Advocate urges New Castle County to consider residential fire sprinklers after recent fatalities and saves

Paul Eichler, chairman of the Delaware Fire Sprinkler Coalition, told the New Castle County Public Safety Committee on March 11 that residential fire sprinklers can save lives and reduce property loss, citing recent local fatalities and several recent “sprinkler saves.”

Eichler said the state has seen double-digit fire-fatality years and that, in the past two calendar years, Delaware recorded three fire fatalities — two in New Castle County and one in Kent County — with recent serious injuries in Brandywine Hundred and Ogletown. “I come here today coming off of 2 calendar years of double digit fire fatalities in the state,” Eichler said.

The council’s discussion focused on multiple points Eichler raised: life-safety benefits of small, room-level sprinklers, examples of minimal damage where sprinklers activated, disputed cost estimates offered by builders, insurance premium discounts and concerns about water damage and system maintenance. Eichler described two recent “sprinkler saves” in the Darley Green neighborhood in Claymont and a sprinkler activation in an apartment building in Middletown that he said limited damage and allowed occupants to remain in their homes.

Eichler, who said his role with the coalition is voluntary and that he is not employed by the sprinkler industry, cited national and local pricing examples while urging municipalities to update building codes. He told the committee that national cost figures sometimes cited — about $1.35 per square foot — differ from local quotes he’s seen; he provided two specific builder estimates he described as “gross exaggeration,” including a $30,000 estimate for a 2,000-square-foot house and another $30,000 figure for a 1,700-square-foot house.

Council members pressed on costs and implementation. Councilman Carter asked Eichler to share contact information for municipalities that have adopted sprinkler requirements. “If you could give me those contacts,” Carter said, “I just want to do a little more homework before I have the discussion I think we’re going to have.” Eichler agreed to provide that information.

Councilwoman Kilpatrick raised concerns about water damage and condo-system failures, citing a Fountain View condominium malfunction in July 2023 that left some residents displaced. Eichler differentiated between single-family/townhome “NFPA 13D” systems and larger multiunit “NFPA 13R/13” systems, saying apartment and condominium systems typically use metal piping and require dedicated inspection and maintenance by owners or managers.

Eichler also discussed insurance and fee incentives. He pointed to a 2017 Delaware Department of Insurance study noting insurer discounts for sprinklered properties (he said State Farm offers 3–7% where available and that some discounts can reach higher levels) and said the city of Seaford offers a $3,000 permit-fee discount for houses that include sprinklers.

Several council members noted trade-offs. Kilpatrick said she had experienced substantial water damage in her own home and that some residents worry sprinklers could cause harm; Eichler responded that a typical sprinkler head flows 15–25 gallons per minute, far less than the 150 gallons per minute a fire crew would flow, and repeated that accidental sprinkler activations are rare. “They do not,” he said. “It is a specific deliberate act.”

Eichler framed sprinkler adoption as a way to reduce demands on fire companies at a time of recruitment and retention challenges. He described multi-company responses to recent fires and said reconstruction after a major fire often takes six months to two years. “You will be waiting a lot longer for resources to arrive,” he said when describing how staffing shortfalls stretch mutual-aid responses.

The committee did not take formal action on code changes during the meeting. Members discussed phased approaches used elsewhere — starting with townhomes or model homes, then moving to single-family dwellings — and asked staff to research existing municipal code adoptions and potential fiscal impacts.

Votes at a glance Adoption of minutes: The committee took a voice vote to adopt the minutes of the Feb. 18 public safety meeting; the motion carried and was approved. The record shows a voice approval but does not include a roll-call tally.

Eichler concluded by urging incremental measures such as starting with higher-density projects and model homes, while continuing outreach to municipalities that have already adopted sprinkler requirements. “To phase it in … Starting out with townhomes and mixed developments to start there and then advancing to single,” he said.