SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 2224

As Reported by Senate Committee On:

Government Operations & Elections, February 22, 2010

Title: An act relating to installation of residential fire sprinkler systems.

Brief Description: Concerning the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems.

Sponsors: House Committee on Local Government & Housing (originally sponsored by Representative Simpson).

Brief History: Passed House: 2/10/10, 96-0.

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 2/22/10 [DPA].

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.

Signed by Senators Fairley, Chair; Oemig, Vice Chair; Roach, Ranking Minority Member; Benton, McDermott, Pridemore and Swecker.

Staff: Edward Redmond (786-7471)

Background: The Department of Health (DOH) is responsible for adopting water use efficiency requirements for all municipal water suppliers. The requirements, which are adopted in the form of administrative rules, must be tailored to accommodate differing system sizes, forecasted system demands, and system supply characteristics. In adopting the administrative rules, the DOH must satisfy numerous requirements, including developing water distribution system leakage standards. Such standards are utilized to ensure that municipal water suppliers are taking appropriate steps to reduce water system leakage rates or are maintaining their water systems in a condition that results in leakage rates which comply with efficiency requirements.

Counties, cities, and towns that plan under the major provisions of the Growth Management Act are authorized to impose impact fees on development activity as part of the financing for public facilities. Impact fees are payments of money required from developers as a condition of development approval. Public facilities that may receive funding from impact fees are limited to specified types of capital facilities owned or operated by government entities. Such facilities are limited to public streets and roads; publicly owned parks, open space, and recreation facilities; school facilities; and fire protection facilities in jurisdictions that are not part of a fire district.

Professional installers of fire protection sprinkler systems must be certified and licensed. All receipts from certificate of competency fees and licenses; and monies generated from associated charges, rules, and regulations, are deposited into the Fire Protection Contractor License Fund (Fund). Expenditures from the Fund may be used only for authorized fire protection and enforcement purposes. This includes identifying and providing assistance related to sprinkler system components that have been subject to a recall or voluntary replacement program. Only the State Director or the Director's designee may authorize expenditures from the Fund.

Summary of Bill (Recommended Amendments): Expenditures from the Fund may be used to develop and publish educational materials related to the effectiveness of residential fire sprinklers. A person installing a residential sprinkler system in a single-family home is not required to pay the fire operations portion of the impact fee. The exempt fire operations impact fee does not include the proportionate share related to the delivery of emergency medical services.

Public water systems are not liable for damages resulting from shutting off water to a residential home with an installed fire sprinkler system if the shut-off is due to routine maintenance, non-payment by the customer, or water system emergencies.

EFFECT OF CHANGES MADE BY GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ELECTIONS COMMITTEE (Recommended Amendments): Removes an added provision specifying that water distribution system leakage standards adopted in water use efficiency requirements of DOH must include estimated additional metering losses and demand increases due to meter upsizing that is required when a residential fire sprinkler system is installed.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Substitute House Bill: PRO: Water purveyors, the building industry, fire service, and the sprinkler industry all agree on the key items in this bill. The bill would eliminate barriers to voluntary installation of residential fire systems, save lives, and save property. The fire service as a whole are in support of this bill. The state Building Code Council approved adoption of fire sprinklers as a local option in the new state code. This bill will help facilitate that adoption and provide better access to homeowners that choose to use residential fire sprinklers.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Paul O'Connor, Fire Sprinkler's Advisory Board of Puget Sound; Greg Rogers, Washington State Association of Fire Marshalls; Stan Bowman, American Institute of Architects Washington Council.