Excerpts from the northwest herald.com:
After Charles Harding started building his dream home west of Huntley in the Willow Hill subdivision, he realized he was required to install a home sprinkler system, which could cost upward of $15,000.
Just south of his neighborhood, located north of Harmony Road and west of Seeman Road, newly constructed homes in the Botterman Farms subdivision don’t have the same home sprinkler system requirements, even though they also fall in the Huntley Fire Protection District’s jurisdiction.
A handful of people who bought lots in the Willow Hill subdivision have asked the district to change the ordinance so homeowners can decide for themselves whether to install sprinkler systems in their new homes.
However, Huntley Fire Protection District Chief Ken Caudle said the district’s board of trustees sees no compelling evidence to rescind or alter the ordinance.
The residential sprinkler ordinance was adopted in August 2004, when the Huntley Fire Protection District was experiencing rapid growth. It was difficult to apply the ordinance evenly at first because of multiple residential building projects being in various states of development. The board made a decision to apply the ordinance to projects and properties that were platted on May 1, 2005, or later.
Home sprinkler systems have a number of benefits, according to Caudle, the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and the National Fire Protection Association. Sprinklers will extinguish a typical residential fire in less than a minute, and they dramatically improve survival rates. They also use a fraction of the water that fire department hoses do.
“The current state fire code does not require home sprinklers,” Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez said in a statement. “There is no intention at this time of pursuing a change to require them. Local jurisdictions are best suited to decide if this requirement is right for their community.”
The village of Huntley mandated sprinklers for new homes in 2005, but it repealed the ordinance two years later over concerns regarding the costs and maintenance involved.
The Huntley Fire Protection District’s jurisdiction does not include the village limits. The district covers more than 60,000 residents in Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Hampshire, Gilberts, and rural territories of Kane and McHenry counties.
Several groups, including developers and real estate agents, have spoken out against requiring home sprinklers.
The Huntley Fire Protection District Board of Trustees’ next meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at 11118 Main St., Huntley. Caudle said there is nothing regarding the sprinkler ordinance on the agenda as the board is not taking any action on it at this time.
