Donald Bliss, chairman of the BCRB, said the panel set April 2012 as an effective date to give builders, plumbers and others time to train, for one thing. “Having a breathing period for people to calm down a little and sort through it is not a bad idea either,” Bliss said. Estimates are that the systems will cost about $3,200 for a 2,000 square foot house. The National Fire Protection Association puts the cost at between 1 and 1.5 percent of a home’s construction costs.

Rep. Susi Nord, D-Candia, is the prime sponsor of HB 1486, banning municipal and state government sprinkler rules. She is co-sponsor of a second bill, which bars the state from requiring them in single- and multi-family homes. “My intent is not to have the state tell local people what to do on this topic. There is an unbelievable amount of cost this will add for people,” she said. “I’m concerned about the cost of housing.” She noted that the systems require separate water supplies, extra plumbing and installation expense.

Rep. Warren Groen, R-Rochester, co-sponsor on HB 1191, said the building code change, “is just wild overreach on the part of state government.” He and his brother, partners in a home-building business, joined other contractors to fight a similar rule at city hall in Rochester. “What I said to them was, if people want to buy a sprinkler system, feel free. Let the market decide who has them. Government shouldn’t decide,” he said.

New Hampshire Homebuilder and Remodelers Association Executive Director Kendall Buck has argued that smoke alarms are a cost-effective alternative. He said in September that from 2001 to 2004, only 12 percent of fatal fires occurred in buildings that had operating smoke alarms.

State Fire Marshal William Degnan supports the sprinkler code, and said he will testify against the bills at public hearings Jan. 7. “I know these things are proper and therefore I’m going to be promoting them. What it boils down to is these things save lives,” he said. “We have no financial interest in this. Our role as government officials is to look at what’s best for the public.”

National Fire Sprinkler Association President John Viniello said sprinklers are a proven success in 30 years of use in commercial buildings. He noted the systems are endorsed by the National Fire Protection Association. “It’s like having a fireman on duty in your house 24 hours day,” he said. Viniello said the two House bills, “would be a giant step backward” for fire safety. The cost of sprinklers is equivalent to the cost of granite counter tops or a carpeting upgrade, he said. He and Degnan both noted that the construction industry’s shift toward lightweight materials gives sprinklers another edge over smoke alarms. The new materials burn through quickly, Degnan said, which poses serious danger to residents trying to escape, and to firefighters who need to enter a burning house.

Viniello said four states have adopted the home sprinkler requirements in the national code — New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. California is expected to adopt them within the next two months, he said. Nord said she thinks the idea is moving too fast for New Hampshire. She said she voted to require sprinklers in an elderly housing development in Candia while she served on the local planning board. “That may seem hypocritical now, to sponsor a bill to bar them,” she said. Her main intent was to get a bill before the Legislature. “I think it’s a discussion we need to have,” she said.