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Worcester council votes to file proposal adopting state sprinkler law after hours-long debate
Summary
After extended public testimony and council debate, the Worcester City Council voted to file (i.e., take no adoption action on) a manager-submitted request to adopt Massachusetts General Law Chapter 148, Section 26I on automatic sprinklers for substantial renovations of multifamily buildings.
The Worcester City Council voted on Sept. 9 to file a manager communication that had asked the city to opt in to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 148, Section 26I, which addresses mandatory automatic fire sprinklers in substantially rehabilitated residential buildings of four or more units.
The filing follows more than two hours of public comment, committee reports and council discussion that featured firefighters, neighborhood residents and city officials debating whether the state statute would fill “gaps” in local enforcement or simply duplicate existing building-code protections.
Supporters, including residents who said they had been displaced by recent multifamily fires, told the council that requiring sprinklers during significant renovations would protect occupants and firefighters. Martha Sefa, who identified herself…
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