Thanks for the input. It just rubs me the wrong way when a GC calls on something we are bidding (new TI in a building we did several years ago) and asks for the plans so he can send it to a competitor to get another price. He actually said it and it's (or at least was) a good general to us. If the project was let to another contractor already I can see the mutual cooperation between companies passing a plan between. But before bidding come on. If someone wants to walk in to the AHJ's office a get a copy of the plan well good for them taking some initiative vs. sitting on their $#@ and robbing our copy and intellectual property to our face. But around here having a city still in possession of the plans and finding them and getting them to you when you need them is a set of very unlikely events. Having the plan in this case would save you hours of estimating time.
Of course I had a City deny me the plans for my kid's school on security issues. I had doubts the system calc'ed out knowing the pressures and the 20' x 20' spacing and no fire pump and seeing some small pipe serving a head or two where ACT was missing one day. I just wanted a 5 minute look to see the pipe sizes. I loved the silence when I pointed out the 1' letters indentifying the fire sprinkler valve room facing the road the school is on. If they were concerned about security you'd think they wouldn't advertise to the bad guys where the sprinkler valve. After involving the State Attorney General who told them they were wrong, my only recourse was to hire an attorney $$$$$. Let's just say it's been resolved without $$$$$ and protecting my kids from retaliation by our local nitwits. Chris Cahill, P.E. Fire Protection Engineer Sentry Fire Protection, Inc. 763-658-4483 763-658-4921 fax Email: [email protected] Mail: P.O. Box 69 Waverly, MN 55390 Location: 4439 Hwy 12 SW Waverly, MN 55390 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Todd Williams Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 12:36 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Plan rights There is a big difference between public record and drawing ownership. You can check a book out of the library, but it doesn't mean you can sell the movie rights. At 11:33 AM 1/9/2009, you wrote: >Yes they are part of a public record, and as such you must provide copies on >request. You do not usually have to provide these copies for free.(Check >Local law.) Just as an adopted code or standard is public record, and copies >must be provided. That does not allow the wholesale reproduction without >compensation to be it NFPA or IBC. > >You as an AHJ must provide copies of "Public Record" Plans. If someone were >to use those plans from BLD. #1 XYZ industrial park to install a fire >sprinkler system in building 17 of XYZ industrial park, then the original >layout company would be entitled to compensation for copyright infringement. >If on the other hand, if someone got those plans and just used them to >identify the existing layout for a remodel, then there is no infringement of >copyright, and no need for compensation. > >Thom McMahon, SET >Firetech, Inc. >2560 Copper Ridge Dr >P.O. Box 882136 >Steamboat Springs, CO 80488 >Tel: 970-879-7952 >Fax: 970-879-7926 > > >-----Original Message----- >From: [email protected] >[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Kettler >Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 5:49 AM >To: [email protected] >Subject: RE: Plan rights > >As an AHJ, our records are governed by Commonwealth law. > >Under the open records law (at least in these parts), once the permit is >submitted to the AHJ it becomes public record. If anyone - media, >contractor, citizen, FD, etc - submits a request to see a Township record, >we are obligated to provide that information. They are also entitled to a >copy of the permit and plans if they so desire. > >Jim Kettler >Buckingham PA > > > > >_______________________________________________ >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) Todd G. Williams, PE Fire Protection Design/Consulting Stonington, Connecticut www.fpdc.com 860.535.2080 _______________________________________________ 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) _______________________________________________ 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)
