CHICAGO—Although the start of a new year usually has people thinking about resolutions and future plans, it also is the day new laws and regulations typically go into force. For example, tomorrow is the deadline for pre-1975 residential high-rises to comply with the city's Life Safety Evaluation ordinance. And officials from the nonprofit Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board say the outcomes of two recent high-rise fires highlights the importance of this particular deadline.

On the evening of December 20, a single fire sprinkler controlled a stove grease fire on the 23rd floor of the Adler Place residential high-rise on Chicago's Near South Side, according to board officials. But a very different result occurred on December 28 in LaSalle Terrace, an Old Town residential high-rise without sprinklers. Flames from an accidental furnace fire were visible from street level and damaged the 19th floor.

Buildings affected by the law must have one- or two-way communications systems and doors and corridors that are fire-rated for one hour. But to pass the LSE, many buildings also require additional measures. By installing fire sprinklers, residential high-rises can bypass those measures entirely.

"No one was injured in the LaSalle Terrace fire, but there likely will be a costly restoration process," says Tom Lia, executive director of the Orland Park, IL-based advisory board. "Although the high-rise passed its LSE inspection, the owner did so without installing fire sprinklers. There is no proactive technology in the building to stop fires while they are small and before they spread."

Nearly 100 of the affected residential high-rises have already chosen to install fire sprinklers, board officials add. However, as the deadline nears many building owners and condo boards continue to debate their options.

"There are only two types of residential high-rises in Chicago — those with fire sprinklers and those without fire sprinklers," says Lia. "High-rise owners, residents and prospective buyers must be mindful of the presence or absence of fire safety features, especially fire sprinklers, in their buildings."

"The recent success of the fire sprinkler activation in Adler Place is clear evidence of the life- and property-saving benefits of fire sprinklers versus the damage caused by the LaSalle Terrace fire," he adds. "Without fire sprinklers in Adler Place, the condo and neighboring units could have suffered major damage and experienced months of restoration. Even worse, it could have potentially ended in injuries or deaths to residents and responding firefighters."