Minnesota court overturns sprinkler requirement same week home fire kills father and two children

Delivering a blow to Minnesota's fire safety advocates, the state's Court of Appeals recently overturned a ruling by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to sprinkler all new, one- and two-family homes greater than 4,500 square feet. Sued by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, the department saw the sprinkler requirement as a necessity, telling NFPA in 2014 that the the cost of installing sprinklers isn't significant enough to discourage someone from purchasing a home, particularly when weighing the cost against the potential threat to life and property. For more on this court decision, visit NFPA's Fire Sprinkler...