A new state law is forcing the University to install sprinkler systems in several University residence halls.

The law, signed last month by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, now requires all Illinois colleges and universities to install sprinkler systems in their dormitories by 2013.

The new law was a response to several recent deadly fires in student housing around the country, said Patti Thompson, an Illinois Emergency Management Association spokesperson. She cited the Aug. 27 University of Mississippi fraternity fire that killed three students.

“(Sprinklers) can make the difference between when firefighters don’t make it there and when they do make it there,” Thompson said.

The new law means the University will have to install sprinklers in Lincoln, Peabody, Gregory Drive, Barton/Lundgren and Taft/Van Doren residence halls, said Kirsten Ruby, assistant director of housing for marketing. Sprinklers will be installed in every dorm room, as well as public areas and kitchen facilities, she said.

Sprinkler installation will start in the summer of 2006 – when dorms are vacant, Ruby said.

Ruby stressed that University residence halls exceed fire code requirements. Sprinklers are only a part of a fire prevention system, along with fire alarm panels and fire-retardant doors. No fire in a University residence hall has ever gone beyond the room of origin, she said.

The new sprinklers will cost approximately $15 to 20 million to install, Ruby said. Although the law offers low interest loans to schools to help pay for sprinkler installation, Ruby said the installation funds will likely come from University repair and renovation funds as well as student fees.

The new law was welcome news to the Urbana fire department, said division chief Michael Dilley.

Sprinklers not only help to put out a fire, but they help save lives – particularly in multi-story buildings, Dilley said. The devices don’t just put out a fire, but get rid of smoke and heat, which can also cause fire-related deaths, he said.

Urbana has required sprinklers in all high-rise buildings for the past 10 years, Dilley said. However, University buildings have been exempt from sprinkler requirements until now.

In 2000, there were more than four fires per day in collegiate housing nationwide, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Only 27 percent of those fires came in facilities fitted with sprinklers, a FEMA news release stated.