City proposal could tighten regulations for smoke detectors

Battery-powered smoke detectors might be a thing of the past in Bloomington rental units if a proposal by the City of Bloomington is approved.

The proposal would mandate any rental property in Bloomington not already equipped with hard-wired, interconnected smoke detectors to install them, most likely during the coming year.

Hard-wired smoke detectors are connected to the electric systems of buildings and have battery backup.

The proposal would also mandate interconnected detectors, meaning an alarm in one room would trip all alarms in the unit.

The smoke detector proposal came from a desire for increased safety, said Lisa Abbott, Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development director.

It takes cues from the National Fire Alarm Code, 2007 edition, established by the National Fire Protection Association.

“Over 60 percent of the housing is rental,” Abbott said.

“Anytime that you do anything about rental code, it’s big. Especially when you’re talking about rewriting an entire piece of legislation about smoke detectors.”

The new alarms, which have been mandated in new buildings since 2007, are harder to tamper with, increasing chances of full functionality.

Abbott said he didn’t know a specific breakdown of the ratio of battery to hard-wired detection systems in Bloomington, but she said many battery-operated smoke detectors are still available. A common violation she sees in rental properties is a lack of power to these detectors, rendering tenants unprotected.

“I personally think this will be an improvement,” Abbott said. “Will it be a silver bullet? No, but it will help.”

Changes to Title 16, the City’s Property Maintenance Code, last updated in 2003, encompass much more than smoke detectors, but this issue is causing a commotion with rental property owners, who would bear the financial burden for the retrofitting.

Furthermore, rental property stakeholders, including Nikki Johnson, CFC Properties vice president of residential real estate, said the city might not have the authority to mandate such a change.

Indiana statue promotes the installation of either type of smoke detector, but it is vague whether municipalities can make rental owners install one type instead of the
other. In Johnson’s eyes, the proposal conflicts with state policy.

Ideally, Johnson said she would like to see the city seek the stamp of approval from the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission to prove the city is following proper procedure.

“The way they’re interpreting Indiana code, they don’t think they have to,” Johnson said. “And it’s all up to interpretation of the code. Unfortunately, it might end up being the decision of a judge.”

Johnson is also concerned about other items, including another proposal for a building inspection fee hike and the general timeframe of the changes.

“If it does go into effect, I certainly think that’s what landlords would want, some kind of gradual implementation schedule,” Johnson said.

IU campus housing will not be affected by this city proposal. The University is on state property, which is exempt from city jurisdiction on this matter, Abbott said.

Campus View, Tulip Tree and Union Street Apartments are equipped with hard-wired smoke detectors, according to the 2012-13 Residential Programs and Services Apartment Guide.

The proposal will go through two more public forums Sept. 19 and Oct. 2 before heading to the Bloomington City Council, where it will again go before public hearings.
Abbott said she is firm about her belief in the update to the code yet is willing to consider input from community members.

“We’re still soliciting feedback,” Abbott said. “I think we’re concerned enough about the safety that we feel pretty strongly about this.”