Feigenholtz Gets 600 Signatures on Fire Safety Petition in First Week

CHICAGO, Ill. – This week, state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, unveiled the Lakefront Coalition for Responsible Fire Sprinkler Policy petition. The goal of the petition is to demonstrate continued community support for House Bill 4609, which would help ensure that any potential changes to state fire sprinkler laws are created with more transparency and public input. The petition already has over 600 signatures from Rep. Feigenholtz’s 12th District and throughout the City of Chicago.

“This is a coalition of people from throughout Chicago and across Illinois that agrees with this common-sense legislation regarding fire safety,” said Feigenholtz. “Mandated fire sprinklers can potentially force condo owners into foreclosure due to special assessments and displace renters because of extraordinary rent increases. In last week’s committee hearing, the State Fire Marshal was clear in his remarks that he will continue to push for a statewide fire sprinkler mandate as his ultimate goal.”

House Bill 4609 creates the Task Force on Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Education, comprised of 21 members representing firefighters, homeowners' associations, building trades, and community members. This task force will research and consider the effects of any legislation requiring fire sprinklers in homes, businesses, and high-rise buildings and examine all questions related to increasing rent prices, insurance rates, and installation costs. After exploring all possibilities, the group will provide a comprehensive report with recommendations to the General Assembly. It would then be the responsibility of the elected General Assembly, not the State Fire Marshal and a small, obscure committee called the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), to adopt any rules requiring the installation of fire sprinklers in any structure.

The Lakefront Coalition for Responsible Fire Sprinkler Policy petition can be signed online at www.staterepsara.com/get-involved/fire-safety-petition/. Respondents are also encouraged to share their comments on why mandated fire sprinklers are the wrong approach to fire safety in Illinois, and suggest recommendations for future policies.

The petition has strong support among several local elected officials, including Aldermen Michele Smith (43rd), Tom Tunney (44th), James Cappleman (46th), and Joe Moore (49th), who urged their constituents to voice their support for HB 4609 to the State Government Administration Committee in Springfield last week.

Feigenholtz is calling on other elected officials, chambers of commerce, and community organizations who are passionate about transparency in fire sprinkler policies in Illinois to sign on to her petition.

“These high levels of community support and input will be crucial to pass this bill through the General Assembly,” Feigenholtz said. “We want to give more people a seat at the table, and come to a proactive solution on the issue of fire sprinklers in Illinois before we are blindsided by another fire sprinkler mandate proposal like last summer.”

For more information on Rep. Feigenholtz’s fire safety legislation, or to sign her petition, please call her constituent service office at 773-296-4141, email sara@staterepsara.com, or visit www.staterepsara.com.