Madison's Housing Committee heard more details Wednesday of a newly proposed ordinance calling for stricter fire alarm requirements in city homes created a year after a fatal fire killed a UW-La Crosse student visiting Madison.
The ordinance was originally introduced to the Common Council Nov. 18, one year after a late-night fire killed Peter Talen, who was staying at his brother's Madison home on Bedford Street. Ed Ruckriegel of the Madison Fire Department said 23-year-old Talen was one of seven fire fatalities in residential properties within the city last year, a number of which involved faulty fire alarms in the homes.
There were six alarms in the home - and the one in the basement was the only one that worked,"" Ruckriegel said of the home where Talen died.
The proposed ordinance, which would go into effect in August 2009, aims to discontinue the use of traditional smoke alarms with removable batteries and replace them with detectors that have a 10-year lithium battery sealed inside the device.
Ruckriegel said landlords would be the ones to install the detectors, but tenant would be the ones responsible for keeping the devices up and could face citations if building inspectors discover alarms that have been tampered with.
Committee chairman Tom Hirsch asked about the cost of the lithium-battery smoke detectors, and Ruckriegel said he was able to find the newer alarms for prices as low as $8.42. For a one-time payment that lasts 10 years, Ruckriegel said the newer alarms are cheaper and less of a hassle than ones requiring new batteries twice a year.
Another goal of the ordinance would be to increase fire safety education. According to Ruckriegel, landlords would be required to either direct their tenants to fire safety information on the Internet or include literature on the subject in leasing materials.
Madison's chief building inspector George Hank said many other communities across the state have talked to the Wisconsin Department of Commerce indicating interest in implementing a similar ordinance.
""There may be some movement to try to make this statewide,"" Hank said.
Ultimately, the committee decided to refer the ordinance to the Landlords and Tenant Issues Subcommittee for further discussion. The subcommittee will likely address the fire alarm ordinance at their January meeting.
