Vos, firefighters at odds over sprinkler requirements after Milwaukee's deadly fire

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Assembly Speaker Robin Vos suggested state lawmakers will not pass legislation to mandate sprinkler systems in older buildings after five people died in an apartment fire in Milwaukee.

Vos, a Republican that owns rental properties, told reporters new safety standards would be costly and such changes should be reviewed to ensure lawmakers are "not overreacting" to the deadly fire.

"The last thing we want to do is make it even more expensive to own a home or rent an apartment," Vos said. "We want to ensure people are safe, but we have to be careful about not overreacting to unfortunate incidents like this."

Landlords are not required to install fire sprinklers in buildings constructed before 1974.

On Mother's Day, five people died at the Highland Court apartments in Milwaukee. According to city officials, the building was built in the 1960s, so it was grandfathered in and not forced to add a sprinkler system.

There is no blanket mandate for sprinklers in older buildings, but certain types, such as student housing or structures undergoing significant changes, are required to install sprinkler systems.

Wisconsin's sprinkler law has put lawmakers and firefighters at odds for years.

"I think we really need to think about what the potential ramifications are before we just pass a mandate that might feel good for the moment, but make people homeless, drive up costs," Vos added.

Since Sunday's deadly fire, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski has urged lawmakers to review safety standards after insisting sprinkler systems would have saved lives.

On Tuesday, Lipski and Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman responded to Vos' concerns about adopting new standards.

"I'm the fire chief, and sprinklers save lives," Lipski said. "There's a ton of issues of how our state adopts codes or updates them."

Bauman acknowledged how new sprinkler requirements could be costly, but he stressed it's worth preventing future tragedies.

"It could increase rents in a community that's already heavily rent overburdened, so those are factors that need to be considered," Bauman said. "But the preservation of life should be paramount and I'm sure we’ll have an opportunity to remind the Speaker of that."