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FIRE PROMPTS CALLS FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS October 2008

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is urging all housing landlords and associations to consider fitting sprinkler systems after a serious incident near Canterbury at the weekend.
A 72-year-old man was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after escaping a blaze in sheltered accommodation in Nargate Street, Littlebourne, during the early hours of Sunday morning.
Following the incident, KFRS is due to hold discussions with Canterbury City Council about the merits of sprinkler systems. Its “Safer with Sprinklers” campaign is calling for these potentially life-saving devices to be installed in the homes of the most vulnerable people, including the elderly and the disabled.
KFRS Assistant Director of Community Safety, Steve Griffiths said: “The resident was extremely lucky in that he managed to get out of his ground floor flat and our crews did an excellent job in containing the blaze when they arrived just seven minutes after the alarm was raised.
However, because of the man’s age and health, it's clear that we could have been dealing with a tragedy. This fire highlights the importance of sprinkler systems because they raise the alarm and tackle the blaze immediately, increasing a resident's opportunity to escape. They also limit the amount of damage caused so that property can be refurbished and returned to normal in a much quicker period.”
Steve Griffiths added: “We are working hard to dispel the myths surrounding sprinklers systems, for example that they cost lots of money and go off accidentally. The truth is they save lives and we are urging anyone with a responsibility for looking after vulnerable people to consider installing them.”
For more information on the KFRS “Safer with Sprinklers” campaign, visit our website www.kent.fire-uk.org/sprinklers

Members of the International Code Council (ICC) in the USA approved a life- and property-saving Residential Sprinkler code proposal at the just-concluded 2008 Code Hearings in Minneapolis.

Requiring a two-thirds majority to pass and become part of building codes across the United States, the code change proposal received 73 percent of the votes on the September 21 ballot. This strong support for requiring fire sprinklers in new homes showed a large majority of code officials in the U.S. believe fire sprinklers should form an integral part of safety in new one- and two family housing.

ICC’s voting members – who were government or municipality representatives engaged in the administration, formulation or enforcement of laws, regulations or ordinances relating to public health, safety and welfare – passed the proposal, which stated that effective January 1, 2011, an approved automatic fire sprinkler system shall be installed in all new one- and two family dwellings and townhouses in accordance with NFPA 13D.

In addition, fire sprinklers will be required in all townhomes effective immediately with the publication of the next International Residential Code (IRC), receiving almost 75 percent of the votes at the hearing.

“Countless lives will be saved as a result of these historic code changes,” said John Viniello, president of NFSA. “I am proud of America’s fire service communities and representatives, the voting members of the ICC, and building officials for joining together for such an important cause. It has been a long fight but we’ve never wavered. Our collective dedication and perseverance has prevailed as we emerge victorious on this critical public safety issue.”

NFSA played a critical role in educating code officials on the importance of this change. NFSA mobilized its members to carry the positive messages about fire sprinklers’ benefits to local officials throughout the country, while debunking myths promoted by the main opposition to this code change: large national and regional homebuilders.

The International Residential Code Fire Sprinkler Coalition garnered the support of over 100 allied organizations from over 45 states under the leadership of past Chief Ronny Coleman and code consultant Jeff Shapiro.

“This is not a one person or one organization victory,” added Viniello. “We are grateful to the ICC for implementing a process that allows for the call for change to be heard and provides a forum for change to take place. In addition, we thank the International Residential Code Fire Sprinkler Coalition for joining so many organizations together to bring us to victory.”

THE RSA APPLAUDS THIS VICTORY FOR COMMON SENSE AND ASKS "HOW MANY HAVE TO DIE BEFORE WE IN THE UK DO THE SAME?"

TORONTO - A move to mandate sprinkler systems in all new Ontario condos and apartments four storeys tall or higher was welcomed by firefighters Wednesday, although they said the new rules fell short of what they were hoping for.

While the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs applauded the announcement made by Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Jim Watson, the group suggested sprinklers should be mandatory for all new residential construction projects.

"This is an important first step and we commend the ... government for moving forward," president Richard Boyes said in a release.

"Ultimately, we would like to see sprinklers being made mandatory in all new residential units including single-family dwellings, townhouses and low-rise buildings."

Boyes said Vancouver and Scottsdale, Ariz., both require sprinklers in all residential buildings and there hasn't been a single fire fatality in either municipality since they mandated them 18 and 22 years ago respectively.

"We would like to see Ontario be a leader as well and achieve a similar safety record," he said.

The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs has suggested some 90 fire fatalities in the last year could have been prevented by sprinklers.

Watson said the changes bring Ontario in line with other jurisdictions across Canada and in the United States.

"We felt there was great consensus to move forward on the highrises because this is the one area that we are a laggert when it comes to the national building codes," Watson said.

"I found it passing strange that we did not require sprinklers in highrise residential buildings but we do require them in highrise office buildings. We were protecting people when they were at work, but we weren't protecting them when they were at home."

He added that extending the mandate to all residential dwellings isn't a priority.

The building code changes follow public consultations and will take effect April 1, 2010.

Incidents like this illustrate the urgent need for sprinklers to be fitted to all care homes.

This tragic incident shows current fire safety measures are inadequate and has renewed calls for sprinklers to be fitted in hotels.

REVISIONS TO PART B (FIRE SAFETY) OF BUILDING REGS ANNOUNCED - 19th Dec 2006

A  package of measures aiming to improve fire safety, including greater recognition of the role of sprinklers and more help for fire fighters to deal with fires in tall buildings, have been announced by the Government today (19 December).

The revisions to Part B (Fire safety) of the Building Regulations, and supporting guidance in Approved Document B, reflect recent experiences of actual fires; developments in construction; research findings; and comprehensive stakeholder engagement -including a four-month public consultation exercise.

The Building Regulations are made under the Building Act 1984, as amended. The fire safety aspects are set out in Part B of Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 2000, as amended. Part B contains functional (i.e. performance-based) fire safety requirements set out in terms of what is reasonable, adequate or appropriate. Approved Document B (AD B) provides technical guidance on complying with the requirements of Part B.

As Workplace Law’s Fire Safety 2006: Special Report explains, “the review of AD B began in 2003 … The exercise revealed that people wanted significant changes to the regulations to be highlighted and more explanation of the changes, to show how and why new guidance differs, and why specific changes were required. Three strong common themes emerged:

• fire safety management and particularly the importance of ensuring that information about the fire safety design of buildings is passed onto the person responsible for its management;

• the important role of residential sprinklers; and 

• the need for clearer guidance about means of escape for disabled people."

Between July and August 2005 the Government carried out a consultation on the proposed changes. The consultation document and the summary of responses to it are available on the Communities and Local Government website at: www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1131416.

The changes to Part B, which have been announced today, come into force on 6 April 2007 and will affect future building work in England and Wales - including the erection, extension or material alteration of a building, and how fire safety is designed into a building.

For non-domestic buildings, the key changes include the introduction of a maximum unsprinklered compartment size for single storey warehouses, new guidance on residential care homes (including on the use of sprinklers) and a new requirement to ensure occupiers are made aware of their building's fire protection measures so as to assist with the preparation of fire risk assessments under the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order regime. It is important that provisions must be fully evidence-based and justified and are taken forward in a robust and efficient manner.

The changes to the Building Regulations also include the authorisation of several new competent persons self-certification schemes that will enhance compliance, particularly in respect of the energy efficiency requirements of the Regulations, and a number of other minor amendments, which will come into force on 15 January.