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Cliff Whitfield, SET Fire Design, Inc. 3784 Holly Ridge Trail Marianna, FL 32448 www.fire-design.com -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Frank Herrick Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 4:14 PM To: '[email protected]' Subject: Residential fire sprinklers in GA. Here is a copy of my letter to Fine Homebuilding Magazine, ironic that homebuilders sell granite countertops every day, but will say that a sprinkler system is too expensive. Fine Homebuilding Magazine The Taunton Press 63 South Main Street P.O. Box 5506 Newton, CT. 06470-5506 E-mail: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing concerning a letter in your March 2010 edition, from Mr. Robert A. Meyer about the perceived hurdle in using residential fire sprinklers in affordable homes. As a fire service professional and a paramedic with over 25 years of experience I can tell you exactly what will happen in a home without fire sprinklers. Furthermore I can tell you that the two most likely places these residents will relocate to: the burn center or the morgue. As far as price is concerned, the nationwide the average for the installation of a residential fire sprinkler system is $1.61 per square foot. Habitat for Humanity homes are no more than 1050 square feet. My math says that comes to $1,680. I doubt the NAHB or Mr. Meyer has the plight of the homeless nearest their heart when they resist fire sprinklers. The poor, in fact, die in far higher proportions than those who dwell in the stylish homes gracing the pages of Fine Homebuilding. They deserve better than to be trotted out as a fig leaves for an industry accustomed to pushing the margins of luxury for its profitability. The economies of sprinkler avoidance have always been a tall tale. Any burn or respiratory injury that a requires admission to a hospital will cost many times the cost of a sprinkler system; ditto for the replacement of personal belongings and the cascade of other externalized costs associated with a builder's upfront savings. Consider even the average cost of a funeral compared to the cost of a sprinkler system. You get the point. The damage to homes or apartments equipped with a fire sprinkler system has been $4,000 compared that with a loss of $17,000 per fire in non sprinkler homes. In 2009 home fires caused 2,755 deaths and 13,560 injuries. Your argument is we can't afford sprinklers, my answer is we can't afford not to install fire sprinkler in every home in America. Sincerely, Captain Frank J. Herrick Firefighter/Paramedic Certified Arson Investigator FRANK J. HERRICK CITY OF LEAWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE FIRE MARSHAL 14801 MISSION ROAD LEAWOOD, KS. 66224-9560 OFFICE: 913.681.6788 x 26 FAX: 913.681.2399 Fire Sprinklers Save Lives, Property, the Environment, and Water - Protect what you value most! _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.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) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.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)
