All new home construction would include residential fire sprinklers and ultimately a city ordinance would require it if the Medford Fire Department gets its wish.

Dan Patterson, Medford fire marshal, pitched in-home sprinkler systems to the Medford City Council during Thursday's study session, and invited members to a sprinkler presentation the department is sponsoring today.

"It's voluntary now," he said. "We would be looking at eventually making it mandatory."

Comparing house fire scenarios, Patterson said a fire in an average home without a sprinkler system will destroy the room where it starts and all its contents in 10 minutes. Heat damage extends throughout the entire house, burning or melting everything within five feet of the ceiling where the heat collects. Smoke blackens all the contents of the house, and there is extensive water damage from firefighting efforts, amounting to about 250 gallons per minute. All the contents of the house would need to be replaced or restored. The occupants on average are displaced for up to a year, he said.

In a home with a sprinkler system, fire damage is limited to the objects in or near the initial fire and heat and smoke damage is likely limited to one room. Water damage is limited to the sprinkler flow, which is approximately 150 gallons total. The occupants on average are displaced for a day or two.

He told the council that installation can cost about $3,000 for a new 3,000-square-foot home and retrofitting an existing home can cost 50 to 75 percent more. "The price is coming down," he said, adding that he hopes as the idea catches on it will drive the cost down significantly.

Don Pamplin of the National Fire Sprinkler Association Inc. and former fire chief for Vancouver, B.C., spearheaded a fire sprinkler ordinance for new homes in Vancouver in 1990. He said initial resistance to the idea subsided as fire fatalities decreased.

Pamplin will offer a free presentation to the public from 8 a.m. to noon today at the Jackson County Community Justice Building, 1101 W. Main St., Medford.

He said the automatic system sprays water as soon as the ceiling reaches a certain temperature.

"It's like having a firefighter in the house 24/7," he said.

Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.com