Residential Fire Sprinklers .com

Protecting Your Home & Family

By Eric Lindberg – The Daily Sound

Fire sprinklers will be a mandatory requirement for any new buildings, additions and major remodels in Santa Barbara after leaders unanimously approved changes to the city’s fire code yesterday in an effort to minimize loss of life and unnecessary damage.

In addition to commercial buildings, the requirement will apply to all new single-family homes, a significant fact considering that residential structure fires account for 83 percent of fire-related deaths and 80 percent of fire-related injuries.

“This does mean a real cost to people,” Councilmember Das Williams said. “But the fact is that the lives that will be saved, we cannot put a cost on.”

Data backs up the contention that fire sprinklers save lives and limit damage, City Fire Marshal Joe Poire said, pointing out research that shows the risk of dying in a structure fire is reduced by 82 percent when sprinklers are used in conjunction with smoke detectors, compared to a reduced fatality rate of 63 percent with only smoke detectors.

“They often complete the work before the fire department arrives,” Poire said.

On average, it takes city firefighters approximately eight minutes to respond to a structure fire, from receiving the alarm call to hitting the flames with water.

“During that time, the fire continues to grow,” Poire said. “Fires tend to grow very quickly in ordinary combustibles, like furniture.”

A sprinkler responding to the heat of a fire will dump 20 gallons of water per minute on the flames, he said, usually extinguishing them or buying critical time until firefighters can arrive.

Fire sprinklers played a significant role in saving the life of a resident in the 4200 block of Calle Real last year, Poire said. An accidental fire started in the residence and the victim was unconscious on a burning mattress when an overhead sprinkler extinguished the flames.

“This would have absolutely resulted in a fatality had a sprinkler not been installed,” Poire said, adding that the victim sustained only minor injuries.

Under the prior fire code, fire sprinklers were required for new commercial construction or additions greater than 5,000 square feet, in addition to any commercial buildings larger than 5,000 square feet that are converted to a more hazardous use.

Residential buildings, as well as remodels, were not subject to the requirement.

When the changes go into effect in July, all new residential and commercial buildings, regardless of size, will need sprinklers. Any commercial additions or remodels involving 50 percent or more of the building will also trigger the safety measure.

Additions or remodels in residential structures that exceed 1,000 square feet or 50 percent of the floor area are also covered by the requirement, as well as any building changed to a more hazardous use.

Fire officials researched the approximate cost of installing fire sprinklers in the Santa Barbara area and determined it would fall between $2.50 and $3 per square foot. Poire noted that sprinklers typically reduce fire insurance premiums from 2 to 20 percent.

He also cleared up several myths about fire sprinklers, including the contention that they are all triggered at once by smoke, causing water damage throughout the building

He said sprinklers go off individually based on heat, not smoke. Poire said the relatively lower flow of water compared to fire hoses also causes much less damage.

Although he admitted to being initially skeptical of the requirement, as it would increase the cost of building new homes, Councilmember Dale Francisco said he ultimately determined that the safety measure is warranted.

“I eventually came to the conclusion that this was a good proposal,” he said. “I think this is something that we will look back on and say it was a good idea.”

To read the full article click here.

By Scott McDonnell – WSHM-TV

The family that lived in the unit where the fire started at Meadowbrook Apartments in Northampton told us how it happened, and the fire chief explained why it grew out of control.

Residents of the Meadowbrook Apartments in Northampton displaced by Monday’s fire are pretty much left with nothing. They’re now focusing on the simple things, getting clothes and finding a place to sleep Tuesday night.

“When I walked out the door and saw the flames I just ran,” said resident Leslie Lapoint

The fire that burned 21 people out of their homes started in Leslie La Point’s apartment. Her son Josh says a friend of family tossed a cigarette into a wastebasket.

“The fire started in my sister’s room, her boyfriend put an ash tray with a couple of cigarettes”

Someone tried to fight it with a fire extinguisher, but the flames spread quickly from their second floor apartment to the entire three- story building.

By the time Northampton firefighters arrived, the fire had grown out of control, because there were no sprinklers to stop it.

“The thing that would have controlled the fire better than anything else would have been on individual sprinkler head in the apartment of origin,” said Fire Chief Brian Duggan.

If this complex was built recently, it’s possible only one apartment would have been damaged, and not a dozen.

But the Meadowbrook apartments, built back in 1973, were not required by law to have sprinklers installed.

For Chyrstal and Miguel Candelaria, who lived directly above the apartment where the fire started, a legal loophole cost them everything they own.

“Wedding dresses, couches, allot of memories, computers filled with memories from like ten years, I had a hard drive filled our pictures filled with the child’s birthdays, coats, we lost everything.”

Digital photo albums are now ashes. Pictures of long lost family members, the only remaining portraits of mothers, fathers, grandparents as memories fade away

“Those” things were all that was left to remind them.”

For such a Massive amount of destruction, pain and loss, it makes the small, thoughtless cause of the fire more difficult to swallow.

“We lost everything, we don’t even have an apartment”, said Josh Lapoint

There’s no ordinance on the books in Northampton that requires property owners to add fire sprinklers, but as a renter, it’s something you may want to look for.

To read the full article click here.

Legislative efforts preserve rights of local communities to create strongest fire safety requirements

Leading fire service advocates in Ohio and Maine have successfully protected the rights of communities in their states to adopt residential fire sprinklers and other important safety provisions.

Advocates in Ohio stripped a state bill of legislative language that would have prohibited a state board and local communities from making important decisions about a wide range of fire safety requirements – including the use of home fire sprinklers. A recent amendment to Ohio House Bill 2 would have taken several steps to prevent the implementation of important, life-saving fire safety requirements.

The Ohio legislative language would have effectively removed significant authority from the Ohio Board of Building Standards – the board that has long formulated, adopted and amended the state’s building and construction code and given that authority to the state’s Residential Construction Advisory Committee. At the same time, the amendment would have increased the influence of the Ohio Home Builders’ Association on appointments to the Residential Construction Advisory Committee. The proposed language also would have prohibited any jurisdiction in the state from adopting any fire safety provision that would be stronger than the statewide code requirements.

“This amendment would have severely limited the ability of the Ohio Board of Building Standards to adopt requirements for home fire sprinklers and other important safety advances in Ohio,” said Assistant Chief Bob Bates, Madison Township Fire Department and the legislative committee chair for the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association. “When the facts about this amendment became clear, the fire service worked quickly to stop it, preserving the ability of the Board of Building Standards and local communities to make decisions based on what is in the best interests of public safety.”

In Maine, several state fire service groups and fire safety advocates recently appeared at a public hearing held by the Business, Research and Economic Development (BRED) Committee of the Maine Legislature to discuss Legislative Document 440 – An Act Regarding Exceptions to the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. This bill would have exempted residential one- and two-family dwellings from the provisions of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. This would have effectively eliminated the residential sprinkler provisions in the state building code and, by default, the ability of local communities in the state to adopt such provisions on their own. The committee did not move the bill forward at a work session held subsequent to the hearing.

The proposed legislation in Maine and Ohio were just two of the latest in series of legislative attempts across the country to prevent the use of sprinklers and other important safety enhancements. Fire safety advocates across the country have been battling statutory efforts to prohibit residential sprinklers in at least 16 states. An anti-sprinkler proposal was defeated earlier this year in Illinois.

“The fire service has worked hard to protect the rights of communities to utilize the proven life-saving technology of residential sprinklers,” said Jim Shannon, president of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). “Unfortunately, calculated legislative efforts by sprinkler opponents continue to pose a real threat to public safety.”

According to the NFPA, approximately 80 percent of all fires occur in homes; however, when home fire sprinklers are present, the chances of dying in a home fire decrease by about 80 percent. Home fire sprinklers control heat, smoke and flames allowing occupants time to escape and giving firefighters a safer environment. Roughly 90 percent of the time, fires are contained by the operation of just one sprinkler. When sprinklers are not present, the fire can burn for minutes, raging out of control, filling the home with toxic smoke and resulting in far greater losses. A recent NFPA report states that sprinklers reduce the average property loss by 71 percent per fire. All model safety codes now call for the installation of residential sprinklers in new home construction.

Anyone interested in public safety and learning more about home fire sprinklers can visit www.firesprinklerinitiative.org and also visit links to other organizations that support home fire sprinklers.

Webinar presentation will educate participants on the use of multipurpose systems in residential fire sprinkler installation and why this is becoming the most cost effective solution.

A new webinar has been prepared by Fire Smarts, LLC on behalf of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) to inform contractors across the nation about the use of multipurpose systems in residential construction and how these systems can present a competitive business advantage for the plumbing contractor. The webinar is part of the Online Business Management Training offered by the PHCC.

The “Introduction To Multipurpose Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems” webinar will be presented by Jayson Drake, Uponor’s Sr. Product Manager for Fire Safety Systems, on April 22, 2009 at 3:00pm EST. Mr. Drake will educate participants on the NFPA 13D fire sprinkler standard as it applies to multipurpose systems and how these systems can give the plumbing contractor a competitive advantage when competing for this work by reducing the cost of installation. Further, participants will be introduced to the advantages and disadvantages of working with the PEX tubing commonly used in multipurpose systems.

“As the 2009 International Residential Code, which includes residential fire sprinkler requirements, is adopted as law, home builders and homeowners alike will demand innovation to drive down the cost of residential fire sprinkler systems,” said Ryan J. Smith, President of Fire Smarts, LLC. “The multipurpose system presents a compelling solution with all the characteristics needed to become the homebuilders ‘system of choice’ as this market continues to develop.”

The multipurpose system is ideal for plumbing contractors to install as the system piping serves both fire protection and domestic plumbing needs. In a market that has been projected to exceed $3 billion a year in the “Residential Fire Sprinklers Market Growth and Labor Demand Analysis” published by Fire Smarts, LLC in September 2008, there is a significant opportunity available for plumbing contractors who are capable of installing multipurpose systems. A growing number of industry experts agree that multipurpose systems, combined with plumbing contractor labor, will play a critical role in delivering cost-effective systems to meet the residential fire sprinkler code requirements.

“There is a lot of interest by PHCC members in this new market,” said Ike Casey, PHCC’s Executive Vice President. “We cannot afford to lose this market—especially in the current economy. I encourage all PHCC members and potential members to participate.”

Registration is open to all interested parties and PHCC members receive a discounted tuition rate for the course. For more information and to register for this webinar visit the PHCC Meeting Registration Website. This webinar is the second in a series of residential fire sprinkler educational and training opportunities that will be offered by the PHCC.

About PHCC: The PHCC – National Association is the oldest trade association in the construction industry and the premiere organization for the plumbing, heating and cooling professional. Since 1883, PHCC has been the leader in promotion, advancement, education and training. Today PHCC has more than 4100 contractor members from open and union shops, who work in the residential, commercial, new construction, industrial and service and repair industry segments.

About Fire Smarts, LLC: Fire Smarts, LLC is a leading provider of fire protection educational and training resources. The company operates the home fire protection resource website, Residential Fire Sprinklers .com , frequently publishes articles and reports on the latest industry developments and utilizes its team of Fire Smarts Faculty members to create custom training solutions for contractors, fire and building officials, and business organizations.

House Bill 1511 will prohibit jurisdictions from enforcing ANY law that would mandate fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family dwellings that are less than 7,500 square feet in area. Texas home builders have leveraged connections in the legislature to initiate and push this unprecedented assault on home rule.

If HB 1511 becomes law, cities, counties and emergency service districts will lose authority to determine the best approach to providing fire safety based on local conditions. Although this bill specifically targets residential fire sprinklers, it sets a precedent for the legislature to enact virtually any targeted code amendment to satisfy a special interest group. Imagine home builders’ future attacks on fire hydrants, fire department access roads and other perceived “impediments” to unregulated development, any of which might be next.

HB 1511 has momentum. Against opposition by the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, the Texas Fire Marshals’ Association, the Texas Firemen’s and Fire Marshal’s Association; the Building Officials Association of Texas, the Texas Municipal League and others, the House Committee on Insurance voted 9-0 to pass the bill. Next stop is the House Calendars Committee, which has authority to schedule it for consideration by the full House of Representatives.

Why oppose HB 1511:

- Supporters of HB 1511 would rescind the Texas tradition of “Home Rule” whereby local officials and citizens, those most intimately familiar with their specific need, are allowed to determine the best fire and building code requirements to address their unique circumstance.

- The fire service, building officials and municipalities oppose HB1511 because it would remove local control and self-determination.

- HB1511 is intrusive and an overreach. Rejecting HB1511 will maintain the current
practice of Texas localities making their own decisions, as they have for decades.

- Under the current system, localities adopt only what they determine to be the best policy, rule or law for the protection of their community.

- HB 1511 prohibits localities from protecting citizens and properties from the menace of fire with the most effective technology known to reduce loss of life and property to fire, residential sprinklers.

Click on the following to view the full Texas HB1511 Legislative Alert