By ERIN COX – HometownAnnapolis.com

In the wake of a deadly fire last week, Council Chairman Cathy Vitale has revived her plan to mandate a sprinkler system for every new home.

Ms. Vitale, R-Severna Park, introduced a bill Monday night that would expand the county’s sprinkler requirement to include all new single-family homes and duplexes, a move to protect both homeowners and firefighters, as well as the properties.

“When you look at the most recent death in Anne Arundel County related to a dwelling fire, it’s disheartening to hear that it could have been avoided if the home had sprinklers, which could have contained the fire in one room,” said Ms. Vitale, whose husband is a career firefighter with the county. “Sprinklers save lives. It is the simplest of messages.”

A 42-year-old man died Oct. 13 in an accidental home fire on Mace Road in the Bay Ridge area, the fourth fire-related death in Anne Arundel this year. The house did not have working smoke detectors or a sprinkler system, officials said.

Fire officials have been pressing the council for four years to make such a move. Home builders have traditionally opposed across-the-board sprinkler rules for cost reasons.

Ms. Vitale drafted similar legislation a year ago, calling for sprinklers in every new house, adding them to the list of buildings that already require them to pass building inspection. Sprinkler are already required for townhomes, commercial buildings and apartment complexes.

The bill was never introduced. Ms. Vitale said it was held up by the administration’s concerns about the bill’s technical requirements. County Executive John R. Leopold said this morning he has concerns about technical elements in the current legislation but still supports it.

“I would hope to work through those issues because the central public safety policy is sound,” Mr. Leopold said, adding. “There can be no greater priority than public safety.”

As Fire Safety Awareness Month rolled around again this month, Ms. Vitale had new arguments to bolster her bill this year. The International Code Council, which writes building safety codes widely used as a template for local jurisdictions, incorporated mandatory sprinklers into residential building codes last month.

Anne Arundel’s volunteer firefighters have been lobbying for four years for the county to incorporate sprinklers into the building code, said Craig Harman, president of the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association. He said he and seven other volunteers traveled to a September meeting of the International Code Council and helped pass the mandatory sprinkler bill.

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