Fire sprinkler standards for schools not as strict

The fiery destruction of a West Babylon elementary school last week underlines a fact surprising to many parents: Sprinkler requirements for such buildings are actually less strict than those covering stores, taverns and many other facilities.

School officials generally note that their fire-safety records are quite good - thanks largely to the frequent evacuation drills required of teachers and students. Still, some local residents over the past week have questioned whether fire sprinklers might have prevented or reduced damage at South Bay Elementary School.

"I work in construction and I've seen fires in buildings with sprinklers and fires in buildings without sprinklers," said one parent, Robert Trovato. "And there's always less damage in buildings with sprinklers."

More than 300 South Bay students resumed classes Tuesday in the educational wing of a local Catholic church, following the gutting of their school last Thursday.

The state's Uniform Building Code spells out requirements for fire-prevention measures, including sprinkler installations, in various types of newly constructed buildings. Some examples:

Schools. Sprinklers required if an area of the building without fire walls exceeds 20,000 square feet.

Stores, shopping malls. Sprinklers required if an area without fire walls exceeds 12,000 square feet. The average supermarket, for example, is 46,755 square feet, according to the Food Marketing Institute.

Business offices. No specific sprinkler requirement.

Factories (with moderate hazards). Sprinklers required if an area without fire walls exceeds 12,000 square feet.

Restaurants, taverns. Sprinklers required if an area without fire walls exceeds 5,000 square feet.

Apartment complexes. Sprinklers required.

Sprinklers were not mandated at South Bay Elementary because the school was built in the early 1950s, before the code took effect. But even new schools on Long Island generally are built without sprinklers, architects say.

The reason: such structures generally are divided into sections of less than 20,000 square feet, each protected by fire walls.

Eastport-South Manor Jr.-Sr. High School, which opened in 2003, has sprinklers only in its auditorium.

The district's superintendent, Mark Nocero, who took over after the school was built, says that safety features aren't limited to fire walls alone.

"There are heat sensors in the boiler rooms and kitchens, smoke detectors in all the hallways and classrooms," he said. "So having those things in place and being diligent with fire drills, I think our school is a very safe place for children to go."

With Joie Tyrrell