Residential Fire Sprinklers .com

Protecting Your Home & Family

By JAMES ROSEN – The State

Kaaren Mann and Bonnie Woodruff share a tragic burden that is almost too painful for them to bear.

Mann’s daughter, Lauren Mahorn, died in the Ocean Isle beach-house fire last October that also killed five other University of South Carolina students and a Clemson University student.

Woodruff’s son, Ben, was one of five UNC-Chapel Hill students who died in the May 1996 fire at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house.

The two mothers joined students and firefighters in Washington this week, lobbying Congress to pass fire-safety measures for colleges and universities.

Mann said her mission is to persuade lawmakers to pass legislation that will get more fire-sprinkler systems installed in dormitories and other student housing.

“We’re hoping that between (tax) incentives and telling people about them, they’ll become as common as seat belts in cars,” Mann said.

U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, said he backs a bill that would provide tax credits for installing fire-sprinkler systems in all dwellings, including off-campus housing where two-thirds of the nation’s students live.

“There are many good causes in the world,” Price said at a Capitol Hill briefing to launch September as National Campus Fire Safety Month. “They vie for our attention. This is one that does capture our hearts.”

Price and nine other lawmakers from North Carolina are co-sponsors of the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, authored by Rep. James Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat.

None of South Carolina’s six U.S. House members has signed onto the bill. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson said he told Langevin on Tuesday that he wanted to be a co-sponsor of his measure.

Republican U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina are co-sponsors of a Senate version of the bill. Republican U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint of South Carolina have not signed onto it.

U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Congress recently passed separate legislation requiring all federally funded colleges and universities to maintain extensive fire-safety records and to make them available to the public.

Among the newly required records are the number of dormitory rooms equipped with automatic fire-sprinkler systems and fire alarms.

The measure requires the U.S. Department of Education to report the information to Congress.

“These are tragedies not only for the local communities, but to our entire nation,” Clyburn said.

Columbia Fire Chief Bradley Anderson said schools, homeowners and businesses have been slow to install sprinkler systems.

“We’ve been advocates for residential sprinklers for decades,” he said. “The (Ocean Isle) fire with the students was clearly avoidable with sprinklers.”

Anderson said the majority of USC students live off-campus, where they face greater fire risks than those who live on-campus.

“They’re not afforded the same level of protection in all cases that on-campus students are,” Anderson said.

In the wake of the deadly Chapel Hill and Ocean Isle fires, the legislatures in Raleigh and Columbia passed state laws aimed at getting more sprinklers installed in student housing and other dwellings.

The S.C. bill authorizes state and local tax credits up to a combined half the cost of buying and installing a sprinkler system.

Columbia Fire Marshal Carmen Floyd said new housing units at USC are required to have fire sprinklers, and the university is retrofitting existing halls.

“In the past year, we’ve had four sprinkler activations that have saved lives at USC,” Floyd said.

Benedict College has retrofitted all but one of its dormitories, and Allen University is installing fire sprinklers and monitoring equipment, Anderson and Floyd said.

The State Budget and Control Board in June put a hold on projects that would add fire sprinklers to three USC residence halls. The board was worried about paying for the construction given the state’s depressed revenues.

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By Tom Hester – Newark Star-Ledger

The Corzine administration has until Sept. 17 to decide if the new state fire code should require that sprinklers be installed in about 470 high-rise residential and office buildings statewide.

The proposed mandate for buildings over seven stories tall that were built before 1988 is favored by fire safety officials welcome but building owners contend it would be too expensive and drive rents up.

The issue has been debated off and on before the state Fire Safety Commission for two decades, according to fire officials.

This time, before taking a position for the administration, state Community Affairs Commissioner Joseph Doria retained a consultant to determine the potential cost to building and condo owners and tenants. The consultant, Cambridge Construction Management of Somerville, estimated the cost of installing sprinklers at a little over $16 per square foot of floor space.

“We are currently reviewing this information before we make any determination on this issue,” said Chris Donnelly, Community Affairs spokesman.

The Fire Safety Commission has approved the sprinkler installation mandate but Doria and Gov. Jon Corzine have the final say. Since 1988 the fire code has required all new high-rise buildings to have sprinklers in rooms and hallways.

“This is fairly simple, we are in favor of this,” said Arthur Londensky, South Brunswick fire protection code official, president of the New Jersey Fire Prevention and Protection Association and a Fire Safety Commission member. “It would not only protect those in the buildings but first responders.”

Londensky noted that after a fatal Seton Hall dormitory fire, the state moved quickly to require sprinklers in dorms statewide. “This is the next logical step to take,” he said, but if the new rules are not adopted by Sept. 17 “we will have to start all over again.”

He said he believes proponents would be open to seeing the sprinkler mandate phased in to allow the work to be done when condos, apartments and offices are vacant.

Nicholas Kikis, director or regulatory affairs and research for the Trenton-based New Jersey Apartment Association, argues current state fire code requirements calling have made high-rises safe and retrofitting the buildings with sprinklers would create a financial hardship for owners or tenants. He said the Apartment Association estimates it would cost $15,000 to $30,000 per apartment depending on the construction of the building.

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By MARGARET GIBBONS – Times Herald

Insurance companies now are jumping into the litigation surrounding the catastrophic fire that ripped through the Riverwalk at Millennium apartment complex in Conshohocken on Aug. 13.

Four major insurance companies, which insured tenants’ property and/or vehicles, have filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Court seeking compensation for damages that they and their clients sustained as a result of the conflagration.

The damages sustained by their clients include losses of personal and business property, vehicle damage and expenses for alternative living arrangements, according to the lawsuit.

The four companies, which are represented by the Law Offices of Robert A. Stutman in Fort Washington, already have received a combined 117 in claims, according to the lawsuit. The four insurance companies are: Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co., State Farm, Travco Insurance Co. and USAA Casualty Insurance Co.

This is the third lawsuit filed in Montgomery County Court in connection with the fire that destroyed two occupied Riverwalk apartment buildings and the unoccupied The Stables apartment building that was under construction.

The other two lawsuits seek class action status to represent the tenants of the destroyed apartment buildings.

As in the first two lawsuits, the defendants named in the insurance companies’ lawsuit are: O’Neill Properties Group of King of Prussia, the developer and former owner of the Riverwalk buildings and the developer of the under-construction Stables apartment building; Merion Construction Inc. of Bala Cynwyd and L21 Construction Managers of Leesport, Pa., both of which are listed as construction managers/general contractors for The Stables building; Cavan Construction of Aston, Pa., a subcontractor whose employees are alleged to have accidentally started the fire; and, Bozzuto Corp. of Maryland, who took over management of the Riverwalk complex after O’Neill sold its interest.

The eight-alarm fire, which was ruled accidental, started when smoldering sparks or molten metal generated by an acetylene torch ignited the five-story wooden frame-out of The Stables building. The radiant heat generated by the blaze caused the roofs on the top of the two nearby occupied apartment buildings to catch fire, burning from the top down.

Some 345 people initially were displaced but those in the two unaffected Riverwalk buildings were allowed back Aug. 17. However, the fire that took the efforts of some 300 firefighters to bring under control consumed a combined 180 units in the other two buildings.

The allegations in the insurers’ lawsuit are similar to those raised in the two other lawsuits.

These allegations range from failing to properly supervise workers at the construction site to failing to consider fire protection implications of building a five-story wood-frame construction residential structure to failing to install sprinklers and firewalls in the attic of the Riverwalk buildings.

View more articles about the Conshohocken Apartment Fire

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When a smoke alarm sounds we all know what to do, right? Find the nearest escape route, get out and stay out! But if that exit is blocked, the best escape plan in the world will not help you and your family get to safety.

Items that block doors and windows in your home could keep you from escaping in the event of a home fire. Any emergency can affect one’s ability to think clearly, but during a fire, smoke and other physical factors can literally inhibit your ability to react. Add a blocked escape route to the equation and your chances of safely escaping a fire may decrease even more. Not only can blocked windows and doors hinder you and your family’s ability to escape a fire, but they can also keep firefighters from successfully completing their rescue attempts.

While many blocked escape routes are unintentional, such as large furniture or a pile of toys, others, like security bars, serve a purpose. Despite a downward trend in overall fire deaths in the United States, the number of fire deaths related to the use of security bars has risen, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Most of these fatal fires occur in low-income, high-crime neighborhoods. Due to a heightened fear of crime in these neighborhoods, people take measures to secure their homes and discourage intruders from entering, thereby, either consciously or unconsciously, placing a higher priority on security than on fire safety. This is particularly dangerous because people living in high-crime and/or low-income areas usually face increased fire risk as well. Increased fire risk, combined with blocked windows and doors, are most dangerous for young children, older adults, and people with disabilities, for whom escape might be more difficult, even under ordinary circumstances.

Whether your home has security bars or other items blocking escape routes, the following tips can help you to increase your chances of escaping your home should a fire occur:

• Use emergency release devices inside all barred doors and windows. Emergency release devices enable you to push the bars open from the inside, but they don’t affect the security provided outside. These devices can involve pulling a lever, pushing a button, stepping on a pedal or kicking in a lever on the floor. Make sure everyone in the household knows how to operate the release devices.

• Padlocks can be a barrier to safety. In the event of a home fire, you’ll need access to every escape route. Remove padlocks so the door or window can be used as an escape route.

• When arranging furniture and other items, make sure that you’re not blocking doors or windows with televisions, heavy dressers, tables, couches, even potted plants. Every room needs two ways out. Remove furniture that may be blocking doors or windows.

• Never nail or paint windows shut. Opening them could be crucial in the event of a home fire. Inspect your windows and doors. Remove nails or paint that could prevent using windows for escape.

• A pile of toys or other items in front of a doorway can block your escape route and could be a threat to the safety of you and your family. Remove toys that may be blocking doors or windows.
In addition to clearing clutter and unblocking exits, the most important key to your family’s safety is planning and practicing a home fire escape plan. Make sure you develop a fire escape plan that identifies two ways out of each room and a family meeting place outside. Practice using the plan, at least twice a year. If everyone knows that everyone else is ready to exit quickly, no one will lose precious time trying to help someone who doesn’t need help.

This October 5-11 is Fire Prevention Week. What better time to make sure you are prepared in the event of a fire? Fire departments across the country are encouraging local families to make a fire escape plan and practice it during The Great American Fire Drill. For more information visit www.firepreventionweek.org or www.sparky.org.

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The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has adopted a resolution supporting a change to the International Residential Code (IRC) to require fire sprinklers in new single-family homes (IRC Proposal RB64-07/08). The IRC is the model code governing residential construction in 46 states plus the District of Columbia.

“IAFF’s support of this resolution emphasizes the importance of residential fire sprinklers to America’s firefighters, and we applaud their endorsement,” said Ronny J. Coleman, President of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition and former California State Fire Marshal. “We hope that this will motivate even more firefighters to make the trip to ICC’s final action hearing to vote for residential sprinklers.”

The International Code Council’s (ICC) Final Action Hearing on changing the IRC to require fire sprinklers in new homes will take place from September 20-22 in Minneapolis, Minn. Firefighters who are properly registered prior to September 6th will be eligible to attend the hearing and vote on the proposed change. Information on registering can be found at www.IRCFireSprinkler.org.

Because of a procedural requirement in ICC’s rules, adoption of the change will require a two-thirds majority vote, so active participation by firefighters will be essential to winning the issue. Last year, a similar proposal nearly passed, falling less than 100 votes short of the required two-thirds majority. Supporters are determined to make up that difference in September.

The IAFF is an important addition to the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. The list of supporters now includes more than 100 international, national and regional organizations, representing more than 200,000 firefighters, fire prevention officers and building safety professionals from 43 states and the District of Columbia. Other significant recent additions to the coalition include the International Association of Arson Investigators, Safe Kids USA, the Fire Marshals Association of Oklahoma and the West Virginia State Firemen’s Association.

About IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Founded in 2007, the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition has grown to include more than 100 international, national and regional public safety organizations, including associations representing 43 states and the District of Columbia, all of whom support the mission of promoting residential fire sprinkler systems as a standard feature in new home construction. The Coalition was formed to educate public policymakers on the value of residential sprinkler systems and to support related legislation. More information can be found at www.IRCFireSprinkler.org.

FayObserver.com

Floyd Fritz, the deputy chief of the Pinehurst Fire Department, was presented the 2008 North Carolina Fireman of the Year Award during the North Carolina Firemen’s Association annual conference.

The award was presented Aug. 30 in Winston-Salem.

Fritz was recognized for his work promoting residential fire sprinklers. Since the mid-1990s, he has worked to install systems in Habitat for Humanity homes, according to a release from the village.

Over the past year, Fritz has traveled across the state helping fire departments and other organizations increase their awareness about this technology, the release said.

“Floyd is a true champion for a life-saving cause and a tremendous asset to not only this community, but to the fire prevention community as well,’’ said David Eagle, the fire chief in Danville, Va.

Fritz said he was surprised to be nominated.

“The Pinehurst Fire Department’s residential sprinkler initiative is truly a department effort, where every member has played a part; I am only a small part of the whole,’’ Fritz said in the release.

To read the full article click here.

By KAREN MANGNELL – Auckland stuff.co.nz

The Fire Service is putting new faces on its education materials to rejuvenate its fire safety campaign.

Adults get one booklet on home fire safety while children get their own material with new Firewise faces Flint and Amber.

Counties Manukau fire education coordinator George Stephens says the targeted materials should be more effective than the old fire safety booklet aimed at the whole family.

The kids’ booklet is “very attractive”, he says, and one Manukau school has ordered 520 of the free copies.

Mr Stephens says the new materials, including leaflets on home sprinklers and a fire safety checklist, are timely given the bad run of fire deaths this year.

So far 28 people in New Zealand have died in fires compared with 13 last year.

“We’re not happy about it because the majority were preventable.”

Many of the fatal fires were in homes that had smoke alarms which weren’t working, he says.

Injury Free Counties Manukau groups are doing a good job with fire safety education, he says, and the district is below the national average for fires.

But he fears too many residents have become complacent about fire risks, especially the over-60s who are a high-risk group.

Mr Stephens says the value of working smoke alarms has been well proven with house fire callouts down from about 10,000 in 1996 to around 3500 last year.

“But people are becoming so lethargic about maintaining smoke alarms.”

It’s not just in the poorer areas either, he says, with some wealthy homeowners removing smoke alarms because they’re unsightly.

Too often people are only shocked into taking fire safety seriously after a fire in their own or a neighbour’s home, Mr Stephens says.

“We need to get over the attitude that it’s never going to happen to me.”

Injury Free Counties Manukau coordinator Lauren Van Coller says the new education materials will help local groups tailor the fire safety message to either child or adult audiences.

The new Flint and Amber kids’ characters are especially good because they “relate to kids more”, she says.

To read the full article click here.

By Pamela Constable – Washington Post

A Labrador retriever with a sharp nose helped his owners safely escape their burning home in Potomac early yesterday morning when his frantic barking awakened them minutes before smoke alarms went off.

The quick reaction by Jet, an adult black Lab who normally slept on a pillow in the kitchen near his basket of dog treats, also helped shave minutes off the response time for firefighters, allowing them to isolate the blaze in the garage and save most of the home, according to Montgomery County fire officials.

The owners, which county records identify as Steven and Lisa Kelber, could not be reached to comment yesterday. Part of their spacious red brick house in the 11600 block of Lake Potomac Drive was destroyed by the fire, which officials said caused about $1.2 million in damage. More than 75 firefighters battled the two-alarm blaze, containing it within half an hour.

Pete Piringer, spokesman for the Montgomery Fire and Rescue Service, said the fire began in the garage and was not suspicious. The garage and a second-story room above it were gutted, and three family vehicles were reduced to melted hulks.

“The smoke alarms did activate later, but fortunately the family pet started barking first, giving them an early warning,” Piringer said. “That dog did everything right.”

Piringer said the Kelbers and a visitor got out of the house uninjured and called 911 about 1:30 a.m. The couple have two children in their 20s, but they reportedly were not at home.

To read the full article click here.

ResidentialFireSprinklers.com is pleased to bring you a recorded audio interview with Steve Muncy, President of the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA).

Steve has an extensive career in the fire sprinkler industry. In 1988 he became the Executive Vice President of the American Fire Sprinkler Association where he served for three years before becoming AFSA’s President in 1991. In his career, Steve served for six years as the Chairman of the Residential Fire Safety Institute, six years on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Board of Directors, and was a founding member of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, where he currently serves as an active board member. In 2002 Steve Muncy was named Person of the Year by Fire Protection Contractor Magazine for his significant service, leadership, and advocacy to the fire protection industry.

In this 60 minute recorded interview, hosted by Ryan J. Smith, Steve shares his perspective on the growth of the fire sprinkler industry and the opportunities and challenges of the future. As an ardent supporter of residential fire sprinklers, Steve discusses the history and importance of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) from his unique perspective as a founding board member.

Whether you work in the fire protection industry or have a general interest in fire safety, this interview will expand your understanding of current industry developments and bring to your attention some of the best industry resources available to support fire protection.

“It’s Fire Prevention Week: Prevent Home Fires!” – October 5-11, 2008

Fire safety educators do their best to educate residents about ways to prevent fires in their communities. But as we all know, the highest level of vigilance regarding home fire safety may not be enough. According to the latest statistics from the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there were an estimated 396,000 reported home structure fires in the United States in 2006, resulting in 2,580 civilian deaths, 12,500 civilian injuries and $6.8 billion in direct damage.

Working smoke alarms and fire escape planning and practice are integral to keeping our families safe, but there is another element that you may want to add to your safety system – home fire sprinklers. In less time than it typically takes the fire department to arrive on the scene, properly-installed sprinklers can contain and even extinguish a home fire. That not only reduces property damage, it saves lives.

Because fire sprinkler systems react so quickly, they can dramatically reduce the heat, flames and smoke produced in a fire. Fire sprinklers have been around for more than a century, protecting commercial and industrial properties and public buildings, such as hotels, hospitals and high-rises. What most people don’t realize is that the same lifesaving technology that protects these buildings is also available for homes, where 80 percent of all fire deaths occur. When sprinklers are present, the chances of dying in a fire are reduced by more than one-half and the average property loss per fire is cut by one-third to two-thirds, compared to fires where sprinklers are not present.

Sprinklers can be installed by specially trained contractors. The best time to install sprinklers is when you are building a new home or remodeling an existing home. Nationally, installing sprinklers adds between 1 and 1.5% to the total cost of construction. Installing sprinklers during remodeling, known as “retrofitting,” generally costs more and the cost depends on the existing structure. Many insurance companies offer a range of discounts for homeowners with sprinkler systems, making comparison shopping worthwhile.

Unfortunately, there are many stubborn misconceptions about home fire sprinklers that make some homeowners reluctant to install sprinklers in their homes. These are the facts:

• It is extremely rare for sprinklers to operate accidentally. In a typical home, water damage will be considerably less from unwanted sprinkler discharges than from other plumbing mishaps.

• Cigar smoke and burned toast cannot cause a sprinkler to operate. Only the high temperature that results from a fire will activate the sprinkler.

• All the sprinklers do not activate at once. This scenario may be common in movies and TV shows, but it just isn’t true for residential fire sprinkler systems. Only the sprinkler closest to the fire activates. Ninety percent of the time, one sprinkler contains the fire.

Home fire sprinklers give you added protection from fire and peace of mind. Ask your builder about installing sprinklers in your home. Free information for both builders and homeowners is available online at www.homefiresprinkler.org.

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