Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 - (Page 24)

opposition. We started with getting two of the six cities to pass ordinances mandating that all new homes built must have residential sprinkler systems. The other four cities came on board with passing ordinances that required any new home being built with 10,000 square feet or more must include sprinkler systems. During the process, many city council meetings were attended, too many to count phone calls were made and received and many angry residents showed up at the fire chief’s office wanting to give him a piece of their mind. As you can see, the thought of the fire department dictating what would be required in the building of a new home was quite upsetting to many of the residents. Starting in 1998, it took a couple of years to get where we are today: installation of a full sprinkler system is required of all new residential construction. The first step was to gather and put together as much information regarding sprinkler systems as possible (local sprinkler companies are a good starting place). Once gathered, put together an informational brochure describing every aspect of the installation, operation, pros/cons and any other data necessary to inform your residents of sprinkler systems. Don’t forget to add frequently asked questions and answers. Information we take for granted involving the fire service, the average person has no idea of. Try and remember how you taught the children at the school during fire prevention week; that level would be a good starting point. Next, attend every meeting possible in your jurisdiction; you need to get the word out and inform you people of the correct information. Learn your local government’s rules and guidelines to introducing and getting an ordinance passed (keep in mind your city manager may have steps you must follow as well). Then, you will need to write the ordinance exactly how you want it to read. Work with your attorney during this step; all areas need to be covered and correct prior to putting it up for a vote. All of this process is going to take some time, so don’t be impatient. It’s better to do your homework up front and get it right than rugh through it and find you’ve left something out. In house issues need to be addressed also, well in advance of any ordinances being passed. Work along side of the departments that the new ordinance will affect (i.e. the office of inspections, plan review and permits will be the most common of them). Keep in mind that each department will be taking on additional work, so keep them informed. Budgets may also have to be adjusted to cover additional work staff. Don’t forget to bring the water district into the planning stages. One of our water districts was a big supporter against the passing of the ordinance. They were afraid they wouldn’t be able to supply the needed water volume and pressure to each home. As well, they didn’t want the added cost to supply larger feed lines, backflow valves and extra meters (the feed for the system is required to be on a separate line from the domestic lines). After educating them and suggesting the builder pay for any additional cost, they changed their mind and became a supporter. 24 Plan Review Plan review will be the first step in the process prior to any sprinkler system install. Rejection is common, so count on reviewing the same prints multiple times. 1. This is the phase where water flow calculations are checked. 2. Coverage is determined. 3. Materials used are checked. Inspections Each sprinkler system will require at least three visits. Many times the inspection won’t pass and additional inspection visits will be required. 1. Hydro – used to test piping and heads for leaks A. Done prior to any covering (A/C, etc.) 2. Cover – used to verify head placement, proper installation, etc. A. Done prior to any sheetrock or covering being placed 3. Final – used to check system when construction is complete A. All sheetrock, wall and ceiling covering are in place Permits This is where fees to be paid and permits to be issued will come in. 1. We require additional fees if the system doesn’t pass the first time of each phase. The following are the statistics for sprinkler system plan review and inspections for the Village Fire Department and are additional to what we are already doing. Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Plan Review 32 55 84 89 119 99 150 170 213 Inspections p — 137 181 233 392 269 427 476 588 As you can see, a large work load was placed on both the plan review and inspections department. We hired one additional person to assist with the work load; this was something we hadn’t planned on, so we had to wait until the following budget year to include the additional cost. Considerations A few of the things you need to be prepared to handle during the passing of such and ordinance are: 1. Find a school or large hall that you can conduct your city council meeting in. Once the word gets out, you will find most of your meetings will be standing room TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Fall/Winter 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 Contents Executive Director’s Report Texas Fire Chiefs Academy Project Reports Southwest Fire Rescue Conference Program Membership Application Customer Service Orientation in Fire Rescue Departments A Visit to the E-One Plant Index to Advertisers

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

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