By Michael Tucker – Belgrade News

In the smoldering debate over fire-protection regulations in Gallatin County, three plywood structures resembling dog houses were set ablaze Friday in an effort to illustrate the benefits of fire retardant as opposed to sprinkler systems.

The sprinkler debate has been ongoing for at least a year now, and up to bat next on the agenda is Falcon Hollow, a new proposed subdivision located off Gooch Hill Road west of Bozeman.

The developer opted to require sprinklers once fire flows were deemed inadequate, but now developers want a new option – lumber treated with fire retardant, according to county documents. Developers said a new well and future plans for a holding tank coupled with the proximity of the Rae fire department, should be enough to throw out the sprinkler requirement.

County Commissioner Steve White, along with construction and fire-service interests, took part in a demonstration Friday designed to illustrate the effectiveness of spray-on retardants

Three plywood dog houses were stuffed with paper and lit on fire. One house was not treated and two homes were coated with two different fire retardants.

The untreated structure was engulfed in flames while the treated homes were largely unaffected, save for some scorching and smoke damage.

But that’s where the issue is being played out.

Based on statistics, firefighters have said smoke is the main killer in structure fires – not the actual flames.

While fire retardants can be effective tools, they don’t address the entire issue, Big Sky Fire Chief Jason Revinsky said. While every fire is different, statistics indicate most blazes start from the contents of the house – the bed, the couch or kitchen cabinets ignited by the toaster.

And even though all of the dog houses in Friday’s demonstration didn’t go up in flames, they all had one common feature – the paper that started the fire, Revinsky said.

“The newspaper acts as the contents in the home, and every house had the same amount of smoke from the newspaper,” he said. “This is what kills people in a structure. The majority of the time, it’s smoke.”

But fire retardants can slow down the progression of a fire, enabling firefighters to keep a handle on the situation, said Greg Heath of Dependable Paint and Drywall, a local company that sells fire retardants and which hosted the demonstration.

“The goal is to keep fire from getting out of hand,” he said. “We aren’t going to put the mattress out.”

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