Approval For New Fire Safety Requirements Handled Differently Around the State

Realtors, electricians and property owners came to City Hall Tuesday night to find out what changes to the state fire code mean to them.

State law now requires that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors must be installed in the common areas of three-family dwellings in Rhode Island.

Commonly built in mill towns, there are 477 such structures in East Providence and more than 14,000 around the state. Fire can spread quickly in the structures because of the way they were built, according to Deputy State Fire Marshal Scott Caron.

"Three-families have been notorious," Caron said.

The new law came out of Rhode Island's changing its fire code in the wake of the Station Fire in 2003. It requires some additional work and expenses for owners of three-family dwellings. They're supposed to submit plans for how they will implement the changes and those plans must be approved by fire safety officials.

"We're not trying to shut down homes and put people out, we're trying to save lives," East Providence Fire Chief Joseph Klucznik said.

They're also responsible for the cost of the installation of the system and its maintenance. People around the state are still debating the merits of a hard-wired versus what is commonly known as a wireless system. A basic system can cost about $3,000, though officials also provided information for how to apply for low-income assistance.

Realtors who attended the meeting expressed some frustration that the approval process is different in towns and cities across the state. The changes affect them because they are enforced when firefighters receive an emergency call, a complaint or when the building is resold. 

Realtor Nga Le said the implementation of the changes is being handled differently in towns and cities around Rhode Island.

For example, she said, some municipalities will give a smoke detector certificate for the closing the sale on a building. But East Providence officials said they wouldn't give the certificate until the plans are approved and the system installed and inspected.

She said the issue has come up when in short sales for three-family dwellings. The seller has no money, the bank doesn't want to hear about paying for it, and the buyer shouldn't have to pay for something the person doesn't own yet, she said.

"If it's a state mandate, then it should be across the board," she said. 

Officials acknowledged that while the code is the same across the state, the approval process varies in cities and towns.

They cautioned the crowd to be careful when considering what types of systems to install. Many people are being barraged with offers.

A licensed electrician must do the work, said Robert Powers, an assistant deputy state fire marshal and fire alarm inspector in East Providence.

He cautioned people to "do their due diligence" when considered a hardwired versus a wireless system.

A hardwired system could be taken care of once, and then the building owner would just be responsible for checking the batteries. Some wireless systems, however, could have hidden costs for maintenance, he said.

He urged people to get three bids and make sure they are comparing apples to apples, a process that he said fire officials could help with. 

For more information, contact Fire Marshal Oscar Elmasian at firemarshal@eastprovfire.com