"Subsidizing installation upfront has to be the answer — help pay for it first."

And why should my tax dollars subsidize someone else's private property?  When they bought the condo they knew it did not have sprinklers and assumed any risk.  The builders of the condo always had the option of installing sprinklers even though it was not required by law.  They chose not to.  The condo Board always had the option of making a special assessment to retrofit the condos.  They chose not to.  Any individual condo owner always had the option of installing fire suppression technology at any time.  They chose not to.