Residential Fire Sprinklers .com

Protecting Your Home & Family

On Friday, December 11, the New Hampshire State Code Review Board voted in the majority to adopt the International Residential Code 2009 edition, including townhouse automatic fire sprinkler systems and one- and two-family dwellings automatic fire sprinkler systems; effective April 1, 2012. The New Hampshire Home Builders Association Representative, John Starr spoke vehemently against adoption while the New Hampshire Fire Chiefs’ Representatives Chief Corey Landry and Local Fire Marshal Michael Hoisington countered every negative remark in a passionate and professional manner. There was widespread support from the Board of Architects, Board of Engineers, New Hampshire Building Officials Association, Board of Licensing and Regulations of Plumbers, and the New Hampshire Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors Association.

The public hearing on adoption was originally held on October 23, 2009 with NFSA’s Buddy Dewar, Vice President of Regional Operations, and Tim Travers, New England Regional Manager submitting oral and written testimony; joined by the NFPA, the New Hampshire Fire Marshal, the New Hampshire Fire Chiefs Association, and Road Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 669.

According to Tim Travers, “the adoption is but one step in the process as several pieces of legislation have been filed for 2010 to prohibit the state building code, or any local amendment, from including a mandatory fire sprinkler system. This will severely impact “home rule”, which is sacred in NH and the NH fire service has vowed to prevent its passage.”

The last hurdle from the Independent Regulatory Review Commission came yesterday, as they recommended to Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor & Industry that the new International Residential Code be placed in effect 1\1\10 WITH NO RESTRICTIONS OMITTING SPRINKLERS.

A lot of people worked very hard to overcome the roadblocks placed by the NAHB. In general, the Fire Service, organized into the PA Residential Sprinkler Coalition co-chaired by John Waters and Tim Knisely from Upper Merion Twp (King of Prussia) and Centre Region Code (State College) led the fight. The sprinkler industry was primarily held back in a support role behind the scenes. Thanks also should go to Senate Advisory Panel members Aus Marberger and John Kampmeyer, from FPI and Triad Engineering, for the time and effort to attend numerous hearings, sometimes with almost no notice or time to prepare.

I’d personally like to also thank Ray Lonabaugh, NFSA Regional Manager, for not only his efforts directly in the political arena, but for his huge help in facilitating side by side burns to sway public opinion. We’d joined the NFSA to help support their Industry Promotion Fund, not realizing we’d be able to have this funding mechanism kick in and provide funding to realize the vision of some interested fire departments and the PennBOC Annual Convention demo.

There are others too numerous to name in any endeavor of this magnitude, and I certainly wasn’t in the middle of the political battle so I cannot know the amount of input from them- just that the end result- safe housing for Pennsylvanians – was realized.

We hope this passage sets the stage for other states to follow. We can afford safety, these systems can be done economically, and the time has now come for us to work with the builders and code officials to make the process work as we move into the implementation phase.

In my wildest dreams I did not ever think residential sprinklers would be required, its too simple and effective. Future generations may read the occasional fire death story and think wow- that must have been an old house to not have sprinklers in it!

Click the following to view Document 2804 from the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance is seeking written public comments relating to the cost and effectiveness of sprinkler equipment in one-family and two-family dwellings in areas where residential sprinklers are in use.

In conjunction with its administrative role implementing Governor Phil Bredesen’s Future Clean Energy Act of 2009 and at the direction of the General Assembly, the Department is conducting an analysis regarding the cost and effectiveness of sprinkler equipment in one-family and two-family dwellings in areas where residential sprinklers are in use and will report the results of such analysis to the General Assembly on or before May 1, 2010.

In accordance with Chapter 529 of the Public Acts of 2009, the Department is specifically requesting written input from any interested parties.

It is requested that all written materials be provided to the Department by December 31, 2009. Materials may be sent by e-mail, addressed to Assistant Fire Commissioner Jim.Pillow@tn.gov or by mail addressed to:

Jim Pillow
Assistant Commissioner
Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance
ATTN: Residential Sprinkler Analysis
500 James Robertson Parkway, 3 rd Floor
Nashville, TN 37243.

By Tonya Bina – Sky-Hi Daily News

Grand County Commissioners adopted the 2009 International Building Codes with something new by way of a sprinkler-system mandate.

Starting 2013 in Grand County, sprinkler systems will be required in townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes of new construction as part of the updated codes.

But commissioners opted to exclude single-family detached residential housing from the sprinkler-system section of the code, citing cost, in spite of the local firefighting community’s plea to keep it included.

East Grand Fire Chief Todd Holzwarth argued that mandating sprinkler systems in all structures could create trade-offs in needed infrastructure during development. If sprinkler systems were guaranteed, he said, fire districts might reduce storage requirements and be more forgiving with accesses, street widths and switchbacks. And, with sprinkler-system mandates for single-family residences now in the IBC, their cost eventually may go down, he said.

Sprinkler systems also promote the conservation of water, according to East Grand Firefighter Dennis Soles. Without sprinklers in homes, fire districts may use about “ten times” more water to put out a house fire, which would create “ten times the water pollution and air pollution,” he said.

Holzwarth estimated there have been four fatalities from fires in single-family homes in Grand County from 1979 to 2009.

Mandating sprinkler systems may be premature, according to insurance agent Kirk Arnold of Granby.

Fire districts now have the opportunity to educate homeowners about sprinkler systems, he said, and any homeowner can install them on their own without a law. According to his research, insurance companies are offering home insurance discounts from 1.5 percent to about 7 percent for sprinkler systems in homes.

To read the full article click here.

In today’s meeting of the International Code Council (ICC) in Baltimore, Maryland, proposals made to eliminate the requirement for residential fire sprinklers in the International Residential Code (IRC) were defeated. These requirements were included in the 2009 IRC, to become effective January 1, 2011. Proposals to modify the 2012 International Residential Code included RB 54, which would have removed the mandatory requirement and made it an optional provision, RB 56, which would delete sprinkler requirements for townhomes and one- and two-family occupancies and move P2904 back to the appendix, making the requirement optional; and RB 57, which would have completely removed the sprinkler requirements from these residential occupancies.

The final action on these issues will be voted upon at the May 2010 meeting of ICC, at which only building officials and code enforcers can vote. However, today’s vote was an important win for residential fire safety because it will force homebuilders and their allies to get two-thirds vote to over-ride these sprinkler requirements at the May ICC meeting, which is considered unlikely.

From Ronny J. Coleman, President of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Words cannot describe how great if feels to have won the sprinkler vote again in Baltimore. Even better, to our surprise, we won the committee vote by a margin of 7 to 4. EVERY member of the IRC Committee not representing NAHB voted in favor of sprinklers!

Thanks to EVERYONE who took part in and supported this historic event!!!

By LISA LAVIA RYAN – DesMoinesRegister.com

It’s far too early to determine where the city of Johnston will land regarding proposed rules governing sprinkler requirements in residences, Johnston’s fire chief told the City Council last week.

International Residential Code sprinkler requirements announced recently mandate installing residential fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family homes effective Jan. 1, 2011.

Some entities, including the state fire marshal and the Iowa Building Code Commissioner, are recommending that implementation of that law be delayed two years. If that happens, Johnston and other cities will have to determine how their communities will respond to the news, Jim Krohse said.

Krohse is part of an ad-hoc committee of fire chiefs of local communities. The group has been discussing the issue and will continue to update local councils on the sprinkler rules, he said.

“Every one of us is waiting to see where the state goes to determine where we go from here,” Krohse said. “A number of entities think an extension would be appropriate, but it’s too soon to predict where this will go. I imagine it will have a fairly significant statewide impact.”

Currently, the city of Johnston requires that fire sprinklers be installed in any one- or two-family home or townhome larger than 8,000 square feet. Apartment and condominium buildings are exempt from that requirement.

Because Johnston already has sprinkler regulations in place, any impact on residents – no matter when the mandate takes effect – won’t be as large as it is likely to be in cities with no sprinkler laws on the books, Krohse said

“The only real change will be that all residential dwellings, not just those exceeding 8,000 square feet, will have to install sprinklers,” Krohse said.

To read the full article click here.

By Kathleen Sprouse – KBIA

The city of Kirkville plans to require all new homes beginning in 2012 to have fire sprinklers. The city council approved the new code this week requiring sprinklers in duplexes and single family houses. Kirksville’s codes and planning director, Brad Selby says many apartment complexes are already required to have fire sprinklers so adding houses is not surprising.

“Eighty percent of all fires, structure fires are in residential structures. And, this would prevent that, this is a way of saving lives, I think this is a good thing.”

The measure was approved four to one. Council member Aaron Rodgerson was the one no vote. He used to build homes in Kansas City and says he does not think people should be forced to install sprinklers especially because of the already high costs in building a new home.

“If someone came to me and said, you know, I’m going to build a home and I could build it without the sprinkler system, it is going to cost a couple thousand dollars more with sprinkler system.” I would probably, personally not put a sprinkler system in.”

To read the full article click here.

By Eric Lindberg – The Daily Sound

Fire sprinklers will become an integral part of construction in Santa Barbara after city leaders unanimously agreed to require new homes and commercial buildings to install sprinkler systems, a mandate that also applies to major remodels or additions.

After the concept took several laps through the approval process — particularly to answer concerns from the community about the increased cost of a sprinkler installation — the city council deemed the proposal had been thoroughly vetted and made sense from a safety standpoint.

“Although we lose more homes to wildfires, we lose more people to home fires,” Councilmember Das Williams said.

The new code requirement, which will be officially adopted next week as a procedural matter, mandates sprinklers in all new buildings regardless of square footage, although small utility buildings are exempt.

Residential remodels or additions involving 75 percent of the total square footage would also trigger the sprinkler requirement, as would commercial renovations or additions larger than 50 percent of the floor area.

The issue of cost cropped up during the hearing when several community members questioned the need to impose more expensive requirements on construction projects in Santa Barbara, an area already struggling in the arena of affordable housing.

“There is no question that this ordinance would add to the cost of construction in Santa Barbara, perhaps by as much as $7,500 per unit,” said Lanny Ebenstein, president of the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association.

City officials, however, noted that insurance carriers typically offer discounts on fire policies in the range of 2 to 20 percent if sprinkler systems are installed.

“It’s obvious this is an increase in construction costs, but there’s also a gain in reduced insurance costs,” Williams said, adding that the concept had been thoroughly reviewed during stakeholder meetings. “This was not considered onerous by our local Realtors,” he said.

Fire Marshal Joe Poire touted the lifesaving benefits of fire sprinklers, telling city leaders that homeowners are 82 percent less likely to be killed in a house fire if they have functioning sprinklers and smoke detectors.

He also addressed comments from a few public speakers asking for the city to consider an ordinance requiring residents in high-fire hazard areas to build exterior fire protection systems, such as rooftop sprinklers, rather than interior sprinkler systems.

“You are much more likely to be killed by a fire in your home than a Tea Fire or Jesusita fire,” Poire said.

The fire marshal noted concerns about sufficient water flow to single-family homes that had fire sprinklers installed. Questions had been raised during public meetings about whether the standard 5/8-inch water meter would provide enough pressure to supply a sprinkler system.

“Unfortunately, we can’t answer that in every single instance,” Poire said, explaining that it depends on a number of factors, such as the height of the building and how much distance the water pipe covers. However, he added, “I can’t remember the last time it failed to meet the water flow requirement.”

Should a 5/8-inch meter be deemed insufficient for a specific home, he said the homeowner could install an onsite water supply and pumps, connect to a larger meter, or build a dedicated fireline.

Upgrading to a larger meter or trenching for a new fireline would include one-time costs between $2,000 and $9,200, city officials said.

Councilmember Dale Francisco said he had been initially opposed to the proposed requirement, but decided to offer his support after hearing from fire officials in prior meetings and noting the amount of public input that had taken place.

However, he warned that it is growing increasingly difficult to gauge the value of incrementally improving safety through building code requirements at the cost of making construction more expensive.

“We are reaching a point of diminishing returns,” Francisco said.

Mayor Marty Blum likened the fire sprinkler requirement to mandating that automobiles include seatbelts, recalling her father saying years ago that he didn’t want seatbelts in his car simply because he didn’t want them.

“I think this is the same kind of thing in some ways, because it’s a safety issue,” she said.

To read the full article click here.

By Carol Hazard – Madison Messenger

Builders in Virginia won’t be required to install sprinkler systems in new homes—at least for now.

Firefighters hope that will change, as the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development considers whether to adopt regulations regarding residential sprinkler systems.

The board voted Monday, after a public hearing, to move proposals for residential sprinklers through the regulatory process in Virginia.

Firefighters say sprinkler systems save lives. Home builders say the requirement would add thousands of dollars to the cost of homes in an already soft market.

A final decision on the regulation and whether it will be optional or mandatory is expected in the spring, said Hollie Cammarasana, spokeswoman for the Virginia board.

Firefighters argue that the installation of sprinkler systems is already optional. Builders want to keep it that way. “As long as it is an option, we are not opposed,“ said Barrett Hardiman, spokesman for the Home Builders Association of Virginia.

The debate was sparked by the International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, which approved a code this year calling for the installation of fire sprinkler systems in new oneand two-family homes.

Several localities across the country, including Prince George’s County, Md., and Scottsdale, Ariz., have adopted mandatory home-sprinkler regulations. No state has adopted the requirement.

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is opposed to mandating the installation of fire sprinklers in new single-family houses, duplexes and town houses of three stories or less.

“Our greatest concern is with how an increase in the cost of production will damage efforts to develop more affordable housing and how that would affect economic development in Virginia,“ said Tyler Craddock, a chamber spokesman.

Art Lipscomb, spokesman for the Virginia Professional Firefighters, compared the argument against sprinkler systems to the same claims made in the 1970s by the auto industry regarding air bags.

The argument then was that air bags would make cars too expensive for most people, he said. But the cost and safety of air bags are no longer disputed.

The average cost to repair fire damage in a house with a sprinkler system is $2,900, compared with $40,000 without a system, Lipscomb said.

The initial cost for a home with a sprinkler system would be higher, but the higher price could be recouped in lower insurance premiums, he said.

The cost is a subject of debate. Firefighters claim the national average to install a system is an additional $1.60 per square foot.

Kevin McNulty, president of Lifestyle Builders & Developers Inc. in Midlothian, estimated the cost at $2.66 a square foot, which would add $5,000 to the cost of an 1,800-square-foot home.

“And that assumes the house in on a public water and sewer system,“ McNulty said.

A house in a rural area with a well-water system would cost even more, because a holding tank and separate system would be necessary, he said.

“We don’t need the additional stress on the home-building industry and the consumers, especially in this environment,“ McNulty said.

The building industry has suffered through one its worst declines in decades.

“We don’t believe it’s a cost-effective way to deal with a public-safety issue,“ McNulty said. The focus should be on properly functioning smoke detectors, he said.

Charlottesville Fire Chief Charles Werner, spokesman for the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association, said the argument shouldn’t be all or nothing.

“Home builders and firefighters need to come together to see if we can come up with a middle ground,“ he said.

It’s important to sort out the truths and the myths, Werner said. “The most important thing is to start a dialogue. The issue is complex and emotional.“

Monday’s board decision calls for creating work groups that represent different interests to come up with a consensus position and a recommendation to the board.

To read the full article click here.

By Josh Morgan – Cheshire Herald

Approximately 40 homes in Cheshire are already equipped with fire suppression sprinkler systems, but that number was increased recently when a development was completed in town and local fire department authorities are applauding the action.

“There are certain criteria that has to be met to require residential sprinklers,” explained Cheshire Fire Chief Jack Casner. “But the majority of fire deaths occur in one and two family homes.”

In 2007, there were more than 400,000 residential structure fires that resulted in more than 2,600 deaths and nearly five times as many injuries. With over $7 billion worth of fire damage caused nationally in 2007, Casner believes those numbers could have been greatly reduced if residential sprinklers were prevalent in many homes.

“This could be the answer because new or old houses still burn,” Casner said. “Sprinklers can bridge the lag time from the call to our arrival on the scene. Sprinklers help keep the fire in check and a family could escape.”

Local developer Phillip Bowman recently completed “Cook Hill Crossing,” a three-lot subdivision off of Cook Hill Road. He installed sprinklers in each one of the homes and consulted with the fire department throughout the entire process. He had the option of extending the water mains and installing fire hydrants, but because of the deep access to one of the homes, sprinklers would have been required anyway, Bowman said. The sprinklers are not noticeable from the walls or ceilings because the heads are covered with a plate and will only shoot out when the temperature hits 135 degrees.

According to the United States Fire Administration, adding a sprinkler system in new construction could cost between $1 and $2 a square foot. For a 2,000 square foot home, a system would cost an additional $2,000 to $4,000. For homeowners, insurance benefits can be obtained by having fire suppression sprinklers. Bowman said it “wasn’t overly expensive” to add the sprinklers, but added that it “wasn’t cheap either.”

“It’s not that big of a deal from an installation standpoint, there are just extra costs,” Bowman said. “However, (the cost) is not really a (project) killer.”

Casner said Bowman was “one of the first developers to talk specifics” with the department, which proved to be beneficial during the process.

“There are still a lot of myths out there about sprinklers, like, if one goes off they all go off soaking the entire house. That’s only in Hollywood.” Casner explained. “Sprinklers might not extinguish the fire, but they buy time to get you out of the house. They save lives.”

Fire Marshall Jeff Boland said sprinkler systems are a “big deal” and are second to residential fire safety only to smoke detectors. Boland explained that there were currently no federal or state building codes or mandates for developers to install sprinklers, but a change could be on the horizon. An addition in 2008 to the International Residential Code requires new one or two family homes to be equipped with fire suppression sprinklers, but the state is still relying on the 2003 regulations, Boland explained. There is a contingent of lobbyists against the regulation and believe it should be voluntary, not mandatory, to install the sprinklers.

“It’s always been voluntary,” Boland said. “It’s not a law, it’s just a standard.”

Casner said that, when a new home is being constructed, owners usually think of the niceties, such a marble counter tops and hardwood flooring, but for a fraction of that price, sprinklers could be installed and might save their lives. Casner said sprinklers are required in schools, hospitals, museums, and other commercial buildings, but doesn’t understand why they couldn’t be installed in residential properties.

“There are so many options and things to spend money on, people should think about spending the money on sprinklers,” Casner said. “Most structure fires are residential, so sprinklers provide another level of comfort. For what they cost, it’s a relatively small price to pay.”

Bowman added that anytime an addition like sprinklers is added to a home, the cost is built into the sale price or “the builder eats it.” He said he has heard of potential changes to the code and hoped that people would educate themselves on residential sprinkler systems before making decisions.

“The costs are passed on but, at the same time, looking at the big picture, all it takes is for someone’s life to be saved and it will all be worth it,” Bowman said. “At the end of the day, that’s what really matters. They are being put in for a good reason.”

To read the full article click here.