LARA Urged Not To Drop Fire Prevention Regulation

Fire chiefs, burn survivors, electrical and fire inspectors told the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation at a public hearing on Thursday that removing a residential code requirement to install arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) in homes, will put more residents at risk of injury and death from electrical fires.

ACFI’S detect dangerous arcing and sparking in wiring and shut down the power in a home before a fire can occur.

Dave Williams, a fire inspector for Delta Township near Lansing, says homebuilders are pushing for the change because of the added cost, but he says an average home would require only two or three of the $35 circuit breakers.

Williams says the state has the 3rd largest rate of residential fire fatalities in the nation with the AFCI’s and it makes no sense to take the protection away.

Michigan currently averages more than 1,200 electrical fires per year, resulting in an average of six deaths, 31 injuries and an estimated $50 million in property damage, with the AFCI requirement.