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Redmond (WA) Fire-Alarm Ordinance Blasted By Multi-Tenant Residents

The smoke alarm in Ronni Churchill's condominium is so sensitive that it goes off at the faintest whiff of smoke, and makes a noise to wake the dead.

Churchill wants to know - isn't that enough fire protection?

No, says the city of Redmond, WA, which is telling residents of every multifamily unit in the city to comply with a seven-year-old ordinance requiring a more sophisticated monitoring system for fires.

For people who live in multifamily housing, said Fire Chief Randy Coggan, a careless resident could start a fire and cause injuries and death to dozens of neighbors. Because of the greater fire risk, the city established a strict fire-safety code for apartment and condominium units.

But the system Redmond requires costs between $1,000 and $2,000 per housing unit - and residents of older housing say it is so costly that it could force them out of their homes.

"I would have to sell my house at a loss" if forced to put in the new detection system, Churchill said.

She has joined with a group of condominium owners to form Citizens for Affordable Life Safety to fight the Redmond ordinance. They say Redmond's ordinance is too harsh, especially for residents living on fixed incomes.

"We do realize it is a financial impact," said City Councilman Howard Harrison, who heads the city's public safety committee. "We've met with this group several times, and the council has really gone overboard" to try to reduce the costs of the systems.

But, he said, "we can't compromise the safety to the degree they want us to."

The heat sensors required by Redmond's ordinance are triggered when the temperature exceeds 135 degrees, said Deputy Fire Chief *** Radtke. The system rings an alarm that alerts others in the building and the Fire Department. To efficiently detect hot spots, one sensor for each room is usually required.

Is Redmond's ordinance unique?

Yes and no. Most cities, including Redmond, require new multifamily housing to install combination alarm/sprinkler systems before the building gets final approval. Many cities also require a fire detection system in older housing:

-- King County requires fire-safety systems to be installed when a building undergoes major renovation, said King County fire-protection engineer Mark Ossewaarde. An ordinance requiring systems to be installed retroactively in all multifamily housing could be next. "I applaud Redmond for its proactive stance," he said.

-- Bellevue requires an evacuation-type alarm system for older multifamily housing, said Mark Bassuk, fire marshal for the city of Bellevue. But while heat sensors in every unit are "a good idea, it's just not practical" because of the cost, he said.

The Bellevue evacuation system includes smoke detectors and a loud alarm system. It is not monitored; Bassuk says the fire department relies on someone to call 911.

-- Tacoma passed an ordinance in July requiring every multifamily unit to have a smoke detector that runs off household current and is backed up by batteries. The estimated cost per unit is between $20 and $125, said Tacoma Deputy Fire Marshal Ralph Johns. In addition, any multifamily unit that has been remodeled substantially must have a sprinkler system in each unit.

Redmond's Radtke said there are 1,800 to 2,000 older multifamily units affected by the ordinance, and "some have been brought into compliance."

Redmond estimates that installing the devices costs between $1,000 and $1,700 in older units. Residents argue that the cost can go up if the unit's ceilings contain asbestos. Installing sensors means cutting into the asbestos ceiling - and that can require an asbestos-abatement effort that could cost up to $1,400 per unit, said Jim Anderson, president of the condominium coalition fighting the ordinance.

Harrison said residents can install special tracks on the ceiling that eliminate the need to cut into the asbestos.

Anderson also questions the heat sensor's effectiveness and said he'd rather spend his money on a good-quality, monitored smoke detector for his condo.