- Bill would allow local governments to require sprinklers in older housing.
- Proposal follows a fatal Mother’s Day fire in Milwaukee that lacked sprinklers.
- Fire officials say retrofits could significantly reduce deaths and injuries.
- Package includes grants and new inspectors to help owners meet requirements.
Local governments could require older housing to add fire-prevention sprinklers and other mitigation measures under a new state bill.
The measure is part of a trio of bills a group of Milwaukee-area Democrats are proposing related to fire mitigation. The centerpiece would allow cities, towns, villages and counties to establish new regulations for fire suppression, detection and prevention in dwellings. The bill, if it becomes law, wouldn’t mandate any changes to the statewide building code, but it would create a pathway for local governments to set their own standards.
The Mother’s Day fire that left five dead on Milwaukee’s North Side in an 85-unit apartment complex built in 1968 prompted the legislation, lead author, Sen. LaTonya Johnson, of Milwaukee, said…