Bill would offer loans to install fire sprinklers
Small care homes are not required to have devices"People do not die in sprinkled homes," said
Samuel Oates, But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has sided with opponents
who claim adding sprinklers could raise costs beyond the reach of the poor
and exacerbate a shortage of housing for those with limited options. Last
year he vetoed a measure that would have required the installation of
sprinklers in small residential-care facilities. "This bill could place a significant economic
impact on residential-care providers and the health care industry at
large," Schwarzenegger wrote in his veto message. "Inadequate
housing for elderly persons, many who have disabilities, is already a
significant problem." The hard-times argument may not hold up this year,
however. New legislation offers care-home operators a state-backed,
no-interest loan of up to $5,000 to add sprinklers, which would become
mandatory by 2011. At the same time, the cost of retrofitting homes could
be recouped through lower insurance premiums. The savings alone could pay off
the state loan within a few years, a major insurer said. As There are nearly 5,000 licensed small care homes in the
state, and half of the residents in those homes suffer from some type of
dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. "We require sprinklers of veterinarians and in
jails," said Bob Gebel, a Sprinklers also are affordable, said Fred Krayndler,
owner of Salamander Fire Protection in Van Nuys. He said adding sprinklers to
a 3,000-square-foot house would cost about $4,500, depending on the brand and
connections. "It's a safety issue, not a money issue,"
Krayndler said. But opponents have made cost a central issue.
Installation estimates of $6,000 to $18,000 for a 3,000-square-foot home have
been tossed around in previous debates. Yet even a conventional loan probably
would not increase rents by more than $27 a month per person, or as little as
1 percent in most facilities - if operators decide to pass along the
increase. An $18,000 home-equity loan at 7 percent interest over
15 years would cost about $162 a month. The payment for a $6,000 loan with
the same terms would be about $54 per month. Those figures suggest the per-resident increase could be
as little as $9 per month in homes with six people. There is also the possibility of significant savings.
Sprinklers could reduce the average cost of fire insurance by about $900 a
year, from $1,500 to $600, said Chris Smith, a vice president of Fireman's
Fund, one of the state's largest business-property insurers. "We're a strong supporter of sprinklers. It's
lifesaving," Smith said. After the governor rejected the 2006 sprinkler measure -
which did not include the interest-free loan provision - an 80-year-old woman
died in a fire at a Sacramento-area care home. Her children, among them Debra
Neville of "It's reprehensible," said Kathryn Stebner, a
State fire officials are back in the Capitol this year
pressing Assembly Bill 759, revised legislation to mandate sprinklers. They
hope the $26 million statewide loan proposal can win over the governor. The
$5,000 loans would not have to be repaid for five years. "I don't want to put anyone out of business, but
there are times you have to think of safety first," said Assemblywoman
Betty Karnette, the Long Beach Democrat carrying the measure. But that's exactly what could happen, opponents warn. "It would have a significant economic impact and
potential impact on housing," said Eric Gelber, an attorney for
Protection and Advocacy, a statewide nonprofit organization that works on behalf
of the disabled. "There is always a shortage of available, accessible
housing for people with disabilities." Gelber conceded that sprinklers save lives but said a
variety of safety measures are not imposed because of cost, inconvenience or
other reasons. "If safety were the only issue, we would lower the
speed limit to 35 mph," he said. "There would be fewer traffic
fatalities, but there are other factors you have to weigh." Several small care-home operators have protested
previous measures, saying the added burden could drive them out of business
or force rent increases. Other groups, such as the Alzheimer's Foundation of
America, support mandatory sprinklers. Sam Fine, whose mother died in a December 2002 house
fire that killed two other bedridden residents in "Maybe if one of their mothers or fathers dies in a
fire, they might do it," Fine said. "Until they have it happen to
them, they don't care about anybody else." Care-home operator Hanh Pham is a believer. Tragedy was
narrowly averted at her "My advice is: Add sprinklers. Save lives,"
Pham said. |
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