Being as I am just a lowly, ignorant contractor, I do not meet the
requirements to be a member of ICC. Therefore my proposal to do away with
all water pipe in an effort to stop cancer and mold was not accepted. I am
considering joining the AHB so my proposal will be accepted.
Douglas Hicks
General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon, Inc
----- Original Message -----
From: "Autry, David" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 11:47 AM
Subject: RE: From the NAHB Newsletter
You should see the "fight" going on at the IIC's website forum.
In case you didn't know; residential sprinkler systems are now going to
cause mold to grow in your home and the pipe will give you cancer.
David Autry
Plans Examiner
Nebraska State Fire Marshal's Office
246 S. 14th Street
Lincoln, NE 68508
402-471-9659
402-471-3118 fax
www.sfm.ne.gov
** Note new email address: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Terri Leyton
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 1:35 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: FW: From the NAHB Newsletter
Of interest, sent by the NAHB yesterday:
Fire Official Surge Sweeps Sprinkler Mandate to Victory
Fire sprinkler mandates will be part of the 2009 International
Residential Code and will be required in all one- and two-family homes
and townhouses that build to the code as of Jan. 1, 2011.
The sudden - and controversial - arrival on Saturday of 900 fire
officials eligible to vote at the <http://www.iccsafe.org/>
International Code Council's final action hearings in Minneapolis
swelled the number of sprinkler proponents and the measure was approved
by a vote of 1,283 to 470 on Sunday morning.
In other business, voting members disapproved the so-called "30%
Solution" from a coalition of insulation and window manufacturers that
would have significantly revised the International Energy Conservation
Code. The votes were split on a number of wall bracing proposals.
About 1,200 voting devices were turned in immediately after the
residential fire sprinkler mandate was approved, suggesting that most of
the proponents left immediately after the vote was taken.
"We welcome the insight and experience that fire officials bring to the
code development process because our model codes are focused on life
safety issues," said James "Andy" Anderson, chair of the NAHB
Construction, Codes and Standards Committee.
"However, it seems clear that these particular officials were focused on
one issue only - residential fire sprinkler mandates - without any
benefit of perspective regarding how such mandates jibe with the
hundreds of other code proposals considered at this hearing. That's
unfortunate, because such reasoned discussion is what the model code
process was designed to accomplish."
The residential fire sprinkler mandates will provide a sizable financial
boon for the fire sprinkler manufacturing industry, which, like NAHB,
helped provide funding for building officials to attend the hearings.
In 2005, when there were about 1.65 million new homes constructed at an
average 2,340 square feet, sprinkler manufacturers would have reaped
about $5.8 billion in revenue, based on average sprinkler costs of $1.50
per square foot, had the sprinkler requirement been in effect.
NAHB had identified several concerns over residential fire sprinkler
systems - among them, questioning whether most home owners are prepared
to perform the maintenance required to ensure that the sprinklers remain
operational.
Builders also cited the potential for pipes installed in attics to
freeze in colder climates and they said that the sprinklers can be
discharged accidentally, with damaging results. In areas served by wells
or where water is scarce, the availability of an adequate water supply
is another possible problem.
NAHB pointed to several existing code requirements that have contributed
to a significant decline in fire-related deaths and injuries over the
past 30 years.
The most effective improvement has been the introduction of hard-wired
interconnected smoke alarms, which the code requires to be installed in
every bedroom and on every floor. <http://www.nfpa.org/> National Fire
Protection Association reports conclude that about 890 fatalities could
be avoided each year if every home had at least one working smoke alarm.
Both the <http://www.firesprinkler.org/training/index.html> American
Fire Sprinkler Association and the <http://www.nfsa.org/> National Fire
Sprinkler Association, two sprinkler industry trade groups, offer
training programs for residential sprinkler installation and
certification. Because there is only a limited number of subcontractors
who are certified, the sprinkler requirement will appear in the 2009
International Residential Code but not take effect until 2011, giving
the industry three years to prepare.
In other final hearing action:
* About 15 proposals relating to wall bracing were also debated
during the Final Action Hearings. A new independent table for wind
bracing was approved with modifications proposed by the ICC Ad Hoc
Committee on Wall Bracing working with NAHB, the NAHB Research Center
and the Foam Sheathing Coalition.
The new provisions will generally preserve traditional bracing amounts
for typical one- and two-story dwellings in most of the country. Bracing
amounts will increase for three-story homes, homes with large open plans
and homes built in high-wind areas.
Two NAHB proposals to restore the scope limit for the structural
provisions of the IRC to 110 mph in hurricane-prone regions were
defeated. The <http://www.disastersafety.org/> Institute for Business
and Home Safety spoke against the proposals, primarily due to the defeat
of a compromise proposal on wind uplift that had been worked out with
NAHB and others.
The defeat on the scope limit came despite significant, yet
cost-effective improvements to the wind resistance of dwellings
(including the changes in wall bracing) that will go into effect with
the 2009 IRC.
* In a victory for cost-effective energy efficiency solutions, the
group of IECC proposals nicknamed the 30% Solution was defeated by a
vote of 90 to 50. After the package of proposals was defeated, voting
members heard testimony on each individual proposal for additional
voting. Details will be available in the upcoming Oct. 6 issue of
Nation's Building News.
For more information, e-mail <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Calli Schmidt
at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.
Terri Simmons Leyton
PROTECTION DESIGN & CONSULTING
8849-B Complex Drive
San Diego, CA 92123
-------------------------------------------------------------
Ph: 858-751-2930 - ext. 101
Fax: 858-751-2933
Cell: 619-871-8450
"Once every man, woman and child realizes and accepts in daily life the
responsibility for simple fire prevention measures, death, injury and
destruction by fire will be substantially reduced." Percy Bugbee, NFPA,
1947
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