Task force weighs sprinkler systems for apartments

As fire investigators work to determine the cause of Tuesday morning's fatal fire, one thing is known: the complex didn't have a sprinkler system.

That's in compliance with city code because Sioux Falls doesn't require them for small apartment buildings. But, after losing six people to fires in five months, a Sioux Falls task force is looking at making some changes.

For just over a decade, the City of Sioux Falls has been looking at whether or not fire sprinklers should be required in small apartment buildings.

Current code states that any complex with more t han 16 units OR, at least, three levels must have a system in place.

For Sioux Falls Fire Sprinkler Task Force, it's a challenge of providing the most safe living WITH sprinkler systems while keeping costs affordable for multi-family housing.

"The fact is that sprinklers save lives. There's no question on a national level that sprinkler'd buildings do not have fire losses and that's what our issue is. Because the rest of the country is doing it, we need to keep up with that type of life safety that a sprinkler will provide," Chief Building Official Ron Bell said.

National codes require all new apartments have sprinkler systems. But in Sioux Falls, the city and property owners didn't want to see higher costs for construction and rent which is why the city adopted its own code in the early 2000s.

When it comes to preventing fires, SFFR says the safer a unit can be, the better.

A sprinkler system will automatically activate in a room with temperatures exceeding 150 degrees. It will slowly contain the blaze while keeping it from spreading. A room without would burn though everything in the room, often times making the smoke more toxic.

"They spread a little water over a large area and do a good job just controlling the fire. that safety factor does improve largely your ability to survive the event," SFFR Fire Marshal Dean Lanier said.

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Task force weighs sprinkler systems for apartments