Sprinkler systems and the Minneapolis vote

We share a passion for the truth to be illuminated! So I just found the discussion of the Minneapolis vote of the ICC AND THE CRITICAL VOTE that brought about the change. Just a point of reference, the cost estimates stated within the conversation $1.5 per sq ft, based upon 2300 sq. ft., these estimates grossly undervalue the installed cost to the builder which he then passes on to the homeowner with his normal and reasonable profit margin. We must not allow this to be forgotten as we move forward from the moment in history from the date of the ICC vote. We can not burden the home buyer with costs that are not associated with a reasonable benefit to cost. It would be like making cars death proof when it would cause a large population to be unable to commute. This is instead a place to live! A burden that in the overall scheme of things is an undue burden. Fire Officials Hijack ICC Code Process “HBAV to Oppose the Adoption of the Sprinkler Mandate in Virginia” In recent years the Board of Housing and Community Development (BHCD) has adopted the International Code Council (ICC) Family of Codes as the basis for the Uniform StateBuilding Code (USBC). As all HBAV members know, the USBC governs themethodology of construction and material use for residential and commercialconstruction in Virginia. The BHCD, with the support of HBAV and other stakeholder groups, has adopted theICC Family of Codes because of the “scientific” approach and “balanced” approach oftheir (ICC) code making process. Marketing agendas of suppliers and policy agendas ofstakeholder groups were discounted in favor a fair and balanced code that was built on the ultimate safety, energy efficiency and affordability of the final product. That fairness and balance in the ICC code-making process was tossed aside in Minneapolis last year at the ICC’s final action hearings. On the Saturday and Sunday of the final action hearings, there was a sudden - and controversial - arrival of 900 fire officials that were eligible to vote at the InternationalCode Council's final action hearings. That swelled the number of sprinkler proponentsfar beyond traditional attendance numbers, and the measure was approved by a vote of1,283 to 470 on Sunday morning. It has been widely reported that many fire officials thatattended the Minneapolis hearings had their travel expenses paid by sprinklermanufacturers. About 1,200 voting devices were turned in immediately after the residential fire sprinklermandate was approved, suggesting that most of the proponents left immediately after thevote was taken. “We welcome the insight and experience that fire officials bring to the code developmentprocess because our model codes are focused on life safety issues,” said James “Andy”Anderson, chair of the NAHB Construction, Codes and Standards Committee. “However, it seems clear that these particular fire officials were focused on one issueonly — residential fire sprinkler mandates — without any benefit of perspectiveregarding how such mandates jibe with the hundreds of other code proposals considered at this hearing. That’s unfortunate, because such reasoned discussion is what the modelcode process was designed to accomplish.” In other words, the 2009 ICC code-making process was hijacked by fire officials. As a result, fire sprinkler mandates will be part of the 2009 International Residential Code and will be required in all one- and two-family homes and townhouses that build to Page 2 the code as of January 1, 2011….IMPORTANTLY, if and only if adopted by the BHCD during the next USBC update. That process will likely begin in late 2009 or early 2010. The residential fire sprinkler mandates will provide a sizable financial boon for the fire sprinkler manufacturing industry. In 2005, when there were about 1.65 million new homes constructed at an average 2,340 square feet, sprinkler manufacturers would have reaped about $5.8 billion in revenue, based on average sprinkler costs of $1.50 per square foot, had the sprinkler requirement been in effect. NAHB had identified several concerns over residential fire sprinkler systems — among them, questioning whether most home owners are prepared to perform the maintenance required to ensure that the sprinklers remain operational. Builders also cited the potential for pipes installed in attics to freeze in colder climates and they said that the sprinklers can be discharged accidentally, with damaging results. In areas served by wells or where water is scarce, the availability of an adequate water supply is another possible problem. NAHB pointed to several existing code requirements that have contributed to a significant decline in fire-related deaths and injuries over the past 30 years. The most effective improvement has been the introduction of hard-wired interconnected smoke alarms, which the code requires to be installed in every bedroom and on every floor. National Fire Protection Association reports conclude that about 890 fatalities could be avoided each year if every home had at least one working smoke alarm. Because there is only a limited number of subcontractors who are certified, the sprinkler requirement will appear in the 2009 International Residential Code but not take effect until 2011, if adopted in Virginia by the Board of Housing and Community Development. HBAV will vigorously oppose the residential sprinkler mandate before the DHCD. We, nor the Board of Housing and Community Development, should let stand a code mandate that is the result of a hijacking by the deep pockets of the sprinkler industry (that will get deeper by this regulatory fiat) and fire officials. In Triumph of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness! Sincerely, Dave W. Dave Wallace, IIRestore America's Mission,Inc.Restoreamericasmission.orghttp://twitter.com/DaveWallaceUS Sent from my I-phone.(Excuse any typos.)Chesapeake Kitchen Wholesalers, Inc.

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