State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte, knows that installing a sprinkler system is a long and tedious process.

In September, Corman's office in Harrisburg was temporarily relocated to the basement during the installation of a sprinkler system in the building. The project began in 1999 and will be finished this summer.

This month, Corman will vote on a bill that would encourage private owners of off-campus student residences to install sprinkler systems by providing low-interest loans to landlords. "If there's a way to make [student housing] safer, I'm sure [the bill] will make a significant impact," Corman said.

The bill would not require owners to install sprinklers, but if a future bill does require it, Corman would favor a reasonable timetable for installment -- based on what he's seen from the capitol building sprinkler project.

The state House of Representatives approved the legislation last week.

"Obviously we want to do what we can to be preventative," said state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, who voted for the bill.

A former Centre County coroner, Benninghoff said he has seen enough fire devastation to influence his support of sprinkler systems.

"How do you put a price tag on what's beneficial? You save one life, I would think that's pretty beneficial," he said.

Benninghoff said he does not know how the state would fund the loans if the bill is passed.

Two-percent interest rate loans could still provide property owners with incentive to install the systems, said Tim Knisley, a fire and housing inspector for the Centre Region Code Administration.

Several hundred State College property owners would be eligible for the loans, he added.

Garden House Realty, 106 E. College Ave., which owns and rents three local apartment buildings, would be eligible.

"I honestly don't know that there's a great advantage to sprinkler systems," said Peter Lang, manager at Garden House Realty.

Garden House's Campus View apartments, built in 1925, is their only property with a functional sprinkler system. Campus View's sprinklers have never been used to extinguish or control a fire, Lang said. Other fire prevention and control equipment, such as fire extinguishers, fire alarms and smoke detectors, get the job done, he said.

Sprinklers cause water damage and can be overly sensitive. "All it takes is a match to set them off," Lang said.

A low-interest loan is not an incentive to install sprinklers because rent prices would still have to increase, he added.

"I think if you were having fires on a constant basis where that was necessary, I would say you would probably be right in [installing sprinklers]," Lang said.

In September, the State College Borough Council passed an ordinance requiring all fraternity houses install sprinkler systems by 2008. The ordinance is the only mandate regarding sprinkler systems in the borough.

In previous attempts, off-campus residences had been deleted from bills encouraging universities to install sprinkler systems in their dormitories.

"This time it specifically addresses the private student residences," Knisley said.

Penn State is installing sprinkler systems in all of its dorms, to be completed by 2010.

Meghan Bobal (freshman-elementary education) said the recent fire in Sproul Hall as a good reason to install sprinklers off campus, as well as in dorms.

"If it was a bigger fire, sprinklers would cause it not to spread," she said.

Becki Ringwood (freshman-communications) said off-campus student residences are more at risk for fires than dorms because they include extra equipment such as stoves and bathroom appliances.