Lessening sprinkler regulation, an awful idea says La Crosse’s fire chief

Buildings with fewer than 20 units would not need sprinklers under new law.

A sprinkler proposal in Madison is getting the equivalent of a cold shower from fire chiefs around Wisconsin. 

La Crosse’s fire chief, Gregg Cleveland, is among those pushing back against legislation that would ease sprinkler requirements for multi-unit buildings. 

“To simply roll that back now, to me is a regression in fire safety,” Cleveland said. “The effectiveness of sprinklers is unmatched.”

Currently, all new construction with three or more units requires sprinklers. The new proposal would exempt buildings with fewer than 20 units. To Cleveland, that’s an awful idea.

“To roll that back and add more buildings to the property list that the fire department has to protect, just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me,” he said.

Among others, the proposed sprinkler rule change would apply to apartment buildings, hotels and dormitories.

Construction groups are pushing for the legislation. Current state law require sprinklers in any building with more than three residential units.