FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2009
Contact: Ingrid Mattsson
Brand Management Senior Manager
(800) 321-4739, ext. 4249
Ingrid.mattsson@uponor-usa.com
March 25, 2009
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Additional Resources
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For the Media: Fire Sprinkler Mandate
New Residential Fire Sprinkler System Mandate
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Gretchen Schmeisser watched in disbelief as flames from her overheated van in the garage threatened to destroy her three-level Colorado town home. Her shock soon turned to relief as she watched two of her home’s fire sprinklers activate, controlling the heat and flames while dousing the fire within minutes.
With only $8,000 in damages to the house, and no harm to her neighbors’ homes, Schmeisser considers herself fortunate. “If we did not have sprinklers placed in the garage, the entire town home building – all seven homes – would have been lost to this fire,” says Jerry Pope, partner of Timberline Builders and one of the developers of the 71-unit community, located in southwest Colorado.
Do fire sprinklers save lives? Are they a necessary investment for homeowners? Should they be mandated by law? The nation’s leading building code body, the International Code Council (ICC), thinks so. The ICC develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the international codes developed by the ICC. The ICC fire sprinkler mandate stipulates that all new residential homes, both one- and two-family dwellings, must include fire sprinklers starting Jan. 1, 2011.
A heated debate among builders, fire marshals and consumers has ignited in the wake of the ICC mandate. Opinions run the gamut depending on whom you talk to; fire officials welcome the mandate, while some builders say this is an unnecessary, and costly, precaution. “Fire sprinklers save lives,” says Stan Scofield, a fire inspector from Plymouth, Minn. “We have never seen a fatality in a home fire where a working fire sprinkler system was installed. Unfortunately, we see our fair share of tragedies in homes without one installed.”
Critics argue that the cost of building a new home is already high, and that adding the expense of fire sprinklers may turn some homeowners away from the building process. “Products used in building homes have improved over the last few decades, and this alone has led to a continued decrease in fire incidents, injury and even death,” according to homebuilder Chuck Eliasson, a contractor from Minneapolis. “This includes the widespread use of smoke detectors and continued education about fire hazards.”
Some homeowners liken sprinklers to having their own personal “fire department” on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We wanted peace of mind,” says Sandy Nichols, a homeowner who recently completed a home south of Nashville, Tenn. “Our volunteer fire department is about three miles away. If there were a fire, we figured that it would take them anywhere from 10 to 12 minutes to get here. By that time, there would be a good chance the damage to our house would be considerable.”
It is easy to understand the Nichols’ concerns: Every 90 seconds, a home fire is reported in the United States. According to the National Fire Protection Association, eight out of 10 fire fatalities occur where we feel safest – in our own homes. Many fires start at night and research shows young children and older adults are the majority of victims in home fires. Children often sleep through the fire alarm, and older people may not be able to respond fast enough to get out in time. A residential fire sprinkler system can contain a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive on the scene. Yet, only about two percent of U.S. homes are equipped with fire sprinklers.
The mandate debate: A growing number of forward-thinking communities across the country have spent the last few years studying the extent to which home sprinklers save property and lives, and based on findings, many have changed their building codes to accommodate fire sprinkler mandates. Even prior to the ICC ruling, more than 400 jurisdictions had implemented fire sprinkler ordinances around the country in at least 30 different states.
“Research makes a compelling argument to mandate fire safety systems in residential building codes,” says Jayson Drake, senior product manager, Plumbing and Fire Safety, for Uponor North America. “And with an industry standard cost of approximately $1.61 per square foot, the investment for homeowners equals that of granite countertops and stainless steel appliances – common upgrades by today’s standard. But this upgrade saves lives.”
However, it seems that cost is what has builders most concerned. “I am including a fire safety system in a home that we are currently building,” Jim Moras, owner of Highmark Builders of Burnsville, Minn., says. “In this case, we are putting it in based on a request from the homeowner. But I think the industry is balking at having a mandate that demands sprinklers in every new home built, potentially driving up the final house cost.”
Although the cost of installing a fire safety system seems to be a central issue, excluding a system based on price tag may be a shortsighted decision. According to the nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, fires cause more than six billion dollars in direct property damage every year in U.S. homes. Much of this damage is caused by fire fighters’ hoses, which discharge 200 gallons of water per minute into a burning home.
Conversely, a fire sprinkler sprays 10-15 gallons per minute, minimizing overall property damage. And with only the sprinklers closest to the fire activating, 90 percent of fires are contained by the operation of just one or two sprinklers, causing only a fraction of the water damage of a fire department hose. With the ICC mandate in effect, the annual six-billion-dollar property damage figure should decrease significantly over the next decade, according to Drake from Uponor.
“A fire sprinkler system is an investment that safeguards families and homes against the dangers and costs of home fires,” says Jim Lindahl, an independent State Farm agent. “Fire reports show time and again that property damage is nine times lower in homes equipped with sprinkler systems. These homeowners save 10% off their yearly insurance premium, so it amounts to significant savings over time.”
Good long-term investment: Though these savings won’t pay for the initial investment, some homeowners and real estate agents are starting to recognize that sprinklers may be a good long-term investment. “As more and more homes include a fire sprinkler system, I believe it can increase the value of your home and its resale value,” according to Colleen Larson, a Minneapolis-based RE/MAX real estate agent. “New homes often set the trend for what consumers demand, and as we see more and more homes outfitted with sprinklers, they will become a much-desired request by buyers.”
Aside from cost, consumer demand, insurance rates, water and property damage, the core reason for including a fire safety system is often an emotional one. The most precious belongings we have — our family, photo albums showcasing our lives and keepsakes from the past — are found in our homes. A house fire destroys irreplaceable mementos unique only to our lives, and for many, this becomes the main reason to include a fire sprinkler system.
Note: Joel Williams has been a freelance writer for 18 years and has written extensively on new technologies, trends and product innovations for the home building and DIY marketplace. Joel can be reached at Joel_Williams@sbcglobal.net.
Uponor Corporation is a leading supplier of plumbing, fire safety and radiant heating and cooling systems for the residential and commercial building markets across North America and Europe, and a market leader in municipal infrastructure pipe systems in the Nordic countries. Uponor Corporation employs 4,200 people in 27 countries and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd., Finland.
Uponor, Inc. is headquartered in Apple Valley, Minn. For more information, visit www.uponor-usa.com or call (800) 321-4739.
Uponor Ltd. is based in Mississauga, Ont. For more information, visit www.uponor.ca or call (888) 994-7726.
For more information about Uponor, visit the Uponor media room at http://www.lnccommunications.com/uponor-media.html
For editorial assistance, contact John O’Reilly c/o LNC Communications LLC at (815) 469-9100; e-mail: John@LNCmail.com
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© 2009 Uponor, Inc.
VIDEOS
BLUEPRINT FOR GREEN FIRE SAFETY: FLASH VIDEO
(Click "Play" in lower left to view video; TRT – 5:35)
FIRE SAFETY: FLASH VIDEO
(Click "Play" in lower left to view video; TRT – 3:01)
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Some homeowners liken sprinklers to having their own personal “fire department” on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week for protection and peace of mind. File Name: UP0958-SM-Bedroom.tif |
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“We have never seen a fatality in a home fire where a working fire sprinkler system was installed.” — Stan Scofield, a fire inspector from Plymouth, Minn. File Name: UP0958-SM-Kitchen.tif |
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“With an industry standard cost of approximately $1.61 per square foot, the investment for homeowners equals that of granite countertops and stainless steel appliances — common upgrades by today’s standard. But this upgrade saves lives.” — Jayson Drake, senior product manager, Plumbing and Fire Safety, for Uponor North America. File Name: UP0958-SM-Kitchen-2.tif |
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A residential fire sprinkler system can contain a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive on the scene. File Name: UP0958-SM-FireTruck.tif |
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