Fire Sprinkler Save

Fire contained to a single mattress in a discount mattress outlet ~ Temecula, California.  Article

In other news; Brown County, Nebraska is seeking a fire sprinkler contractor to retrofit the courthouse in Ainsworth (article).  Design must be submitted to the State Fire Marshal and approved before final acceptance of bid.  Via the Ainsworth Star Journal.

Sprinkler Save

These articles are always bitter-sweet to read.  I hate how they dwell on the water damage rather than the benefit of the sprinkler saving the building from a total loss.

The sprinkler save was in Northwest Portland, Oregon.  Article via News Channel 8 KGW.com.

Take Seriously ‘Buy American Act’

This article on Petersburg News out of Virginia reports a man sentenced to 5 months for the use of foreign material in a government project.  The article states the guy directed his employees to “grind off the foreign-made markings.”  Seems to me that it would have been cheaper to buy the American made materials after you take into account the time spent grinding off the markings.  Must’ve been real, real cheep foreign parts.

Unusual Valve Indicator

The pictures are of an FDC and a device next to it that says, “Fire Dept. Indicator Valve.”  I’m assuming that there is a valve somewhere. The site glasses have lights (I guess they are lights) indicating whether the valve is open or closed.  The site glass on the left has condensate on the inside so it is hard to see in but I imagine it’s just like the right side.  There is no valve in close proximity.  This device sits about 50′ in front of the building that it belongs to.  I saw it in passing and did not have a chance to do a whole lot of digging into exactly what it controlled or was an indicator for.  I found it odd that it was right next to the FDC but thinking about it I don’t think it has anything to do with the FDC.  If you’ve seen this device or are familiar with it’s function drop in the comments section and share.

Thanks.

Broken Links

It’s been so long since I last gave my love to this space that MANY of the links i’ve shared with you have gone to the netherworld.  Despite that fact, I assure you that I will return again soon.

Happy Holidays!

ED

Fire Sprinkler Academy

A colleague of mine sent me the following information regarding college credits that are going to be offered for training in the fire sprinkler business.    The great part is, you can take these classes at you’re home computer.  If you’re interested let them know.

Subject: Fire Sprinkler Academy

Could you send this on to EVERYONE you know that might be interested? We already have people from six states and the country of Portugal participating!

With much thanks,

Cecil Bilbo
Academy of Fire Sprinkler Technology, Inc.
OUR STUDENTS SAVE LIVES!

We are pleased to bring you a chance to earn COLLEGE CREDIT for online classes offered by the Academy and Parkland College. Please see the announcement below for more information. If you have any questions, send an email to info[at]sprinkleracademy[dot]com,  or visit www.sprinkleracademy.com

Fire Sprinkler Academy – College Credit classes ONLINE
Receive college credit towards the Sprinkler System Technology Degree on Tuesday and Thursday Evenings

Price: $250 per credit hour
Date: Begins Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Location: From your computer and phone
Phone: 217.649.0344
Email: info[at]sprinkleracademy[dot]com

Description
Earn College Credit on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8:30pm beginning AUG 25, 2009. Six hours of credit will be available through live online classes during the 2009 fall semester.
Register at www.sprinkleracademy.com

SST 001 Basic Hydraulics – Step-by-Step Fridays 1-3pm Central
Live Online Training in Sprinkler System Hydraulics (5 week class)

Price: $500 per student (ask about single site/multi-user discount)
Date: Begins Friday, September 11, 2009
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: Online with your computer and phone
Street: www.sprinkleracademy.com

Phone: 217-649-0344
Email: info[at]sprinkleracademy[dot]com

Description
Five Week class to learn all of the fundamentals of hydraulic calculations for fire sprinkler systems. This class will meet five times on Friday afternoons from 11 SEP to 09 OCT 2009. Everyone welcome.

Register at www.sprinkleracademy.com.

A Good Article for Those Sending Kiddos off to School

Here’s a great article from Coloradoan.com regarding campus fire saftey at college.  If you’re sending your kids off to school it’s something to think about for sure.

Greensville Residential Article

I haven’t been at it in a while but this article surprised me.  First, the author actually knows what s(he) is talking about.  Good and informative I thought.  Note the comments.  I didn’t want to have to register to respond but if you feel so inclined please do so.  Halon?  Are you serious? [greenvillonline.com]

S.C Fire Sprinkler Bills

While Highland Park, Texas is moving forward with fire sprinkler requirements in new homes, South Carolina is having trouble passing sprinkler mandates.

This article from The Post and Courier; Charleston.net explains that There are two separate bills being proposed. A House bill is being proposed that will provide tax incentive of 80% of the cost of the sprinkler system up to $50,000.00. The Senate is proposing a bill that will provide 50% of the cost of the sprinkler system; 25% from the state the other 25% from local property tax relief. The States portion would only be made available if the local governments offered a property tax credit.

Obviously there are proponents and opponents to this system. One opponent, Governor Mark Sanford, argues that;

‘Although the property-owners who install fire sprinklers under this legislation will be the primary beneficiaries of increased fire safety, the taxpayers will shoulder nearly all of the costs.’”

I’m not a tax expert and don’t claim to know the ins and outs of our tax system. Having said that, it makes sense to me that the “taxpayers” would shoulder some burden for business getting tax breaks because it’s money not going into the system to pay for infrastructure. On the other hand, the sprinkler systems, once they’re installed and working, will save citizens hundreds of thousands of dollars if a fire ever breaks out in one of the formerly unsprinklered buildings. So yeah, it definitely is an investment but the investment will pay itself back 10 fold if even one fire breaks out.

Vote To Require Sprinklers Unanimous

The Town Council in Highland Park, Texas voted unanimously to require fire sprinklers in homes. The article from the Dallas Morning News reports that,

Sprinklers will be required in all new homes and in renovations that add 50 percent or more to a home’s square footage.”

The requirement will take effect October 1, 2008.

A Proactive Approach

City officials in Grapevine, Texas are being recognized for their proactive approach in protecting historic buildings with fire sprinklers in their downtown district.  According to the article the city set up low interest loans to offset the cost of installation of the systems and connections to city mains.  [star-telegram.com; Fortworth, Texas]

Cha Cha Cha Changes

There’s a big, yet subtle, change to this site. If you look to the side bar in the widget labeled “E-MAIL” you’ll notice that I’ve listed my personal e-mail address.  I mean the other e-mail was my personal account as well the big difference is, is that the old e-mail didn’t contain my name . . . this one does.  The “at” in parentheses is just to keep the “spammers” from filling my in-box with every adulterous, raunch and pathetic information they think I want, or need to see.

I’ve decided how could I possibly have any credibility if I’m not totally transparent? Furthermore, how could I expect anyone to leave their e-mail when commenting (even though commenter’s e-mail addresses are, and always will be kept invisible, inaccessible and confidential to other readers. Unless someone chooses to leave a link to their e-mail address in their comment) if I don’t “take the mask off,” so to speak? I always felt kind of unaccredited being anonymous with my e-mail address anyway.

So, the “Under New Management” masthead is not totally superficial. I have a different take on the way this site should be run. So let’s roll with it. I hope this new change will invite more people into a discussion. And that’s ultimately why I started this in the first place.

Fire Cost in U.S. Exceed Cost of War

An article by Dawn Blunt in the Metrowest Newspaper Online Edition out of Brighton, Colorado compares the costs of the war in Iraq with the annual cost of fires in the United States. Dawn, the public safety educator for the Greater Brighton Fire Protection District, does a great job of comparing the very real and publicized costs of the war in Iraq against the very real and not-so-publicized cost of fire.

Try not to pick apart the politics and concentrate mostly on the point of the article. A few snippets;

Fires cost lives and huge sums of money for our country every day. Just because you don’t hear about all the costly fires and the deaths on the evening news doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Fire is costing Americans more each year than what Saudi Arabia makes on oil.

Between the start of the Iraq war and Dec. 10, 2007, America spent $150 billion per year on the war. The cost of the war on a family of four is estimated to be about $20,900 from 2002 to 2008. The estimated cost of fire is $22,720 for that same family of four for six years. The number of soldiers killed in Iraq is now about 3,886, which is roughly the same number of fire deaths in America every year.

Enjoy!

Wal*Mart Save

A (some) Sprinkler(s) saved a Wal*Mart in Kannapolis North Carolina. More on the story from WSOCTV (video Included).

Masthead

The masthead is a load of crap. This site is not under new management but it should be. I will get back to posting regularly.

Fire Prevention Advocates Disappointed in N.C.

An article in the Charlotte Observer from Tuesday explains the “North Carolina State Building Code Council (NCSBCC) declined to consider a request that sprinkler systems be required in large or multi-story family homes.”

As an outsider, two things came to me glaringly while reading the article:

Number 1 is the notion by the NCSBCC Chairman that it’s an unworthy notion to consider a sprinkler requirement in homes that exceed predetermined square footages or heights. In the commercial realm square footage, frontage, and height allowances are based (not solely) but in a big part, on whether a building is sprinklered or not. I agree that all homes should be sprinklered. Having said that it’s not an absurd notion to say that the bigger (or taller) the house the harder it would be to evacuate in case of a fire.

Number 2 is a statement made at the very end of the article. I am going to quote the article word for word because the statement is so crazy I’m can’t believe that N.C. Home Builders would make such a claim;

In a statement, the North Carolina Home Builders Association praised the council’s decision, saying it, ‘supports the development of an effective public fire-safety education program.’ The association argued current building requirements adequately provide for fire safety and that the costs of sprinkler systems exceed the potential property losses they might prevent.

The author of the article quotes the home builders as saying it [the NC Home Builders], “supports the development of an effective public fire-safety education program.” Then paraphrased, if you will, the builders association’s stance that current building codes are sufficient for fire safety AND (here’s the punchline), “the costs of the sprinkler systems exceed the potential property losses they might prevent.”

In my “I’m BAaaak” post a few days ago I begged the question whether or not it would be possible to spend even a Million dollars (the loss estimate of the house fire I referred to) on a sprinkler system over the life of a home. I say no way (under the current dollar value mind you). But, physical property will be the least concern in a catastrophic house fire.

Great Video By NFSA; Wisconsin

I’m BAaaak.

Unbelievable. There’s not a day that has gone by that I didn’t, at least, think about this blog. Excuses aren’t worth much, but work and my family have kept me very busy. We’ll get back to daily updates (I hope?).

Over my hiatus I haven’t been able to pay close attention to much of anything but the above mentioned obligations. My last post over two months ago was in regard to a success story involving a single family home saved by a single residential sprinkler. The owners of that home, I would suspect, are happy with their investment. Their home was saved. The key word is H-O-M-E. Not just the timber, but the pictures, heirlooms, antiques and whatever they valued as priceless is still available to them to admire and cherish.

On the other hand, news [KMBC-TV-9] broke this week of a house fire in the “backyard” of Fire Sprinklers global HQ. The story reports a 1-Million dollar loss. No loss of life or injury, thank God. But the H-O-M-E is gone.

One thing stood out when I saw this story. The stance from the NAHB that fires only occur in old homes and that new homes are “safer” so we don’t need sprinkler systems is bogus. It is obvious to me that catastrophic fires do occur in newer homes.

Here’s a question, and this is not rhetorical; Is there anyway, over the life of a single family residential structure that you’d ever spend a Million dollars on the installation and maintenance of a fire sprinkler system? I say no way. What say you?

Sprinkler Save

When debate goes on about residential “requirments” a story from Tahoe Daily Tribune in Lake Tahoe, California reinforces why home fire sprinkler systems can be crucial.

A fire in the garage of a three-story, custom Skyline Drive home that was ignited by stain-soaked rags was extinguished by a single sprinkler head with minimal water damage to the structure. And the incident serves example of value of installing fire sprinklers, officials said.

Firefighters from the Lake Valley Fire Protection District were called to the Skyline Drive home last Thursday at 10:15 p.m. for a report of a fire alarm. They found an extinguished fire in the garage. A single automatic sprinkler head mounted in the ceiling had activated and completely extinguished the blaze.”

One Requires; Two Consider

A couple of links I thought I’d pass along.

WJZ-TV reports [story here] the Talbot County Council approved a bill requiring sprinklers in new, and significantly renovated homes. The sprinkler requirement in renovations will be phased.

Under the bill, sprinklers will be required as of March 1 in new one-and two-family homes. They’ll be required in existing homes undergoing construction or renovation of more than 65 percent of the home until July 2009. After that date it will be required for renovations of more than half of a home.”

The other two links are to articles where jurisdictions are considering a residential fire sprinkler requirement.

The first is from CBS-47 in Fresno, CA [story here].

County Supervisor Henry Perea is proposing a new code to require sprinklers in all new construction in Fresno County including homes. Local firefighter officials claim the sprinklers save lives and would make a huge difference in rural areas where a fire response can take up to 20 minutes.

It’s hard to forget the tears of a grieving mother. In February Ana and Ruvi Escalante died in a house fire in the Fresno County area of Calwa. The tragedy affected the whole community.”

And finally, Hickory Hills in Southern Chicago is considering a sprinkler requirement in new and renovated homes. The story comes from Daily Southtown. Hickory Hills is doing their homework for sure;

Aldermen are discussing when it would be fair to make existing home owners, doing renovation or remodeling work, to install the devices.

‘If someone is gutting their house, tearing out all the dry wall, then I would have no problem having them install a sprinkling system,’ building commissioner Gordon Betcher said. ‘But not if a guy is just putting an extension on his house.’

‘We need to find a clear line of demarcation between a complete gutting and just an addition,’ Mayor Mike Howley said.

Ald. John Moirano (1st) said the city must establish a consistent policy and not leave the matter to the discretion of the building commissioner or future building commissioners.

‘We need a fair playing field,” Betcher said. ‘If new homes have to install sprinklers, then people totally rebuilding old houses have to do it, too.’

Some aldermen favor enforcing sprinkler installation if 50 percent or more square footage of a residence is being rebuilt. Others are considering measuring in dollars, making sprinklers mandatory if 25 percent or more in the reproduction cost of the house is spent in rebuilding. Both measures are being considered.”