Dec. 20 — Council passes temporary amendments to city fire code

Roxanne Cooke / of the Herald

The Sumner City Council this week passed an ordinance with temporary amendments to the city’s fire code.

The interim amendments require all new buildings that are 5,000 square feet or greater to have fire sprinklers installed. “New” buildings are those that are completed or built after the ordinance goes into effect. Existing buildings will abide by the former standard of 8,000 square feet.

Those temporary rules cancel out an ordinance passed this summer, which lowered the requirement for fire sprinklers in both new and existing buildings to 5,000 square feet. Before that ordinance, 8,000 square feet was the norm.

Last month, local business owners protested the 5,000 square foot rule, citing the extra cost to retrofit sprinklers in existing buildings. Council members discussed the issue with East Pierce Fire and Rescue chiefs, who suggested returning to the 8,000 square foot rule — with the exception of new construction — until a better solution could be determined.

Fire Chief Dan Packer and Deputy Chief John McDonald met with the Sumner Downtown Association when coming up with the interim amendments, and both council members and business owners expressed appreciation for the group effort during this week’s meeting.

“I think we are acting like a progressive small city,” said Councilman Leroy Goff.

Councilmember Matt Richardson also thanked everyone involved.

“I think this is a great example of working together,” Richardson said.

Windmill Gardens General Manager Ben DeGoede, one business owner who opposed the ordinance passed this summer, expressed his support for the new amendments during the council meeting.

McDonald and Packer will continue to work with the Sumner Downtown Association to develop a final proposal to be presented to council sometime in 2008.