By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve an ordinance amending the town fire code that would create additional requirements for fire extinguishers, sprinkler heads and stovetop fire stops and prohibit pine straw and similar materials within 10 feet of any structure.
The changes come on the heels of a fire at Highland Hills Apartments last year that left one dead, two injured and 20 homeless. According to Carrboro Fire-Rescue Chief Travis Crabtree, the requirements would improve safety for both residents and firefighters.
Under the amendment, pine straw and other highly flammable materials would be prohibited within 10 feet of any structure with combustible construction components, including single-family homes. Other restricted materials would include anything that burns at a rate of 12 inches per minute or higher. Pine straw burns at a rate of 90 inches per minute.
In addition, the amendment would modify town sprinkler requirements such that each space within a non-residential building would be considered a separate building if spaces are completely separated by a four-hour firewall. The town code requires sprinkler systems in non-residential buildings larger than 6,000 square feet.
“For us to have a reasonable ability to put out the fire based on the staff and the current fire equipment we have, this was the size structure that we can apply water to to effectively make an attack,†Crabtree said.
The modifications to the sprinkler would make it easier for businesses to come into compliance with town fire code. Furniture Follies, a used-furniture and antique store, appealed to the board in October to change the sprinkler requirements so that the store could open in its new location on N.C. 54.
The amendment would also require additional sprinkler heads on balconies, decks, storage rooms and breezeways of newly built multi-family dwellings or those damaged by fire.
Fire extinguishers would be required in all common areas of multi-family dwellings for all buildings built prior to 2002. According to Crabtree, the fire extinguishers would cost about $65, while the tamper-resistant cabinet would cost about $390.
In addition, stovetop fire stops would be required in all residential dwellings, including single-family homes, for all new buildings and renovated kitchens.
The stovetop fire stops, which are small cans filled with powder that releases when activated, cost about $50, Crabtree said.
“On most stoves, they are able to hook up to the range hood above it via a magnet,†he said.
Robert Kirschner, a resident of a townhouse-style home, said if residents of structures similar to his townhouse must comply with new fire-extinguisher requirements, single-family houses should have to comply as well.
Mayor Mark Chilton said the requirements for such dwellings are there to protect multiple families.
“The reality is, when a fire breaks out in a multi-family building it’s more than one family whose lives are at stake,†he said.
Chilton said that in light of apartment fire inspections this summer that found many apartments without smoke detectors, he would like to see the board make an effort to make sure landlords are aware of the law requiring them to install functioning smoke detectors in rental units.
Crabtree said the fire department will install smoke detectors for residents and has installed about 200 through canvassing efforts.
how about a carbon monoxide warning?