A plea from local contractors and real estate agents Monday couldn’t sway Westbrook city councilors to reverse a new requirement to install sprinklers in all new homes.

In May, the City Council adopted a new fire code that made Westbrook among the strictest in the state when it comes to sprinkler systems, requiring one in every new, single-family home built in the city.

But it wasn’t until after the council voted that developers started speaking up against the requirement. They said they didn’t oppose sprinklers, but, considering the condition of the housing market, it wasn’t the right time to tack on an additional building expense.

Opponents of the new requirement made the same case at a Committee of the Whole meeting Monday.

“The single-family housing market right now is pretty much at a standstill,” said local developer Tim Flaherty. “This is a setback.”

Dave Chase, a contractor, argued for the city to wait until the state implements the requirement, which officials have said is coming soon.

“We’re competing with neighboring towns that don’t have this,” he said.

But Fire Chief Daniel Brock said, in terms of safety, the requirement puts Westbrook residents at an advantage. And the timing is important to him, too.

According to Brock, more and more houses are being constructed out of engineered woods, which burn faster and cut down the time before a whole floor can collapse, endangering both residents and firefighters.

“Every year we postpone this, we’re simply adding unnecessary deaths to the toll,” he said.

That was reason enough for the city councilors to want to keep Westbrook ahead of the curve. They agreed to remove the item from the table.