Retrofits are outrageously expensive and impossible for condo owners to afford.

FACT:

Actual retrofit costs — based on completed projects, national data, and SF’s own 2016 legislative analysis — are far lower than the inflated estimates circulated by opponents.

More facts:

• Cities like Philadelphia, Honolulu, and San Jose have completed large-scale retrofits at predictable, manageable costs.

• Financing can be spread over many years.

• Retrofits increase property resilience, reduce insurance risk, and stabilize long-term value.

• The cost of a single high-rise fire can exceed the cost of retrofitting an entire building.

• Sprinklers are one of the highest-value, lowest-cost safety upgrades available.

Sprinkler retrofits will displace residents, forcing people from their homes.

FACT:

Modern sprinkler retrofits are routinely completed with residents in place.

More facts:

• Union-signatory contractors regularly retrofit occupied high-rise buildings using:

  • Flexible piping systems,

  • Minimal-intrusion ceiling drops,

  • Unit-by-unit scheduling, and

  • Short in-unit work windows (often a few hours at a time).

• Thousands of buildings nationwide have been retrofitted without displacement, including condos, hotels, offices, and mixed-use towers.

• San Francisco’s 12-year compliance timeline further minimizes any disruption.

High-rise fires are rare, so sprinklers aren’t necessary.

FACT:

High-rise fires have higher fatality, injury, and property-loss risks than fires in lower buildings.

More facts:

• During high-rise fires, flames spread vertically and stairwells fill with smoke, making evacuation far more dangerous.

• National fire data shows that sprinklers:

  • Reduce fire deaths by 80% to 90%,

  • Reduce firefighter injuries,

  • Stop fires from spreading beyond the room of origin, and

  • Prevent catastrophic losses that displace hundreds of residents.

• The risk is real — and sprinklers are the proven solution.

San Francisco is doing something extreme that other cities don’t require.

FACT:

Dozens of U.S. jurisdictions have retroactive sprinkler laws, including major cities and entire states.

More facts:

• Places where retroactive sprinkler laws have been successfully carried out include:

  • Atlanta,

  • Honolulu,

  • Los Angeles,

  • Louisville,

  • Philadelphia,

  • San Antonio, and

  • San Jose.

• San Francisco’s 12-year timeline is moderate and mainstream compared to these cities.

There are cheaper or equivalent alternatives to sprinklers.

FACT:

No alternative offers the
life-saving impact of sprinklers.

More facts:

• According to fire experts and national code organizations — including NFPA, ICC, and the National Fire Sprinkler Association:

  • Sprinklers are the most effective and reliable fire-safety system ever developed.

  • Alarm systems, stairwell pressurization, and compartmentation are valuable, but they do not extinguish a fire. Only sprinklers do.

Buildings that survived this long don’t need upgrades now.

FACT:

Fire conditions today — more synthetic materials, faster-burning furniture, higher occupancy — mean fires can reach flashover in under five minutes, creating a dangerous scenario in a non-sprinklered tower.

More facts:

• Older high-rises often lack:

  • Fire-resistant construction,

  • Modern detection systems,

  • Controlled exit paths,

  • Adequate smoke protection, and

  • Reliable water supply systems.

• Upgrading life-safety systems in older buildings is responsible, overdue, and essential.

The City should delay or weaken the law to study the issue further.

FACT:

This law was already built on extensive analysis.

More facts:

• All of the following went into the development of San Francisco’s sprinkler retrofit ordinance:

  • A full legislative report by the Budget and Legislative Analyst,

  • National fire-safety research, and

  • Input from firefighters, engineers, and safety experts.

• A long implementation runway already exists.

• Delaying now serves only the narrow interests of a few well-funded condo associations — not citywide public safety.