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Fire officials will continue to push for sprinklers to be required in all new homes after a measure that would've done that failed last month.

During an International Code Council meeting in Rochester, N.Y., fire safety officials were successful in resurrecting the requirement but failed to garner the two-thirds vote necessary to make it a part of the council's building codes.

The council, which oversees building, plumbing and fire codes, regularly meets to update its codes. The updated codes are then usually adopted by local governments.

The action proved that there was an "unprecedented level of support shown for residential fire sprinklers," said Sarah Jackson, spokeswoman for the International Residential Code Fire Sprinkler Coalition.

The support is slowly growing as more building officials research the effect fire sprinklers can have on saving life and property, Jackson said.

But opposition remains. Many home builders, who are represented on the code council, don't like the idea of requiring sprinklers, arguing that it adds extra costs that drive up home prices.

New homes are built to be safer, so they're not a risk to fire districts the same way older homes are, said Ed Taczanow-sky, president of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association.

"With the downturn in the economy, this is the last thing we want to be working on right now," he said.

But the issue will be brought before the council again, and eventually home builders will come around to the proven effectiveness of fire sprinklers, said Scottsdale Fire Marshall Jim Ford.

Home builders "aren't ready to acknowledge the role fire sprinklers can play in saving lives," Ford said.