Residential Fire Sprinklers Receive Landslide Support
ICC Vote Confirms Need for Life-Saving Technology in New Homes
Last update: 12:36 p.m. EDT Sept. 21, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept 21, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Voting members of the leading building code body in the nation, the International Code Council (ICC), overwhelmingly supported a residential fire sprinkler requirement for all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses.
Fire service and building code officials united to approve the requirement and countered opposition. The code proposal, RB64, easily overcame a procedural requirement that mandated a super-majority of two-thirds approval. This represents an unprecedented step forward in advancing home fire safety in the United States.
The vote, held today in Minneapolis, was supported by 73 percent of the voting members in attendance.
The IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition, an association of more than 100 fire service, building code official, and safety organizations representing 45 states, assumed a leadership position and secured unified support for this issue over the past 18 months.
"Our team worked hard to rally support throughout the United States for a residential fire sprinkler requirement, but our supporters deserve the recognition for showing up en mass in Minneapolis," said Ronny J. Coleman, president of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. "They know from experience that sprinklers are the answer to the nation's fire problem."
Fire deaths in the United States realized a dramatic decline over the past three decades as smoke alarms became common - today, more than 95 percent of homes have them. Still, more than 3,000 people die each year from fire, and a home burns every 80 seconds. Residential sprinklers are the only fire protection technology that works to rapidly contain fire, effectively giving families more time to escape the deadly heat and poisonous gases of an unchecked fire. Therefore, the proposal's passage has also pleased home safety advocates across the country.
"We work with families every day that are directly affected by the ravages of fire," said Meri-K App, president of the Home Safety Council. "We are thrilled not only because this moment has taken decades of demanding work to achieve, but because it provides protection for potential victims of future fires."
Karen Mann, a fire safety advocate and the mother of a fire victim stated in her testimony, "the cost to put sprinklers into the home where my daughter died would have been less than what I had to pay for the flowers at her funeral."
The sprinkler mandate will first appear in the 2009 International Residential Code(R) (IRC), which will be published by the end of the year. Forty-six states use the IRC as the basis of regulating new home construction.
"The vote was a historic moment in residential fire safety - and is a significant step in a long journey before sprinklers are installed in every new home," noted Ronny J. Coleman, president of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. "We're now going to move forward at the state and local level to ensure new code requirement is adopted."
About IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition
Founded in 2007, the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition has grown to include more than 100 international, national and regional public safety organizations, including associations representing 45 states, all of whom support the mission of promoting residential fire sprinkler systems in new home construction. The Coalition was formed to educate public policymakers on the value of residential sprinkler systems and to support related legislation. More information can be found at www.IRCFireSprinkler.org.
SOURCE IRC Fire Sprinkler CoalitionSeptember 21, 2008
Bill going to Governor to remove residential sprinklers from the NJ IRC has been pulled. Senator Bateman has removed his bill. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp
SENATE, No. 2962
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
213th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED JUNE 22, 2009
Sponsored by:
Senator CHRISTOPHER "KIP" BATEMAN
District 16 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits adoption of subcode requiring installation of fire sprinklers in one- and two-family residential buildings. Click to read bill
Effort to Ease Skyscraper Codes Fails
WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest official building code group on Saturday rebuffed a push by a federal agency and real estate developers to weaken skyscraper code enhancements adopted last year in response to the World Trade Center attack.
The agency, the General Services Administration, had teamed up with the Building Owners and Managers Association, which represents real estate developers nationwide, to challenge requirements for additional emergency stairwells in tall office buildings, more robust fireproofing and glow-in-the-dark paint on emergency stairwells.
But even before two of the measures came to a vote at a meeting of the building group, the International Code Council, which is meeting in Minneapolis to approve the 2009 version of the building code, they were withdrawn.
And the third proposal — to drop a requirement for an additional stairwell in office buildings taller than 420 feet, or about 40 stories — was defeated on Saturday by a vote of the building code officials present.
David W. Frable, a fire protection engineer at the General Services Administration, which manages office buildings for the federal government, declined to comment Saturday when asked why he had withdrawn his two requests to weaken the code.
But building code officials who attended the meeting said opposition surfaced this month after word spread that the federal government was advocating repealing certain code enhancements.
Instead of weakening the code, members of the nonprofit International Code Council voted to enhance it by requiring that all tall buildings install glow-in-the-dark paint, not just new ones.
The revisions passed also require a backup water supply for sprinkler systems, so that if the primary supply is cut off, as happened on Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center towers, the sprinklers will still work.
Finally, the members moved to require a minimum of 30 feet between emergency stairwells in buildings 75 feet or taller, or about six stories, to prevent a single event, like an explosion, from blocking all the exits, as also happened in the north tower of the World Trade Center.
“All in all, we have had a terrific success,” said Gary Lewis, chairman of an International Code Council committee that had recommended code enhancements in response to the 2001 attack. “I am ecstatic.”
The building code adopted by the International Code Council is used in at least 20,000 communities nationwide, in all 50 states, including major cities like New York, Houston and Philadelphia. Each jurisdiction has the right to modify the so-called model code before adopting it — and many do. But the standard adopted by the Code Council members is considered a minimum safety threshold that most jurisdictions try to meet.
The members did approve a major compromise advocated by the General Services Administration.
For office building skyscrapers higher than 420 feet, an additional stairwell will not be required if the building includes special elevators that can be used to evacuate occupants during an emergency.
These elevators would have to be designed so they would continue to run even if there was a fire in the building — and if the sprinklers were activated. The traditional ban on using an elevator during a fire would be lifted in the new towers.Proposed Fire Prevention Code Change for Existing High Rise Buildings in NJ;
An amendment update is proposed to the State Fire Prevention Code, sub-chapter 3 of the Uniform Fire Code (N.J.A.C. 5:70-3) in regard to high-rise suppression requirements for existing buildings. The proposed amendment will require existing high-rise buildings Group B (Business or Office) and Group R-2 (Residential) to be equipped with an approved automatic fire suppression system installed in accordance with the Uniform Construction Code(UCC). High-rise buildings represent a special hazard with regard to escape,rescue and firefighting operations that can be hampered by the height of the building. The proposed rule allows four years for high-rise building owners to comply.
September 17th, 2008 the Corzine administration announced yesterday that it will not require pre 1988 residential and office high-rises to be retrofitted with fire suppression systems within four years. Again cost outweighs life safety.
http://www2.iccsafe.org/states/newjersey/ ⇔ Click on this link to go to the ICC NJ codes.
The 2006 NJ Edition of these codes went into effect on February 20, 2007.
The 2000 NJ Editions of the IBC and IRC are set to expire on August 20, 2007.
The 2002 Edition of NFPA 72 is currently adopted by reference. The 1996 Edition will expire on August 20, 2007
The 2005 Edition of NFPA 70 is currently adopted by reference. See bottom of page we are moving to the 2008 edition.
Information Courtesy of:
John Drucker, CET
Fire Protection Subcode Official (AHJ)
New Jersey
The below applies to all nightclubs that are modified under the Rehab code, and any nightclub constructed prior to the 1990 edition of the BOCA National Building Code.
Occupancy load of 100 or more, automatic fire detection systems.
Occupancy load of 300 or more, fire sprinkler systems.
In both cases tie alarm activation to sound systems to shut them down and to lighting systems to turn the lights up.
Voluntarily reducing the occupant load to eliminate the need for the fire sprinklers is specifically prohibited.
Use the pull down menu for the complete code and comments....
On February 20, 2007 the State of New Jersey adopted the 2006 International Building Code (IBC), International Residential Code (IRC), National Standard Plumbing Code (NSPC), International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), International Mechanical Code (IMC) and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC). As with most if not all adoptions in New Jersey the "model codes" are adopted with technical amendments pursuant to the NJ Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23. With that said its important that users utilize the "adopted" versions of these codes which may be obtained from the ICC at www.iccsafe.org and the NAPHCC for the NSPC at http://www.phccweb.org/. Additionally fire alarm providers should take note that the 2006 IBC Chapter 35 Reference Standard for Fire Alarms is the 2002 Edition of NFPA-72.
The adoption posting and the technical amendments can be viewed on line at; http://www.state.nj.us/dca/codes/
Information Courtesy of:
Mr. John Drucker, CET
Fire Protection Subcode Official
Borough of Red Bank, NJ
Effective, Feb. 20, 2007, New Jersey has adopted the 2006 IBC with the following technical amendments:
http://www.nj.gov/dca/codes/code_assist_internet/barrier_free/pdf/model_codes_tech_amend_2_20_07.pdf
Courtesy of Bob Davidson.
A companion change to N.J.A.C. 5:70-4.7 is proposed to reference the requirement for suppression of high-rise buildings. Finally, there is a proposed amendment to N.J.A.C. 5:70-4.17, applicable to all high-rise buildings,including those built in compliance with the UCC. The comment period for this proposal has been extended to December 17, 2007 by the Department of Consumer Affairs Division of Codes and Standards.
In the February 5th NJ Register the UCC Rehab and UFC Retrofit regulations were amended concerning nightclubs.
Click Here for the latest edition of N.J.A.C. 5:23-6 The Rehabilitation Subcode
Click here for a summary of The New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code
From the NJ Uniform Construction Code - Rehabilitation Subcode - N.J.A.C. 5:23-6
CO Detection in NJ
C5:23-6.4 Repairs
(g) In buildings of Groups I-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 or R-5 containing a fuel burning appliance or having an attached garage, carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in accordance with the mechanical subcode. (Fire)
5:23-6.5 Renovations
(g) In buildings of Groups I-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 or R-5 containing a fuel burning appliance or having an attached garage, carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in accordance with the mechanical subcode. (Fire)
5:23-6.6 Alterations
(g) In buildings of Groups I-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 or R-5 containing a fuel burning appliance or having an attached garage, carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in accordance with the mechanical subcode. (Fire)
5:23-6.7 Reconstruction
(f) In buildings of Groups I-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 or R-5 containing a fuel burning appliance or having an attached garage, carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in accordance with the mechanical subcode. (Fire)
5:23-6.31 Change of use
(j) Carbon monoxide alarms: When the use of a building is changed to Groups I-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 or R-5 and the building contains a fuel-burning appliance or has an attached garage, carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in accordance with the mechanical subcode. (Fire)
1. Exceptions: Rooms or dwelling units which do not themselves contain a fuel-burning appliance or have an attached garage, but which are located in a building with a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, need not be provided with single station carbon monoxide alarms provided that:
i. The room or dwelling unit is located more than one story above or below any story which contains a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage; the room or dwelling unit is not connected by duct work or ventilation shafts to any room containing a fuel-burning appliance or to an attached garage; and the building is provided with a common area carbon monoxide alarm system. The individual alarms shall be located in every room adjacent to the room(s) containing a fuel-burning appliance, and in every corridor, hall or lobby adjacent to such room(s) and in the immediate vicinity of any ventilated shaft, including, but not limited to, stair shafts, elevator shafts, ventilation shafts on the story containing the fuel-burning appliance and any story within two stories above or below said story. All such common area alarm devices shall be connected to an alarm monitoring station or shall be interconnected; or
ii. The building is provided with a monitored carbon monoxide alarm system. Individual alarms shall be located in every room containing a fuel-burning appliance. All such alarms shall be connected to an alarm monitoring station that shall be staffed at all times by a person who is trained and qualified to respond so as to protect the health and safety of building occupants in the event of the activation of one or more alarms. Carbon monoxide alarms and fire alarms may be incorporated into a common monitored system.
2. Carbon monoxide alarms shall be manufactured listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2034 and shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of this section and NFPA 720. Carbon monoxide alarms shall be battery-operated, hard-wired or of the plug-in type.
John Drucker
Fire Protection Subcode Official
Borough of Red Bank, NJ
AFAANJ Member
Link to DCA C&S Bulletin 08-01 Hard-Wired, Interconnected Smoke Alarms vs. Low-Voltage Smoke-Detection Systems
NJ goes to the 2008 NEC April 6, 2009!
Watch out, with no mention of grounding as § 760.9 is gone you're still required to provide it! If you read § 90.1 you are required to meet ALL requirements in chapters 1 through 4 unless modified by chapters 5, 6, or 7. The bottom line is GROUNDING THOUGH NOT IN § 760.9 IS STILL REQUIRED