Advocating Residential Fire Sprinklers

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Chapter 15

• Advocating Residential Fire Sprinklers

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Introduction

• Initiative 15 addresses both fire prevention code
  enforcement and promoting residential fire
  sprinklers
• Recent changes approved to the national model
  building code is sure to bring the adoption of
  more state residential sprinkler mandates
• We should work diligently to find ways to get
  fire suppression systems in all buildings,
  whether they are required or not

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• Advocacy must be strengthened for the enforcement
  of codes and the installation of home fire
  sprinklers

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLERS
• Overview
• Statistics
• Design improvements
• Cost
• Governing authority requirements
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLERS
• NFPA 13D
• Overview
• Simplifies for residential use
• Intent
• Save lives and property
• Consider the financial impact of such systems on
  homeowners
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLERS
• NFPA 13D
• Design factors
• Wet system
• Dry system
• Pre-action system
• Cost savings

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• THE OPPOSITION
• Background
• International Code Council (ICC)
• International Residential Code (IRC)
• NFPA 13D
• Opponents
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• THE OPPOSITION
• Cost
• Building industry
• Value
• Personal interest
• Law of supply and demand
• Cost will lower over time
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• THE OPPOSITION
• Water availability
• Valid concern
• Sprinkler head discharge rates
• Minimum flow rates
• NFPA 13 versus 13D
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• THE OPPOSITION
• Water damage
• Misconceptions
• Water damage from operating head
• Clean water damage
• Water damage from system leak
• Insurance company concerns
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• THE OPPOSITION
• Resale value
• Realtor awareness of value
• Freedom of choice
• Political beliefs
• Personal choice
• Well being of the public
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• THE OPPOSITION
• Need
• Facts
• Life safety
• Actual fire damage
• Actual water damage

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• DIFFERENT PATHS
• Code enforcement
• Overview
• Plan review
• Fire inspections
• Fire investigations
• Fire and life safety education
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• DIFFERENT PATHS
• Adoption of sprinkler mandates
• National level laws
• Need to adopt at state and local level
• Reduction in civilian deaths
• Reduce severity of fires
• Reduce risk to firefighters
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• DIFFERENT PATHS
• Sprinkler advocacy
• Public promotions
• Trade-offs
• Planning phase
• Zoning
• Negotiating with water department
• Cont.

Courtesy of Lt. Rob Gandee
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Life Safety Initiative 15

• DIFFERENT PATHS
• Future approaches
• Home design
• Aesthetics and efficiency
• Rural sprinkler components
• Tanks
• New designs
• Cont.

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Life Safety Initiative 15

• DIFFERENT PATHS
• Ease of retrofitting
• Partial protection
• Remodeling projects
• Liability
• Protecting firefighters
• Retrofitting equipment

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Summary

• We now have a national building code to assist us
  in getting residential fire sprinklers installed
  in all-new construction
• We need to convince the public that residential
  sprinkler systems are exactly what we need
• Need to increase our support of retrofitting
  sprinkler systems for existing buildings
• We need to look at new ideas in an effort to
  protect civilian and firefighter lives immediately

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