Silverbasin

WOW, read the comments if you really want to know how people feel about mandatory sprinklers! How biased can the "Burn, baby, burn selection be?? Very poor journalism. Also, remember ICC is driven by lobbyist for the Mfg's just like our politicians. A few facts from NFPA that should have been researched before the article was written. NFPA states that something like 75% of house fires are started by smokers, arson, kid's playing with matches and old electric wiring. If you remove those items from the statistics on the number of fires, the remainder is very small. As many have stated in the comments, where do you draw the line?? Sprinklers should be optional, period. Frozen pipes are a real concern in cold country, but can be mitigated by the use of PEX pipe that will expand without breaking. The fire insurance claim is really bogus. My insurance agent said, "Yes, there will be a small reduction in my fire insurance rate, but the homeowners rate will increase significantly because of the water damage danger (they don't care what the accidental rate is). On actual cost, when professional installation is mandated, western Nevada area will cost you about $15,000 for an average size home. Seems like when you really look into the issue without pre-conceived notions, it really can't be justified.