Fire-stopping device in building codes spurs debate

Jul 26, 2010 — The Indianapolis Star

Robert Annis

Jul. 26, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- More than a year ago, Steve Jones joined the push to require the AFCI fire-safety device on all new homes in Indiana.

The push fell short as a state commission voted unanimously not to require the device, leaving Indiana as the only state in the nation without any requirement for AFCIs.

As other states continue to strengthen their requirements, Jones, fire marshal at Indianapolis' Pike Township Fire Department, thinks it's time for a new effort with the state's Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission. He says that by not requiring arc-fault circuit interrupters, commonly known as AFCIs, the commission is putting builder profits ahead of homeowner safety.

"Indiana deletes some important things out of the nationally recognized codes, hindering the safety of our homes and buildings," Jones said. "We really need to get Indiana out of the Dark Ages when it comes to building codes.

"Each year we have more and more fires that could have been prevented because Indiana is so backward," he said.

Critics, including the Indiana commission's chairman, say the AFCI is still unproven, citing its tendency to "trip" -- or shut off the flow of electricity -- unnecessarily.

"Of the more than 30,000 house fires estimated (nationally) to result from electrical wiring problems every year, AFCIs can only detect one, very specific type of electrical problem," commission chairman David Hannum said in a written statement. "Many electrical fires are officially undetermined, so there aren't facts in those cases to show conclusively that an AFCI would have prevented a specific fire."

There were more than 130 electrical-related house fires reported in the state during 2008, accounting for one civilian and six firefighter injuries and $2 million in damages, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

The U.S. Fire Administration reports that, nationally, residential electrical problems cause about 28,500 fires, resulting in 360 deaths, more than 1,000 injuries and nearly $1 billion in property loss annually.

Fire-safety experts say AFCIs could cut those numbers in half and potentially save lives in the process.

AFCIs shut down power that arcs, or jumps, from its intended path. A home's electrical wiring or any electrical cord that's old, faulty or pierced by a nail or screw can cause an arc and spark a fire.

The National Electrical Code has mandated the devices be installed in bedrooms since 2002 and required them for living rooms and other gathering areas in homes in 2008.

"From a safety standpoint, there is absolutely no reason not to have these," said Purdue University Fire Protection Engineer David Kish. "Every year (in Indiana), there are fires AFCIs could have helped prevent. When you reduce the number of fires, you're also saving lives."

But there's a catch: price. Homebuilders claim AFCIs can cost up to 10 times more than a typical circuit breaker, adding up to $400 to the price of a $150,000 home.

Don Chesney, vice president of operations for Arbor Homes, admitted cost was a reason why many Indiana builders were against the devices, saying the upfront costs of AFCIs will further pinch businesses already struggling in the recession.

"When you're fighting to stay alive, every penny counts," Chesney said.

Builders estimate that installing them in all new Indiana homes would cost more than $500,000 a year, which many see as an unreasonable expense for what they consider to be an unproven device.

That's one of the reasons the nine-member commission voted unanimously last year not to re-insert them in the Indiana Electrical Code. After including a requirement for the devices in the 2002 code, Indiana removed it three years later, citing reliability issues.

Kish agreed that AFCIs had problems when they were first introduced more than a decade ago but said those issues have long since been resolved.

"That assertion doesn't give a complete picture," Kish said. "I think it's not accurate to say the technology isn't there yet. With all the states requiring them, if AFCIs didn't work, we would have heard about it, and steps would have been taken to prevent those problems."

After North Carolina strengthened its requirements for AFCIs, opponents last year tried to have them rescinded, citing increased costs.

But North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue intervened, telling the state's building commission that the "benefits of fires prevented and injuries and deaths averted do outweigh the incremental cost and the occasional nuisance tripping." The commission later voted not to rescind the updated standards.

Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Delaware, Michigan and West Virginia also adopted the more stringent standards for AFCIs, requiring them in all gathering areas of a house. Most of the rest of the country continues to follow older guidelines requiring AFCIs only in bedrooms.

Builders say it should be the homeowners who decide whether they want the devices in their homes. But David Wachtel said he wasn't aware of their existence before the May fire that destroyed his Pike Township home, even though he'd had his circuit breakers replaced less than 18 months before.

"It would have cost about $500 to install them, and I would have gladly paid it," Wachtel said.

The commission will take up the matter during public hearings later this year, but after an advisory committee already has issued a recommendation against the new requirements.

Wachtel said when he rebuilds his home, he'll make sure AFCIs are installed.

"We're lucky the fire happened when it did, when we were both up," said Wachtel, who wasn't at home when the fire started. "The fire took out the ceiling of our bedroom. If we'd been asleep, we wouldn't have survived."

Newstex ID: KRTB-0095-47262397