The Chicago Tribune has an article about a sprinkler initiative in Winnetka:

A proposed ordinance that would require commercial buildings in Winnetka to have fire sprinklers in the coming years is getting mixed reviews from local business leaders. Those in support of the plan say it’s a life safety issue, but opponents call it an unfunded mandate.

Winnetka Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky said officials mailed surveys over the summer to roughly 500 local business owners and landlords to gauge opinions of the proposed ordinance, which is slated to be discussed at the Nov. 11 village council meeting.

“The village’s downtown business district is in a rather unique situation because there is little or no separation between buildings,” Berkowsky said. “With no separation, the potential for the fire spreading is great,” Berkowsky added, noting a fire in February at a storefront restaurant in a historic building in downtown Mount Prospect, which quickly spread to adjacent businesses.

Some members of the village’s Business Community Development Commission also recently expressed their support for the proposed fire sprinkler ordinance.

Berkowsky said since the 1977 ordinance went into effect, many businesses have already installed fire sprinklers, including roughly 64 percent of those located in the village’s West Elm business district.

But landlord Glenn Weaver, who owns a 3,600 square-foot building in downtown Winnetka in the 500 block of Lincoln Avenue, said the change of use prompting the installation of fire sprinklers has already made it prohibitive for him to find tenants. “Because of the change of use ordinance requiring the installation of fire sprinklers, I’ve had space that has remained vacant for five years,” said Weaver, who said because a previous tenant’s business was considered a professional use, prospective retail businesses would have to install fire sprinklers. “These are scare tactics by the fire chief, who is suggesting that without fire sprinklers, the whole North Shore will blow up in a big fire,” said Weaver, who estimates he has already paid nearly $40,000 to install fire alarms and smoke detectors in his building.

Weaver also said he never received the fire department’s recent survey and questioned the distribution methods.

Berkowsky said officials attempted to mail the fire sprinkler ordinance survey to all the commercial businesses in town, and Winnetka business owners as well as landlords like Weaver also had the opportunity to express their opinions by taking an online survey.

Tags: Winnetka Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky, Winnetka Fire Department