By Terry Rodgers and Lola Sherman – UNION-TRIBUNE

Del Mar and Oceanside may be joining other communities in the county to mandate fire sprinklers for some or all new homes.

Last night, the Oceanside City Council voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance to require sprinklers in all buildings exceeding 5,000 square feet.
On Monday, the Del Mar City Council unanimously introduced an ordinance requiring sprinklers in all new homes. The council will hold a public hearing next month on the proposed law.

Sprinklers already are mandated in commercial buildings in Del Mar. Oceanside’s new ordinance recognizes a construction trend in the city’s downtown by adding a definition for “mid-rise” buildings – four stories or taller but less than the 75-foot-tall requirement to be classified as a “high-rise.”

“Mid-rises” will require emergency voice-alarm systems to warn tenants, central control stations, elevators and fire alarms.

The Oceanside council must approve the ordinance again in a second reading this month; the law would become effective 30 days later.

In addition to requiring sprinklers for “all new habitable structures,” the Del Mar ordinance would require homeowners to replace wood-shingle roofs with fire-resistant materials within five years.

Homeowners in areas vulnerable to wildfires would be required to cover wood eaves with fire-retardant materials by 2013. Eave protection would be required for any home remodel that costs more than 50 percent of the home’s value.

“We want to be as fire-safe as we can practically get,” said Del Mar Councilman Richard Earnest, who, along with Mayor David Druker, worked with Assistant Fire Chief Dismas Ableman on the wording of the ordinance.

Del Mar council members said they believe the stricter fire code is warranted given the widespread devastation of last October’s wildfires. The fires burned 368,000 acres and destroyed nearly 1,700 homes countywide.

Solana Beach requires fire sprinklers for homes larger than 3,500 square feet.

Interior fire sprinklers are required for new homes La Mesa, Rancho Santa Fe, the San Miguel Fire District and unincorporated areas, said Randall Akins, president of Aztec Fire & Safety Inc. of La Mesa.

Fire sprinklers cost about $2.25 per square foot for new homes ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 square feet, Akins said.

Del Mar Councilman Carl Hilliard said he worries about placing an undue financial burden on homeowners.

“I’m reluctant to impose a significant cost on citizens who cannot afford it,” Hilliard said, although the requirements probably would improve public safety.

Councilwoman Crystal Crawford said she wants a more robust discussion next month on how Del Mar would enforce the ordinance.

“What will we do when we get to the end of the five-year period and they cannot afford covering their eaves or replacing their roof?” Crawford said.

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