La Crosse F.D. working through confusion over state sprinkler rules

Adminstrative rule and state law may 

The La Crosse fire department is trying to work through news that the state won’t enforce rules related to sprinkler systems in some apartment buildings.

The Department of Safety and Professional Services apparently can’t enforce rules that mandate sprinklers in new multi-family buildings with between 3 and 20 apartments. The seven-year-old state administrative mandate for sprinklers are more strict than state law, which is, apparently, why it can’t be enforced. 

La Crosse assistant fire chief Craig Snyder is trying to figure how that will impact current building projects in the city.

Snyder says he’s had no communication from the state on the shift.

Whether mandated or not, Snyder said, sprinkler systems should still be considered essential in apartment buildings.

“When you’re in a residential unit, I may be taking care of business in my unit,” Snyder said. “But, is my neighbor taking care of theirs?”

Snyder can’t stress enough how important sprinkler systems are.

He says La Crosse crews have often responded to fires that have been quickly extinguished by sprinklers, saving people and property.

“It’s been proven time and time again, sprinkler systems, they simply save lives,” he said. “By having sprinkler systems in these buildings is extremely important bc if somebody does happen to have a fire within their apartment, that sprinkler system is quick acting, will generally extinguish or at least contain the fire until the fire dept. arrives.”