New Illinois Fire Sprinkler Law
 

For house corporations, alums, chapter RM officers, Greek life college administrators, and Illinois and national fraternity and sorority officers, just so you know.

Please note the important dates; one for new construction, one for
installation in existing houses.

From a state government press release at

http://www.illinois.gov/PressRelease...=1&RecNum=8686

Excerpt from press release:

BLOOMINGTON – July 27, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law that requires fraternity and sorority housing in Illinois to install automatic fire sprinkler systems. Governor Quinn also highlighted a new law that requires housing units in Illinois to have a backup power supply for all smoke detectors that are wired to a building’s electrical supply.

“Fire safety starts at home. These important new laws help ensure that the smoke detectors where you live don’t fail when you need them the most, and help make our college students safer,” said Governor Quinn. “These laws will help prevent potentially tragic situations like we saw last year at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.”

House Bill 5664 requires fraternities and sororities built after Jan. 1, 2011 to have an automatic fire sprinkler system. Any fraternity or sorority that does not comply with the new law will not be allowed to occupy its housing facility. Fraternities and sororities built before Jan. 1, 2011 will have until Jan. 1, 2019 to install a automatic fire sprinkler system.

The new law will be enforced by the local government or institution of higher education, depending upon whose jurisdiction the fraternity or sorority falls. . . .

^^ We had a death in my home town in a fraternity house fire maybe a decade ago as well. Not a bad law, but probably expensive.

I was given a heads up about this a few months ago because I oversee most of our collegiate chapters in Illinois. Some already have sprinklers but others do not. We do have a lot of time to raise the money and get them installed for those chapters that are not already sprinkled. I think 9 years is pretty reasonable. I think it's a reasonable law and expect that we will be able to be compliant.

As a former international director of housing for my group - YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!