JLC ??MAY 1991 EIGHT- PENNY NEWS VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 8 MAY 1991 Two Massachusetts towns have become representative battlegrounds in the escalating war between fire departments and builders over fire sprinklers in single-family homes. In Egremont, the town meeting passed a sprinkler bylaw, only to have it overturned by the state review board when local home builders appealed. Meanwhile, nearby West Stockbridge still has its sprinkler ordinance in place, despite home builders' objections. Both bylaws were passed when the volunteer fire departments said they could not guarantee fire protection for the growing number of new homes. The towns are in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, which is a desirable rural area that has experienced substantial population growth in recent years. Local fire officials had nightmare visions of distant
