NFPA Journal - July/August 2012 - (Page 13)

1 HOME FIRE SPRINKLERS The Journal App Now you can get the award-winning NFPA Journal when you want it, where you want it. Available now through Apple iTunes, the app lets Get the and NFPA ofﬂine you download the magazinenew read it Journal on app at nfpa.org/journalapp your iPad or iPhone. GOT YOUR APP YET? Success Stories FoLLowinG The reCenT launch of South Carolina’s “Faces of Fire” campaign, the state’s Building Code Council voted to keep sprinkler requirements intact. Up for debate during the council’s May meeting was the adoption of the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC), which requires home fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family dwellings, a provision members voted to keep in place. Council members had already voted to adopt the 2009 IRC, which included similar residential sprinkler provisions, but legislative action delayed the implementation and future sprinkler provisions from taking effect until 2014. A day before the council meeting, the South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Coalition teamed up with nFPA to kick off a statewide effort to educate the public on the life safety and other benefits of fire sprinkler protection for one- and two-family dwellings, bringing together fire service members, burn survivors, and other home fire sprinkler advocates. Billboards complemented public-service announcements featuring stories of burn survivors and testimonials of local residents impacted by fire. The Council’s decision now heads to the state Legislature for approval. Governors’ support Maryland Gov. Martin o’Malley signed a bill into law in May also mandating the fire sprinkler provision required in the 2012 IRC, which references South Carolina maintains home fire sprinkler provisions. Plus, Web-based and fully hot-linked, presents all of the magazine’s related legislation, and illinois celebrates another sprinkler victory. By Fred durso, Jr. initthe print magazine, with all websites stories and ads as they appear and email addresses clickable for instant access. The digital Journal also includes special versions for iPad, iPhone, and Android. May/June conference issue, visit nfpa.org/journalapp. The Digital Journal For a Journal experience that takes full advantage of the Internet on your desktop Maryland and Minnesota take governors in or laptop, check out our new digital version. action on 2  To get the Journal app or to read the digital version of our nFPA 13D, Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and TwoFamily Dwellings and Manufactured Homes. The legislation prohibits local jurisdictions from adopting amendments to the state’s building codes if the amendments weaken home fire sprinkler system provisions. The law also forbids jurisdictions from opting out of the sprinkler requirement. The state’s first residential sprinkler requirement took effect more than two decades ago in Prince George’s County, which is considered one of the most successful models for home fire sprinkler implementation, according to the Maryland State Firemen’s Association. Several Maryland counties and municipalities eventually followed suit. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton took a similar stance in support of home fire sprinklers by vetoing anti-sprinkler legislation. A bill introduced this year would have prohibited local jurisdictions from requiring home fire sprinklers in singlefamily dwellings, but Dayton vetoed the bill in May, as well as similar legislation last year. “i take very seriously the concerns which fire safety professionals have expressed about the safety of home residents, their properties, and the lives of the men and women who courageously risk their lives to fight those fires,” The South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Coalition teamed up with NFPA to kick off a statewide effort to educate the public on the life safety and other benefits of sprinkler protection. Dayton stated in the letter he drafted to the Senate explaining his decision. “[Fire safety professionals] contend that, with sprinkler systems in place, fires could be more readily contained, resulting in fewer injuries and deaths to homeowners and firefighters.” The more, the merrier The village of Gurnee, illinois, joins 77 other communities in the state that require home fire sprinkler protection in new home construction. After five board meetings on the issue, Gurnee’s Village Board voted in favor of adopting the 2012 IRC. “As a measure leading up to the vote, individuals from the fire and building departments worked hard to educate their peers and the Village Board about the benefits of fire sprinklers and help dispel the misinformation about fire sprinklers,” says Tom Lia, executive director of the northern illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (niFSAB), which enlisted support from nFPA. James Shannon, nFPA’s president, wrote a newspaper op-ed explaining how sprinkler ordinances lead to safer communities. russ Sanders, director of nFPA’s Central regional office, and Maria Figueroa, communications project manager for nFPA’s Fire Sprinkler initiative, also drafted letters to board trustees and Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik. “This was a great case study of effective grassroots advocacy,” says Figueroa. Gurnee is the fourth jurisdiction in illinois to pass home fire sprinkler requirements this year, according to niFSAB. For additional sprinkler legislative updates, please visit firesprinklerinitiative.org. Photograph: JULY/AUGUST 2012 NFPA JOURNAL 13 http://www.nfpa.org/journalapp http://www.nfpa.org/journalapp http://www.firesprinklerinitiative.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2012

NFPA Journal - July/august 2012
Contents
First Word
Mail Call
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Fenway at 100
Crowning Achievement
Safety at Center Stage
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States, 2011
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - July/August 2012