Residential Sprinkler Mandate

In an effort to keep the public informed and as educated as possible regarding life safety issues, as well as protecting individual family members and preserving assets, No-Burn will use this forum to post the latest information regarding the single family residential sprinkler mandate that will become effective in January of 2011.

WGMD Radio - August 26, 2010

County Commissioners in Worcester County will hold a public hearing will be held next month to talk about residential fire sprinkler systems. The public hearing is about the International Residential Code’s adoption of Maryland’s Building Performance Standard – which says all new single and duplex homes, townhouses, apartments and condos are built with residential fire sprinkler systems. The meeting will be Tuesday, September 21 at 10:40am in the Government Office Building on West Market Street in Snow Hill. Read Full Story.

FireEngineering.com - Aug 19, 2010

The National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), the longest-tenured fire sprinkler advocacy organization in the U.S., announces the City of Portland, Maine, has approved building code changes that will require all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses built in the city to be equipped with life-saving fire sprinkler systems. These new codes will take effect on September 15, 2010. Read Full Story.

August 18, 2010 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards Council has banned the use of antifreeze solution in residential fire sprinkler systems for new construction until further action by NFPA consensus standards committees, and NFPA has issued a follow-up to its July 2010 safety alert to provide updated guidance on the use of antifreeze in residential fire sprinkler systems. The council action and updated alert follow new research that was conducted after a fire incident raised concerns about antifreeze solutions in residential fire sprinkler systems. The incident involved a grease fire in a kitchen where a sprinkler with a high concentration of antifreeze deployed. The fire resulted in a single fatality and serious injury to another person. Read Full News Release.

The Herald-Mail - August 10, 2010

The Washington County Commissioners decided Tuesday not to require fire sprinkler systems in new single-family or two-family homes as part of a building code update. Read Full Story.

Cumberland Times-News – august 4, 2010

— OAKLAND — New homes built in Garrett County will not be required to contain automatic sprinkler systems, a statewide proposal that sparked heated debate in many Maryland counties. Read Full Story.

Leesburg Today – July 23, 2010

The Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development is expected to cast a final vote Monday on amendments to the state building code, putting to rest a debate that has raged for years between fire-fighting organizations and the building industry over whether sprinkler systems should be mandatory in new home construction, an action that will open the next chapter for those who are still hoping to see sprinklers become a part of all new development. Read Full Story.

Ocean City Today – July 23, 2010

Concerns about sprinklers in residential buildings led the Worcester County Commissioners to postpone a vote to update its building code. Read Full Story.

July 7, 2010

Starting next year, all new single-family homes in Baltimore County must have automatic sprinkler systems installed.The County Council voted unanimously ... Read Full Story.

By HEATHER KEELS - July 6, 2010

After listening to impassioned arguments for and against mandatory home fire sprinkler systems during a public hearing Tuesday morning, the Washington County Commissioners were left wondering whether they had any say in whether or not to require them. Read full story.

by Edythe Jensen - Jul. 3, 2010

Building codes that require fire sprinklers in new houses have fueled debates in Valley cities and the state Legislature for years, and they're flaring up again as Chandler considers joining a handful of Arizona municipalities with the mandate. Read full story.

Baltimore City, June 29, 2010

Baltimore has become the largest American city to require automatic sprinklers in new single family homes and duplexes, after a law change signed earlier this month. Read full story.

June 23, 2010

The St. Louis County Council on Tuesday tentatively approved updating the residential code without a controversial requirement for sprinkler systems in new single and two-family houses. The code would make builders tell house buyers that such systems are available. Read full story.

By BRIAN BECKLEY, Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald Reporter, Jun 14 2010

East Pierce Fire and Rescue is promoting a pair of initiatives that could make sprinkler systems a lot more common. Read full story.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Paul Hampel, Jun. 11, 2010
A recommendation that fire sprinklers be a part of every new residential structure in St. Louis County has pitted home builders against fire officials and the sprinkler industry. Read full story.

By Ashley Fletcher Frampton. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Published June 8, 2010

Gov. Mark Sanford on Monday signed into law a bill that delays until January 2014 a requirement that new homes be built with fire sprinkler systems. Read full story.

The Baltimore Sun. June 8, 2010

A Baltimore City Council committee will hear a proposal this morning to require fire sprinkler systems in new homes and -- more significantly for a city chock-full of aging rowhomes -- in most renovations. Read full story.

Kevin Spradlin. Cumberland Times-News. June 3, 2010

CUMBERLAND — In full dress uniform, Cumberland Fire Chief William Herbaugh stood before the Allegany County Board of Commissioners on Thursday and said he supported the proposed legislation that would require residential sprinklers in newly constructed one- and two-family homes. Read full story.

By Bob Goldsborough. Special to the Tribune
The council also voted not to require the builders of all single-family homes to install sprinkler systems, as the 2009 International Residential Code had recommended. Instead, the council directed its staff to review the next edition of the IRC and consider setting a minimum square footage threshold for a home that would require the installation of a sprinkler system. Read full story.

ORLAND PARK, Ill., May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials from Wilmette, Illinois, passed the village's first residential fire sprinkler ordinance requiring fire sprinklers in all new homes that are being built with lightweight construction. With the passage of this ordinance, the Village of Wilmette becomes the 67th jurisdiction in Illinois to pass residential fire sprinkler legislation. Read full story.

May 19, 2010 - Plans to require sprinkler systems in new homes in Concord's rural areas would end under a bill working its way through the Legislature. Read full story.

March 29, 2010 - Homebuilders are asking state lawmakers to prevent enforcement of a building code requiring new homes to include fire sprinkler systems starting in 2011. The S.C. Building Codes Council recently added the requirement. But builders say the sprinklers aren’t necessary and raise the cost of construction. Read full story.

February 19, 2010 - TOPEKA — A day after losing on a tie vote, builders and their supporters in the state House of Representatives won a revote on a bill that would prohibit local governments from mandating fire sprinklers in homes and small apartment buildings. Read full story.

February 11, 2010 The states of Maryland, Iowa, and New Jersey have taken steps to adopt the 2009 IRC, including the fire sprinkler requirement for new one- and two-family homes and townhomes. These states have joined the other three states -- California, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania -- for a total of six states recognizing the importance of this safety feature as necessary to protect the lives of the people in their communities against the ravages of fire. Read full story.

February 10, 2010 Shelbyville Times-Gazette

Bedford County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night approved placing the rural portion of the county under the 2009 International Building Code and the 2009 Residential Code, but exempted the county from the portion of the code which requires fire protection sprinklers in new one-family and two-family dwellings. Read full story.

January 13, 2010 - California adopted building code changes that will require all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses built in the state starting January 1, 2011, to be equipped with life-saving fire sprinkler systems. The California State Building Standards Commission voted unanimously by a margin of 10-0 in favor of adopting the 2010 California Residential Code, which includes the 2009 International Residential Code as established by the Code Council in September 2008... click to continue

December 20th, 2009 by Residential Fire Sprinklers .com

On Friday, December 11, the New Hampshire State Code Review Board voted in the majority to adopt the International Residential Code 2009 edition, including townhouse automatic fire sprinkler systems and one- and two-family dwellings automatic fire sprinkler systems; effective April 1, 2012. The New Hampshire Home Builders Association Representative, John Starr spoke vehemently against adoption while the New Hampshire Fire Chiefs’ Representatives Chief Corey Landry and Local Fire Marshal Michael Hoisington countered every negative remark in a passionate and professional manner. There was widespread support from the Board of Architects, Board of Engineers, New Hampshire Building Officials Association, Board of Licensing and Regulations of Plumbers, and the New Hampshire Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors Association.

http://www.residentialfiresprinklers.com/blog/new-hampshire-adopting-2009-irc-with-the-residential-fire-sprinkler-requirement/

December 11th, 2009 by George L. Church, Jr.

The last hurdle from the Independent Regulatory Review Commission came yesterday, as they recommended to Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor & Industry that the new International Residential Code be placed in effect 1\1\10 WITH NO RESTRICTIONS OMITTING SPRINKLERS.

http://www.residentialfiresprinklers.com/blog/pennsylvania-adopting-2009-irc-with-the-residential-fire-sprinkler-requirement/

Letters to the Editor: Costly Fire Sprinklers Aren't Needed
http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2009-11-09/housing+forum/index.html

NAHB Loses First Vote on Fire Sprinkler Mandate
Two NAHB proposals that would have removed requirements for fire sprinkler systems in one- and two-family homes from the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC) lost the first battle last week when the Residential Building and Energy Committee voted seven to four to keep this mandate in the main body of the code. http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2009-11-02/codes+and+standards/index.html

November 2, 2009 - Calling it a critical step toward reducing deaths and destruction caused by home fires, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) President James M. Shannon applauded the recent vote by the International Code Council (ICC) to retain the code provision in the next edition of the International Residential Code (IRC) that all new one- and two-family homes to be equipped with home fire sprinklers. The 2009 IRC included this provision for the first time. Proposals were then submitted to remove the requirement for the next edition and have now been voted down. NFPA supplied testimony for support of the provision at the hearing prior to the vote. http://ow.ly/15YZnJ

Communities with home fire sprinkler requirements http://firesprinklerinitiative.org/cities/index.php?p=statelist&PHPSESSID=kpu25utjj6e1k4vc5npe3hctr6

Residential Fire Sprinklers.com - continue to follow updates by reading blogs and information posted about the residential sprinkler mandate. http://www.residentialfiresprinklers.com/blog/

Home Fire Sprinkler System Requirement Consideration Moving Forward in Virginia http://www.residentialfiresprinklers.com/blog/home-fire-sprinkler-system-requirement-consideration-moving-forward-in-virginia/

Missouri Home Builders Reach Compromise with State Fire Marshal- Governor Jay Nixon recently signed into law that certain homebuilders will be required to offer to any purchaser of a new home, prior to entering into contract, the option to install or equip their home with a fire sprinkler system at the purchaser's cost. Missouri is the fifth state to reiterate that the decision to require sprinklers in new construction should not be mandated by the state and that it is ultimately the homeowners right to determine for themselves whether or not to install residential sprinklers. 7/15/2009 www.nahb.org

Texas Senate Bill Signed into Law - Governor Rick Perry signed the fire sprinkler bill into law today which will prohibit any jurisdiction, city or municipality that adopts the 2009 International Residential Code from requiring home owners to install residential fire sprinklers in one- or two- family dwellings. In addition, the bill would provide any homeowner who elects to install a residential sprinkler system in their home to able to allow plumbers to perform the work. 6/22/2009 www.nahb.org

- Congratulations to both North Dakota and Idaho on becoming the first states to pass legislation that would prohibit the state building code or building codes adopted at the local level from mandating residential fire sprinklers in one- and two- family dwellings. As written, home buyers will continue to decide for themselves whether or not they need to installresidential sprinklers in their newly built residences. 5/8/2009 www.nahb.org

http://www.nfpa.org/newsReleaseDetails.asp?categoryid=488&itemId=42956&cookie%5Ftest=1

http://www.builderonline.com/building-codes/several-states-weighing-laws-to-block-mandated-sprinkler-codes.aspx?cid=BLDR090324002

http://www.firesprinklerinitiative.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=66&itemID=1100&URL=Featured%20Resources%20/%20

http://implode-explode.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=257432

http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2008-09-22/Front+Page/5.html

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