Builder required to install sprinklers

North Las Vegas city officials sent a message Wednesday that they are concerned about growth straining emergency services and told a developer that he can build 507 houses only if he installs fire sprinklers in the homes.

The City Council unanimously approved 5-0 plans for Avante Homes to build the development in the northwest area of the city, at Centennial Parkway and Allen Lane.

Action on the item was delayed at the June 16 council meeting after Fire Chief Robert Dodge raised concerns about the availability of emergency services to that area.

Growth in North Las Vegas has put a tremendous strain on fire and emergency services, particularly on fire Station 54, which is the only facility that covers a 25-square-mile area of the northwest, according to Dodge.

The Avante development is more than eight minutes away, potentially too far for the fire department to respond in time to save a burning home or adequately help an injured or sick person who has stopped breathing, Dodge said.

No one wants to stop development, but response time is a concern for the fire department, Mayor Michael Montandon said.

"The answer is to come up with a plan to balance (city) service with growth," Montandon said.

That plan is to require all of the homes to have fire sprinklers, unless an alternative solution is proposed to the council, Montandon said.

Emergency response time is the key and Avante Homes will continue to work with the city to find a way for the northwest to have adequate fire and emergency service, without installing sprinklers, Avante Homes representative Brian Seager said.

"Sprinklers aren't the solution because it only addresses 5 percent of the problem," Seager said.

Avante doesn't have a solution right now, but hopes to have it soon, Seager said.

Construction is set to begin in early 2000.

Mark Jones, of Southwest Engineering and the designer of the Avante Homes project, said requiring fire sprinklers would significantly raise the price of a home.

"It could add $1,500 to $2,000 to the cost of a $100,000 home and possibly price some buyers out of the market," Jones said.

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