he said.

Zalesiak said a sprinkler system can put out a fire with far less water than a fire crew, further lessening damage to the home.

Property isnt the only thing protected by a sprinkler system.

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Proposed Burr Ridge code changes won’t include sprinkers