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Alec Jensen, executive officer with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, of course, says fire sprinkler systems are important in commercial buildings.

But fire-related deaths don’t occur in workplaces nearly as often as in homes.

The Oregon Fire Chiefs Association has proposed state legislation that would significantly reduce water-related system development charges if a new home would need a larger water pipe only to accommodate a fire sprinkler system being installed.

However, while fire departments believe increased safety is worth a discount of $5,000 to $8,000, city governments and water districts around the state don’t want to give up the development fee revenues.

“We are about saving homes and saving lives, and fire sprinklers help do both of those things,” Jensen said. “We are making a push towards fire prevention instead of just firefighting, and this is a way to do that.”

A standard 3,500-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bathroom house on a half-acre lot generally requires only a three-quarters-inch pipe for water. The water SDC, depending on the city, usually costs around $5,000. But for larger houses with more fixtures and more lawn, a one-inch pipe can be required, and the water SDC can shoot up to about $12,000.

A fire sprinkler system, even a newer one, requires a one-inch pipe because a large amount of water is needed to be dispersed in a short amount of time.

The fire chiefs are proposing a bill – – that would require municipalities to waive 70 percent or more of the SDC increase that results from a one-inch pipe being needed to install a fire sprinkler system. The bill is awaiting a hearing within the state Senate’s Business, Transportation and Economic Development committee.

“We’ve got the costs of installing the sprinklers down to about $1.40 a square foot, which is a reasonable price for a home developer,” Jensen said. “But the SDC cost is just too high to make these systems pencil out.”

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 377,000 residential fires occurred in 2009. These resulted in 2,590 civilian deaths, 13,050 injuries and more than $7.8 billion in property damages.

But while many people acknowledge that fire safety is important, some city governments aren’t supporting the bill. The League of Oregon Cities, which represents municipalities across the state, believes issues related to SDCs should not be decided by the state.

“We strongly believe that SDCs are something that should be handled at the local level, and the state language around SDCs supports that,” said Chris Fick, a spokesman for the League of Oregon Cities. “These SDCs go a long way in helping cities, and the discussion on how they are implemented should be between officials and the residents.”

The city of Hillsboro earlier this year started a pilot program that waived the difference in SDCs between the three-quarters-inch pipe and one-inch pipe when the house, without the sprinkler system, would require only the smaller pipe. Developers save $8,000 in SDC fees.

“SDCs are really, really important to cities, so when we first started to look at this we did not take it lightly,” said Willie Tiffany, a spokesman for the city of Hillsboro. “But what we found out was that our system was set up in a way that it didn’t take much effort or money to track this.”

Basically, the city considers the size of a house and lot, and the number of fixtures to determine whether only a smaller pipe would be required. A typical house has approximately 15 water fixtures, and a three quarters-inch pipe usually can handle up to about 25.

Once the SDC discount is given and the larger pipe is installed to accommodate the sprinkler system, the city tags the property. If enough permits for additional fixtures are pulled to surpass a 27-fixture threshold, then a charge is issued to make up for the original SDC savings.

But Hillsboro city officials do not necessarily support state legislation. Tiffany said the issue should be decided locally because not every city has a system that makes tracking feasible, and a law could generate a host of unintended consequences.

Nevertheless, the bill has supporters, including the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland and Vanport Mechanical & Fire Sprinklers in Vancouver, Wash.

“The costs of installing these just don’t make sense, and even with the change they will still be expensive and probably rare,” said Ernie Platt, spokesman for the HBA. “But it provides an option for developers to make homes safer, and that’s a good thing.”

Steve Wilson, president of Vanport Mechanical & Fire Sprinklers, added that he has noticed a push by local fire officials as well as home builders to include fire sprinklers in residences.

“There are all sorts of small, technical issues with these things,” he said. “But the discussions are happening, and that’s a good thing.”