RALEIGH (AP) - firefighters and fire marshals across North Carolina say more people would install sprinklers if they knew their true cost compared to the safety they can provide.
After seven South Carolina college students died in a beach House fire at Ocean Isle Beach, firefighters' groups will ask the N.C. Building Code Council today make sprinklers mandatory in large or multi-story homes.
The association and other firefighter groups will present their Proposal at the council's meeting in Raleigh. A public hearing would then likely be scheduled for the council's March meeting.
Development interests, including the N.C. Home Builders Association, generally oppose sprinklers, citing the cost as one reason.
Frank Blackley, president of the N.C. Fire Marshal's Association, says sprinklers add two percent to a home's overall construction cost. That would be about $4,000 on a $200,000 house.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
