Centre County fire inspectors spoke at a recent State College Borough Council meeting, urging council members to require fraternity houses to install sprinkler systems.

Borough Council, fraternities and the Penn State community should heed the inspectors' advice and push for the installation of the sprinklers.

The death of so many young people in the night club fires in Chicago and Rhode Island and the most recent Ohio State fire have proven that fire safety is a very real problem.

As fire inspector Shawn Kauffman pointed out at the meeting, fraternity parties sometimes attract more than 500 people.

Because fraternity houses are zoned for residential use, they are not required to have the same number of exits as commercial establishments. This makes the need for installing sprinkler systems even more urgent.

Installing the sprinkler systems won't be cheap. But it is a cost that fraternities and their national chapters have to incur to ensure the safety of fraternity residents and partygoers.

Fraternities often spend money on improvements and renovations to their houses, some of which could go toward installing sprinklers.

But, as Interfraternity Council President Steve DiOrio said at the meeting, fraternities should be given as much time to complete the installations was Penn State was given. The university has until 2010 to finish its renovations.

If the borough requires fraternity houses to install the sprinklers, it should recognize the time they will need to acquire the money and make the changes.

Even if the borough gives fraternities several years, however, members should start the process as soon as possible.

By hosting parties, fraternity members take responsibility for the safety of the guests that attend.

They need to start now to protect everyone's safety. It shouldn't take a tragedy happening here to set installation into motion.