How much can it cost to install fire sprinklers? Business owner shares perspective after large fires on Milwaukee's north side

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- After two separate fires on Milwaukee's north side left 37 people displaced on June 1, city leaders are revisiting conversations about fire sprinklers. One business owner says sprinklers are crucial to protecting a building and its residents in an emergency. 

The issue resurfaced when five people were killed at the Highland Court Apartments in May. Two more fires broke out on Sunday, at 87th and Villard and at 45th and Hampton. All three of these buildings lacked fire sprinklers, according to Chief Aaron Lipski at the Milwaukee Fire Department. 

Randall Rauth, the owner of Great Lakes Fire Protection LLC, says he heard about the fires at all three apartment buildings. His business in Brookfield specializes in fire prevention devices like fire sprinklers. 

“It’s just sad that these things are happening," Rauth said. “Sprinklers are the most effective way to stop a fire.”

Rauth says in older buildings that exist on Milwaukee's north side, there can be difficulty installing as the process requires the building to have enough water to supply the sprinkler system. That can impact the price tag for landlords, some of whom have frequently cited cost as the reason for not installing them.

“Say like a 10-family apartment, if you have 10 units in there, you are probably going to be running about $1,000 a unit," Rauth said. 

Rauth is calling on Wisconsin lawmakers to require building owners to install fire sprinklers in order to save lives. Under current state law, buildings built before 1974 are grandfathered into not needing sprinklers unless they have significant remodeling.

“There are no laws to force them to put them in," Rauth said. "The only way anything is going to get solved is if the state of Wisconsin, at some point, goes and becomes proactive with fire protection." 

Milwaukee Alderman Peter Burgelis is on the Zoning, Neighborhood and Development Committee. He says city leaders are working for ways they can try to respond differently to buildings that lack fire sprinklers in an emergency situation.

"If a building doesn't meet the current fire code, I think it's important that residents who live there know that. So, when you sign a lease, you also have to sign a waiver saying, "I might die in this property because it doesn't have sprinklers," Burgelis said. "Right now, the fire department is looking at our 911 systems so they can identify these properties that don't have sprinklers."

Lipski says he will continue to advocate for fire sprinklers in buildings throughout Milwaukee. 

"I intend to keep pushing for it but never make any mistake -- just because I'm advocating for something doesn't mean my position will win, but that knowledge doesn't mean that we just sit down and shut up, and I won't," Lipski said in a phone call with CBS 58.

The Department of Neighborhood Services says 30,000-40,000 residents in Milwaukee are living in buildings without sprinklers.

If your building does not have a sprinkler, Rauth says people should stay on top of the battery life of their smoke detectors.