When I first started getting into the politics of this industry was just after a fire in an assisted living facility killed eight people and an apartment fire killed three and displaced a couple hundred. Since then we have gotten a retrofit law for all elderly care facilities of any type with over eight people and 100% for some, we have all new apartments and hotels fully sprinklered, a nightclub retrofit law (notice these all follow the disaster as usual--and wake up Chicago & San Diego, Seattle had a ordinance for high rise way back in the eighties), and now what will be proposed for SFDs is moving the requirements back to the appendix but allowing municipalities to adopt their own sprinkler ordinances without Building Code Council approval. This august body has been the arm of the NAHB/BIA and the biggest impediment to residential sprinklers forever. Funny ironic is that the communities in Washington that do have ordinances are the more affluent and so there is precedent in the state for garage sprinklers, all compartments being sprinklered regardless, etc. I have a somewhat poor reputation with many in the fire service because I've spent a lot of time arguing against additions to 13D, of course on the grounds that added cost provides added ammunition to the NAHB arguments. My rationale has fallen on deaf ears mostly and I'm seen as anti sprinkler in many eyes. I was even figuratively heckled off a stage during a presentation once. A sad tale for supposed professionals. Now my true feelings can be broadcast. 13R--fold it into residential requirements in 13 with maybe some allowance for lessened densities in living spaces but definitely require attics to be sprinklered. 13D--also fold into 13 but with a section for itself with special considerations. For both when less than full 13 systems are installed (due to these presumed special allowances) a statement that specifies that the system is less than optimum for property protection and that that document becomes a legal part of the deed so that any new owner is also aware of the situation.
On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 6:04 AM, George Church <[email protected]> wrote: > And to think we still have a large number of unsprinklered nursing homes > here in the States...where the result wouldn't be as good as this- tey'd > have shut the door and it likely would have flashed over, killing the > occupant in the room of origin. After that, the fire growth would have > continued....we've seen it all too often. And we will. > > glc > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Alan Brinson [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 1:22 PM > Subject: Sprinkler Helps to Save Care Home Residents > > Gösta Holmstedt reports that on 4th December a sprinkler system extinguished > a fire in a care home for the elderly in Gothenburg, Sweden. The fire > started in a bed where a blind man was resting during the afternoon. The bed > caught fire when a lampstand with a halogen bulb fell on the bed and ignited > the bedding. > > The fire alarm was automatically activated. Staff were quickly present and > decided to enter the room to help the blind man to escape. The room was > filled with black smoke so the staff closed the door to stop heat and smoke > from entering the corridor. At the same time the sprinkler head in the room > activated and extinguished the fire. > > Meanwhile the staff brought all eight patients to another fire compartment > while the fire brigade arrived. Due to the quick action by the staff and the > effectiveness of the sprinkler system, nobody suffered any injuries and > there was very little damage. On the web site are some photographs. > > Alan Brinson > Executive Director > European Fire Sprinkler Network > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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) > -- Ron Greenman Instructor Fire Protection Engineering Bates Technical College Tacoma, WA Member: SFPE, ASCET, NFPA, AFSA, NFSA AFAA, WSAFM _______________________________________________ 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)
