The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

It's official: Allegany County rejects fire sprinkler requirement in newly constructed homes

By The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
CUMBERLAND, Dec. 13 -- With no action having been taken on a proposed Code Home Rule bill that would require a sprinkler system inside all newly constructed one- and two-family homes after several months of discussion, the public finally learned Monday that Allegany County government will not, in fact, make that a requirement.

Instead, County Administrator David Eberly asked the four members of the District 1 legislative delegation for enabling legislation that would permit the county to offer a tax credit to those who installed the fire-suppressing systems voluntarily. The tax would apply only to real estate property taxes owed to the county.

A bill was introduced in May 2010 and the county conducted a public hearing on the issue and accepted public comment - both for and against - on multiple occasions since May. However, the county had tabled the bill since July.

Eberly said the county would encourage homebuilders "to include a residential sprinkler system for one- and two-family dwellings on a voluntary basis. In order to encourage that, we would like to get some legislative support from Annapolis to provide a tax credit to those individuals who voluntarily choose to do that."

Eberly and Jim Squires, of the county's permits division, said neither a dollar amount for a tax credit nor a period of time that credit could be claimed has been discussed.

The delegation's action, Eberly said, would "begin that process."

Delegate LeRoy Myers, a Republican from Clear Spring who owns a construction firm in Washington County, asked Commissioner-elect Bill Valentine - who owns a heating and plumbing business - about the issue. Specifically, Myers had Valentine confirm that many home fires started in the laundry room area of a home.

To that end, Myers asked if the new set of commissioners, which include incoming President Mike McKay and Creade Brodie Jr., would consider a tax credit for a homebuilder installing a sprinkler system on only a portion of the home.

Eberly said no. The idea was to have people voluntarily adhere to the 2009 Maryland Building Performance Standards.

During the public debate, advocates of the Code Home Rule bill, which included members of local professional and volunteer firefighters associations, argued the sprinkler system would help a homeowner obtain a lower insurance premium.

That's not true, Myers said. He received an estimate from one insurance company. The savings?

"Nothing," Myers said. "Zero."

Myers said that in most cases, insurance companies seemed to "prefer the house burn down" rather than it be partially saved by a sprinkler system.

Senator George Edwards said the delegation will consider the request before the Jan. 12 start of the legislative session in Annapolis.