I can not figure out what everyone is so fired up about. Straight out off the article: Fire sprinklers will soon be required in all nursing homes, in new construction of one- and two-family dwellings…
It does not state that anyone is going to have to retrofit their home with fire sprinklers. Fire sprinklers will be required in NEW construction. I moved in the last year to a house without interior fire sprinklers. In the previous city it was required and we were surrounded by house on all sides. The new house (built after the previous house) backs to a canyon and does not have interior fire sprinklers. I was very disappointed to learn that the house we elected to purchase did not have interior fire sprinklers. Interior fire sprinklers and working smoke detectors are basics in fire safety. Alan.
I was talking with the other two agents in my office. They tell me that Scottsdale has required this for 20 years. It would be interesting to see what their results have been. Jim tells me that water damage is a big issue, and he doesn’t see any reduction in premium. Maybe some agents from the Valley can comment.
Up here in the mountains. we have many rural properties that haul water. How is that going work? Maybe foam instead?
Navajo\Apache Counties just adopted the 1952 code :) So it may be 40 years before we are concerned with it.
Does anyone know whether older existing construction bars are “grandfathered” from having to comply? Locally the larger ones already have sprinklers, & many smaller ones don’t. Also, this is a National code; is it automatically applicable in local municipalities (or must it also be adopted by each city)?
Understanding that no one likes to be “told” what to do — just like seat belts and airport security. If you do the research (google fire sprinklers) you will find automatic sprinklers are effective and cost efficient. Re the small fire and water/smoke damage – without the sprinklers wouldn’t have been a small fire, eh? Sprinklers flow fractions of gallons – fire hoses flows hundreds of gallons: pick one. BTW – even though looks neat in movies – they don’t all go off at once, OK? Each one is individually thermally activated. Sprinklers don’t require batteries. Scottsdale Arizona credits sprinklers with saving 52 lives since ordinace passed in 1985 – I know, 20 years, but thats almost three folks a year! Costs? 1% of building cost – about the same as upgrading carpet. Service costs? Where’d you get your facts? I would personally love to do the required service for $200!
Is this the same group that wanted to have a civil war over OSHA regulating offices at home?
Have a great, and fire safe, weekend everyone!
Chris, I hear that they are lobbying to get this into federal law, thereby, bypassing the constitutional safeguard of more accountable state government.
Yes, my interest is vested, …in life safety. Along with that goes a lot of education for the uninformed – some more than others. Let’s go back to the facts — residential sprinklers activate at 155 degrees F. Sprinklers are at the celing. Remember physics? H-e-a-t rises. The sprinkler activates and sprays w-a-t-e-r. Water cools things. Think of the last time you bathed…. As long as you don’t sleep smashed up against the ceiling, or are a bat, you’ll be OK.
Of course, Darwin’s theories are being tested every day….
NFPA is not the law or the state or local fire code. Each municipality adopts specific versions of the NFPA standards as they see fit and are slow to adopt the new ones for fear of antagonizing property owners with the cost of sprinkler retro-fits that are often excluded under infamous grandfather clauses.
A good idea? Sure. But the politics of fire safety may have a way of trumping it all.
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Some people already have trouble setting off the smoke alarms when they burn dinner. Imagine setting off the sprinkler system!
I can not figure out what everyone is so fired up about. Straight out off the article: Fire sprinklers will soon be required in all nursing homes, in new construction of one- and two-family dwellings…
It does not state that anyone is going to have to retrofit their home with fire sprinklers. Fire sprinklers will be required in NEW construction. I moved in the last year to a house without interior fire sprinklers. In the previous city it was required and we were surrounded by house on all sides. The new house (built after the previous house) backs to a canyon and does not have interior fire sprinklers. I was very disappointed to learn that the house we elected to purchase did not have interior fire sprinklers. Interior fire sprinklers and working smoke detectors are basics in fire safety. Alan.
I was talking with the other two agents in my office. They tell me that Scottsdale has required this for 20 years. It would be interesting to see what their results have been. Jim tells me that water damage is a big issue, and he doesn’t see any reduction in premium. Maybe some agents from the Valley can comment.
Up here in the mountains. we have many rural properties that haul water. How is that going work? Maybe foam instead?
Navajo\Apache Counties just adopted the 1952 code :) So it may be 40 years before we are concerned with it.
Does anyone know whether older existing construction bars are “grandfathered” from having to comply? Locally the larger ones already have sprinklers, & many smaller ones don’t. Also, this is a National code; is it automatically applicable in local municipalities (or must it also be adopted by each city)?
Understanding that no one likes to be “told” what to do — just like seat belts and airport security. If you do the research (google fire sprinklers) you will find automatic sprinklers are effective and cost efficient. Re the small fire and water/smoke damage – without the sprinklers wouldn’t have been a small fire, eh? Sprinklers flow fractions of gallons – fire hoses flows hundreds of gallons: pick one. BTW – even though looks neat in movies – they don’t all go off at once, OK? Each one is individually thermally activated. Sprinklers don’t require batteries. Scottsdale Arizona credits sprinklers with saving 52 lives since ordinace passed in 1985 – I know, 20 years, but thats almost three folks a year! Costs? 1% of building cost – about the same as upgrading carpet. Service costs? Where’d you get your facts? I would personally love to do the required service for $200!
Is this the same group that wanted to have a civil war over OSHA regulating offices at home?
Have a great, and fire safe, weekend everyone!
Obviously he has no vested interest in fire sprinklers….
Smoke inhilation (before enough heat is generate to activate a sprinkler head) is the killer in home fires.
Chris, I hear that they are lobbying to get this into federal law, thereby, bypassing the constitutional safeguard of more accountable state government.
Yes, my interest is vested, …in life safety. Along with that goes a lot of education for the uninformed – some more than others. Let’s go back to the facts — residential sprinklers activate at 155 degrees F. Sprinklers are at the celing. Remember physics? H-e-a-t rises. The sprinkler activates and sprays w-a-t-e-r. Water cools things. Think of the last time you bathed…. As long as you don’t sleep smashed up against the ceiling, or are a bat, you’ll be OK.
Of course, Darwin’s theories are being tested every day….
small fire + little water = fire out, and some water damage
small fire + no water = BIG FIRE Much water damage, or a black hole
fire sprinkler 7 gallons of water per minute
fire hose 100-150 gallons per minute
It seldom takes only one fire hose
I would rather squeege out some water than carry out the body bags.
NFPA is not the law or the state or local fire code. Each municipality adopts specific versions of the NFPA standards as they see fit and are slow to adopt the new ones for fear of antagonizing property owners with the cost of sprinkler retro-fits that are often excluded under infamous grandfather clauses.
A good idea? Sure. But the politics of fire safety may have a way of trumping it all.