Easing fire code for rural homes wins overwhelming Senate support

Here’s a news item from the Associated Press:  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Senate voted overwhelmingly to let rural Idaho residents build homes that don’t conform to some fire safety rules. Under the measure that passed 33-1, single-family homes built on five-acre parcels outside cities would be exempted from International Fire Code water supply and access rules, unless a county adopts the code. Sen. Steve Bair, a Blackfoot Republican, says rural Idahoans were struggling to conform to access and water supply rules because they added cost to homes. The measure now goes to the House. A year ago, fire chiefs fought off a broader push to dump the International Fire Code as Idaho’s minimum fire safety standard. This latest bill was a compromise, though some Idaho Fire Chiefs Association members still have concerns the changes will make it more difficult to protect out-of-the-way homes.