The Village of Wauconda Village Board with Deputy Chief Devin Mueller, Fire Chief Pat Kane and Erik Hoffer of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board.
Mayor Jeff Sode and Erik Hoffer, Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board
Mayor Jeff Sode, Erik Hoffer from the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and Fire Chief Pat Kane.
The villages of Wauconda and Island Lake have upgraded their codes. All new one- and two-family homes are now required to be protected with home fire sprinklers. These two villages join the list of more than 110 communities and fire districts in Illinois with the requirement that ultimately protects residents and first responders from house fires.
According to Fire Marshal Mike DaValle, Wauconda Fire District, the process to move forward with the requirement went smooth.
“For both communities, the process was simple. We worked with the respective building departments to craft the language, and then met with the village boards during their meetings to go over the NFPA 13D adoption and why it is important,” DaValle said. “We showed them data about how many sprinkler saves occurred in the area, as well as fire death statistics in residential settings. We also showed the cost of installing a system. There was never any objection or question of the importance of this for both communities.”
Wauconda Fire District covers several municipalities, including Wauconda and Island Lake. DaValle had been working with these municipalities to adopt the updated codes, and it just so happened that Wauconda and Island Lake updated their codes within months of each other.
“This helps the communities by keeping new homes and their occupants safe,” DaValle said. “It further shows that both villages care about their residents, as 90 percent of people who die in fires each year die in a residential setting. It also protects our firefighters. If we respond to a fire in a home with sprinklers, the fire will either be under control or extinguished. By updating their codes, we are helping to reduce injury and death from house fires, making our communities safer.”
Congratulations to both communities for updating their codes.
####