City council to vote on sprinkler mandate

A proposal to require fire sprinklers in all Pittsburgh highrises faces a final city council vote Tuesday.

Council delayed the vote last week amid pushback from condominium owners, some of whom asked members to slow the legislative process and craft exceptions to the rule. Introducing buildingwide sprinklers could be especially burdensome for condo residents who own their individual units, critics said.

As of Monday afternoon, the legislation had not changed.

“This is a huge issue for residential co-ops and condos, which are not rental units,” said Ira Weiss, president at the 56-unit Bristol co-op in Oakland. A rough installation estimate puts sprinkler-related expenses at more than $10,000 per unit for the early1960s building, which features fire prevention systems already, Mr. Weiss said Monday.

Like condo owners who spoke before council last week, he said the city ought to exempt buildings of certain construction types. The Bristol, for instance, has concrete in between each set of floors, he said.

“All of a sudden there’s a huge rush” to pass the bill, said Mr. Weiss, who is also the solicitor for Pittsburgh Public Schools. “In my opinion, it’s better to do it right than to do it fast.”

Council brought up the legislation in late September from Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration. Fire Chief Darryl E. Jones sought the sprinkler requirement after a May 2017 fire at the 110year-old Midtown Towers, Downtown, killed resident Mary Robinson, 75. In December of that year, a high-rise fire in Murray Towers in Squirrel Hill led to the death of Bruce Pitzer, 63.

Under longtime city rules, older high-rises aren’t required to have a comprehensive sprinkler

system. A sprinkler mandate first adopted by the city in 1990 applies to new and substantially renovated high-rises but leaves out the older properties. Advocates call the devices a life-saving measure.

“We are all at risk” of fire, Chief Jones told council last week. He was meeting with property owners to clear up misinformation and misunderstandings about sprinklers, he said.

It’s not a certain building construction type that’s problematic, the chief said. “The problem is the contents of each apartment,” which can be highly flammable.

The prevalence of open floor plans, too, “increases our risk,” Chief Jones said. Property owners would have a year to develop a sprinkler plan and another dozen to install the devices, according to the legislation. It would apply to buildings at least 75 feet high.

Penalties for noncompliance could reach $1,000 a day. Chief Jones has said the city could grant flexibility to owners who miss the installation deadline but make progress in good faith.

State code prevents the city from treating co-ops differently from any other building, but an established process lets property owners seek relief from building and fire standards in the city, according to the chief. He estimated sprinkler installation costs $4 to $6 per square foot for most buildings and about $25 per square foot for those designated as historic.

“I hope you understand you have the full support of this council. This [legislation] will pass unanimously,” council President Bruce Kraus told Chief Jones on Wednesday.

Reached Monday, Mr. Kraus said he still expects the proposal to pass. He said he knew of no completed amendments to the bill.