Of course, protecting her firefighter husband from harm is an added benefit of the mandatory fire sprinkler initiative Councilman Cathy Vitale plans to push this month.

But the reason she wants every new home in Anne Arundel County to come with sprinklers springs from a story he once told her after a heart-breaking day on the job.

The image has haunted her: a nasty fire, a dead child, and there on the bookshelf of the charred home the smoke detector with the batteries out.

"Senseless," said Ms. Vitale, a Severna Park Republican.

For the past month, she has floated a plan to join the growing ranks of nearly 20 other...