PA law waives sprinkler requirement for new homes.

[Bill Kibbel]

April 25, 2011 Harrisburg, PA

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed his first bill into law today since taking office in January. The law repeals a requirement in the national building code for new 1 and 2 family homes to have fire suppression sprinkler systems.

Gov. Corbett said the law will keep "new home prices within reach for Pennsylvania's working families."

"Whether or not new homes should be equipped with sprinklers, I believe, should be left up to the individual consumers, not to the government."

Garth Everett, R-Lycoming County is the bill's sponsor, and declared the passing of the law "a victory for all Pennsylvanians seeking to build and buy new homes."

More from PR Newswire:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 55949.html

[Jim Morrison]

Seems sensible enough to me, though more than a little odd that he chose this as the first bill to sign into law by this late date. PA has far bigger fish to fry. Sprinklers are nice, but 'mandated by law'? I've never heard anyone make the case for that.

When the sprinkler in our condo building froze and burst this winter (ruining my sons' bedroom on the night of my mother's funeral, to boot) I had the opportunity to spend several hours with the firefighters who responded to the call. Several of them told me (anecdotally of course, but emphatically) that sprinkler systems cause more problems than they prevent.

Smoke detectors are inarguably our very best defense against loss of life and property. Passing and repealing laws about sprinklers smacks of lobbyists to me.