The International Code Council's Appeals Board Upholds Mandating Fire Sprinklers in New Single-Family Homes


ICC's Sprinkler Vote Found to be Fair

The International Code Council's Appeals Board unanimously found no wrong doing in the Sept. 21 vote on IRC Proposal RB64-07/08 mandating fire sprinklers in new single-family homes, according to recent news postings from both Firehouse.com and FirefighterClosecalls.com.

The board's decision will be forwarded to the ICC and voted on by its board of directors at a meeting scheduled for next Friday in Las Vegas.

If the denial of the appeal is upheld by ICC's Board of Directors, the International Residential Code will required the installation of fire sprinklers in single family homes beginning Jan. 1, 2011. The IRC is the model code governing residential construction in 46 states plus the District of Columbia.

Following the resolution's passing in September, the National Association of Homebuilders filed an appeal on Oct. 30, contending that the ICC failed to provide a balance of interest in voting. The letter of appeal stated the ICC did not "prevent a single interest group, specifically the fire service, from unfairly dominating the voting at the final action hearings."

One argument made by the NAHB during the appeal hearing at the appeal hearing was that they didn't believe volunteer members of the fire service should have been allowed to vote, according to O'Brian. He said many career members of the fire service in attendance at the appeal hearing spoke out in support of the right of volunteer firefighters to vote during the final action hearing.

http://www.iccsafe.org/
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&a...

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You would hope that stories like these would convince the naysayers. This appears to be at least one less fire-related fatality.

UNION-TRIBUNE

December 9, 2008

CHULA VISTA – An overhead sprinkler and a smoke detector alarm helped a mother and child escape their apartment in Chula Vista safely yesterday after a candle ignited some bedding, a fire official said.

The woman and her 6-year-old daughter were not injured.
The girl was in a bedroom playing with a lit candle and accidentally knocked it over, Chula Vista Fire Chief Dave Henneman said. The flames spread to a bed, a headboard and some knickknacks before the overhead sprinkler activated and doused the flames.

Firefighters arrived about 1:30 p.m. and found smoke coming from the third-floor unit at Pinnacle Apartments on Santa Rita Drive near Palomar Street. They used fans to disperse the smoke and helped mop up some water.

Henneman said the mother and daughter were going to stay in another apartment while the damage was repaired. Apartments directly below theirs sustained minor water damage.
I'm curious. International Code Council. Never heard of it, does anyone know just how 'international' this body is?

Domestic sprinkler systems, a marvelous idea! The only time I've heard of them being mandatory is where a property developer bought a farm out in the country and submitted plans to subdivide the land for housing. The area was going to be a medium density development, and my fire service said that sprinklers would have to be fitted to all dwellings as there was NOT going to be a new Fire Brigade started in that area. As there was no possibility of reticulated water, each home would also have to have a secondary catchement specifically for the sprinklers. I nerver heard if that development went ahead.
Plastic water pipes for sprinklers??????????????
Yes, that's all that is required for domestic sprinkler installations here as well. And nursing homes have domestic installations... If we connected the pumper to one of those things to boost the system we'd blow it up unless we were very careful. Mind you, with in excess of 1200 kPa around here in the mains, they could be in trouble anyway!
Thanks Tony I did not know. My missus works at local nursing home I will get her to check
We have trouble here too 1100kpa and it stayed there nearly the whole week of the Mt lubra fire 06

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