THE IRC FIRE SPRINKLER COALITION ANNOUNCED SEPTEMBER 21st, via a press release:
Voting members of the leading building code body in the nation, the International Code Council (ICC), overwhelmingly supported a residential fire sprinkler requirement for all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses.

Fire service and building code officials united to approve the requirement and countered opposition. The code proposal, RB64, easily overcame a procedural requirement that mandated a super-majority of two-thirds approval. This represents an unprecedented step forward in advancing home fire safety in the United States. The vote, held today in Minneapolis, was supported by 73 percent of the voting members in attendance.

The sprinkler mandate will first appear in the 2009 International Residential Code(R) (IRC), which will be published by the end of the year. Forty-six states use the IRC as the basis of regulating new home construction.

The IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition was founded in 2007 and has grown to include more than 100 international, national and regional public safety organizations, including associations representing 45 states, all of whom support the mission of promoting residential fire sprinkler systems in new home construction. Previously the International Code Council was comprised mainly of building and construction interests who are strongly against requiring any building or safety standards that will add to the cost of construction.

The announcement that the International Code Council overwhelmingly passed a home sprinkler mandate is really a big deal. Put simply, the revised code will require sprinklers in all new one- and two-family homes that are constructed after it is adopted.

A lot of maneuvering went into getting it passed. Using the ICC’s own rules for voting memberships, several fire service and fire safety organizations worked over the past year to bring in a lot of new (and activist) members to “stack” the voting during the meeting held in Minneapolis yesterday. The builders’ industry saw it coming, but couldn’t counter it. They have plenty of money to buy influence, but they didn’t have the widespread support to put warm bodies in the meeting.

The ICC code is the standard for 46 of the 50 states, but we won’t see the effects of this new requirement for a few years yet. It will be published in the 2009 revised edition of the building code, but very few, if any, places automatically adopt all upgrades as they come along. Normally the practice is for the state or municipality to pass a law that specifically adopts a new revision by using wording that spells out what edition will be in place. So that gives the builders a couple more years to get into the politicians pockets and convince them to either not adopt the new regulations or perhaps make them voluntary. It’s not over yet.

Reference: http://firegeezer.com/?s=ICC

Excerpts from a press release from the International Residential Code Fire Sprinkler Coalition:

Voting members of the leading building code body in the nation, the International Code Council (ICC), overwhelmingly supported a residential fire sprinkler requirement for all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses.

Fire service and building code officials united to approve the requirement and countered opposition. The code proposal, RB64, easily overcame a procedural requirement that mandated a super-majority of two-thirds approval. This represents an unprecedented step forward in advancing home fire safety in the United States.

The vote, held today in Minneapolis, was supported by 73 percent of the voting members in attendance. The IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition, an association of more than 100 fire service, building code official, and safety organizations representing 45 states, assumed a leadership position and secured unified support for this issue over the past 18 months.

"Our team worked hard to rally support throughout the United States for a residential fire sprinkler requirement, but our supporters deserve the recognition for showing up en masse in Minneapolis," said Ronny J. Coleman, president of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. "They know from experience that sprinklers are the answer to the nation's fire problem."

Kaaren Mann, a fire safety advocate and the mother of a fire victim stated in her testimony, "the cost to put sprinklers into the home where my daughter died would have been less than what I had to pay for the flowers at her funeral."

The sprinkler mandate will first appear in the 2009 International Residential Code(R) (IRC), which will be published by the end of the year. Forty-six states use the IRC as the basis of regulating new home construction.

Referenced Excerpts below From: http://www.wusa9.com/news/columnist/blogs/2008/09/fire-service-and-...

Excerpts from a press release from the National Association of Home Builders:

As members of the International Code Council (ICC) prepare to vote on proposed changes to model building codes, Habitat for Humanity International and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) urge these members not to mandate fire sprinklers for all new homes.

Right now, fire sprinklers for one- and two-family homes and townhouses are optional in the International Residential Code, which most jurisdictions in the United States use as the basis of their own building codes.

Concerns over design and maintenance issues, along with expenses related to upkeep and use, have led code officials and other voting members of the Council to disapprove past proposals from residential fire sprinkler manufacturers, installers and other advocates to mandate these systems. Habitat and NAHB are urging these ICC members to do so again at the final code hearings scheduled for next week in Minneapolis.

“Our concerns center on the potential of pipes being susceptible to freezing in colder climates, damage from the accidental discharge of sprinklers and the availability of an adequate water supply in areas served by wells or where water is a scarce resource,” said Sandy Dunn, NAHB president and builder in Point Pleasant, W. Va. “Some homeowners may choose to have them installed anyway, but that’s where these systems should remain: as a choice, not a mandate.”

Elizabeth Blake, senior vice president of advocacy, government affairs and legal with Habitat for Humanity echoed this concern, “Our affiliates build all across the country and around the world. Mandating fire sprinklers fails to recognize their varying needs, and runs the risk of requiring something that may be impractical for some of our partner families.”

Also:
Great Blog: Making a Difference by Chief Shane Ray September 23rd, 2008
http://blog.firechief.com/mutual_aid/?author=27


THE NATIONAL FIRE SPRINKLER ASSOCIATION;="http://www.nfsa.org/">http://www.nfsa.org/U.S.

Fire Administration
In the year 2006, 19% of all reported fires occurred in one- and two-family structures; however, these fires caused 66% (2,155) of the fire deaths in the US. In addition, more than 25% of firefighter on-duty deaths are associated with residential fires. This means that approximately 25 firefighter deaths occur during responses to residential fires each year, since on average, there are about 100 on-duty firefighter deaths annually3. Despite the fact that these figures represent improvement over the last 30 years, they continue to be appalling. Such losses are unacceptable.

It is the position of the U.S. Fire Administration that all citizens should be protected against death, injury, and property loss resulting from fire in their residence. All homes should be equipped with both smoke alarms and automatic fire sprinklers, and all families should have and practice an emergency escape plan. The USFA fully supports all efforts to reduce the tragic toll of fire losses in this nation, including the proposed changes to the International Residential Code that would require automatic sprinklers in all new residential construction.

Sprinklers in Homes
But what about our homes? Although we protect our businesses from fire, what actions do we take to protect our families, our homes, and our possessions from fire? Millions of Americans have installed smoke alarms in their homes in the past few years, but a smoke alarm can only alert the occupants to a fire in the house ... it cannot contain or extinguish a fire. Residential sprinkler systems can!

Sprinklers—The Solution
Fires in residences have taken a high toll of life and property.

In 2005 there were:
396,000 residential fires
3,055 civilian fire deaths
13,825 civilian fire injuries
$6.9 billion in property damage
Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. During 2005 Abridged Report.

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_fire_prev/sprink...
http://www.fire.gov/newsletter/fall2006/page_four.htm
http://www.ul.com/fire/residential.html