Came across this on another forum... http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20099301&BRD=2754&PAG=461&dept At the August 11 Bixby City Council meeting, council voted unanimously to oppose a recommendation made by the International Codes Council (ICC) to mandate fire sprinklers in all new residential housing.
Concerns included the possibility of language used in the mandate which would prevent changes in the future, dangers that sprinklers can cause, and the rise in the cost of housing if sprinklers are mandated for every new residence. The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) Research Center said the median cost of installing fire sprinklers is approximately $5,574 which does not include the costs of increased permit, tap and inspection fees construction costs or maintenance. City Manager Micky Webb said the local homebuilders association is against having sprinklers put into every residential house built and feel there are other ways to deal with fire safety. Councilor Joe Williams said sprinklers should not be mandated for residential homes and duplexes. He moved to oppose the recommendation. Councilor Tom Daniels said that sprinklers are not foolproof; they can go off and create a lot of damage. Scott Sherrill, present at the council meeting, previously chair of the Bixby Planning Commission, said that sprinklers are neither cost nor safety efficient. "Houses are better regulated now," he said. Most residential fires are caught by smoke and/or heat detectors. Vice Mayor Dennis Loudermilk said sprinklers are also susceptible to freezing which can create further problems. Sherrill added that defective heads in sprinkler systems in homes can cause extensive damage, giving one example of water having blown a hole in a wall 14 feet away in an apartment building. The International Codes Council (ICC) will have its final action hearings in late September where several building code issues, including fire sprinklers, will be considered as additions to the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC). The Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa, which includes builders in Bixby, are encouraging others NOT to require sprinklers in all new housing. The Home Builders Association does support fire safety programs for residential construction which is practical and cost-effective. The U. S. Center for Disease Control data shows that the fire death rate-per-million persons from house fires dropped eight percent between 1979 and 2003 although the population was growing at the same time. That was credited to safer construction materials and codes, good pubic education and implementation of other fire safety initiatives. In 88 percent of fatal fires in single family homes, there was no working smoke detector. United State Fire Fighters Association information shows that 57 percent of the reported residential fires where sprinklers were present were too small to activate the fire sprinklers. In one study the sprinklers failed to operate 68 percent of the time. Steven Smith, CFPS | Fire Protection Engineer II Colorado Springs Fire Department | Office of the Fire Marshal Technical Services | 719-385-7362 _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
