When every second counts, a fire sprinkler system can be a live saver but most homes in North Texas do not have them.
The Texas State Fire Marshal says every home in Texas should have fire sprinklers but state lawmakers have refused to make it a requirement for new homes.
In fact, state lawmakers have made it illegal for Texas cities to mandate sprinklers be installed in all new single-family homes. “The statistics tell the story,” said Texas Fire Marshal Chris Connealy. “No one has died in sprinkler occupancy nowhere in Texas.” In 2008, the International Code Council decided every new American home should have fire sprinklers.
For 20 years, Texas adopted most of the council’s minimum recommendations but not this one.