Chief Rick Ennis was excited when he left the 2008 International Code Council conference: There, officials had announced that residential fire sprinklers would be a requirement in the next version of ICC codes for new structures. That meant new residential structures built in Innis’s town, Cape Girardeau, Mo., would be mandated to have sprinkler systems installed, a push that Innis long had advocated.

But that same year, Missouri State Legislature approved HB90, which prohibits a political subdivision from adopting an ordinance, rule or code that would require mandatory installation of a sprinkler system in any new residential construction. Provisions of the law were set to expire on Dec. 31, 2011, but homebuilders lobbied for an extension to Dec. 31, 2019.

As part of the HB90 compromise, the Missouri Association of Fire Chiefs won some provisions, including one that states builders must discuss sprinkler system installations and their benefits with residential clients and have them sign an opt-out form if they decide against sprinklers.

“The law generally states that builders must offer the buyer the option of installing a residential fire sprinkler system when they build them a home,” Ennis said. “But it is strictly up to the consumer to purchase one or not. And if builders already have lobbied against it, why would they try to convince consumers of their benefits?”

Missouri’s anti-sprinkler law weakens fire safety for firefighters and their communities, Innis said. And it’s happening at the worst time. Cape Girardeau is seeing a growth in un-sprinklered, multimillion-dollar homes made of highly flammable lightweight construction materials. Since widespread adoption of sprinklers citywide seems unlikely, Ennis now is focused on passing a 2009 ICC code that requires local government subdivisions to install ½-inch finished sheetrock or similar fire-rated ceiling assembly to reduce the chance of rapid failure under fire conditions.

“Stripped of any opportunity to even debate … sprinklers, the fire department recommends the city adopts the 2009 codes,” Ennis said.

The finished sheetrock provides an extra layer of protection to homeowners and firefighters given the current lightweight floor components used by modern builders that fail faster under fire conditions, Innis said. Installing the extra layer will contain a fire longer at its point of origin, giving firefighters time to knock down the fire and residents time and routes to escape safely. It also reduces the probability firefighters will fall into a burning basement due to already weak, lightweight construction known to burn more quickly compared to traditional materials.

“It also provides structural integrity, which could prevent a firefighter from falling through the floor,” Ennis said.

Right now, fire codes are weak in Cape Girardeau, said Tim Morgan, the city’s inspections services director. He believes sprinklers “definitely save lives and property,” but HB90 “takes the sprinkler issue out of our hands.”

However, fire safety needs to be addressed in some way because of the added peril of using lightweight construction materials in new homes. Morgan said that homes 10 years or older were built with 2x10 or 2x12 floor joist made out of one piece of wood. Builders now use I-joists, the center of which is a thin piece of “glued-together wood chips,” he said.

Morgan said I-joists weakened the integrity of the floors in a fire incident and can result in a floor collapse.

“The argument is that I-joists burn faster, which they do,” he said. “They burn much faster.”

Installing ½-inch inch sheetrock on the basement ceiling can contain the fire and slow down its spread, Morgan agreed. In fact, he has no doubt that its installation will provide residents with more routes and significantly more time to exit a residential structure. It also will reduce the fire spread to surrounding structures and the probability of firefighters falling through floors due to weaken joists.

However, it will raise costs on builders with an estimated price tag of $3,000 based on 2,400-square-foot house, Morgan said. But it is worth it to protect the lives of Cape Girardeau’s residents and firefighters.

“If residents are trying to get out of a burning structure, and happen on a weak spot, they could fall through the floor … and that would not be a good thing for them or the firefighters on scene,” he said.

Innis said the fire department has held a pre-emptive public meeting to explain the issues to elected officials, board of building appeals members and local builders and contractors.

“The turnout was decent, but no elected officials attended,” he said.

At the most recent Cape Girardeau city council meeting earlier this month, the council voted 4-3 to adopt the ICC 2009 codes, without the amendments suggested by the fire department.

*The city council in a study group before Monday’s council meeting decided not to include the sheetrock in the amendment.

*Updated 9/21/2011