There's a massive dust-up taking place in many states as a result of the ICC (International Code Council) final action hearings which took place in Minneapolis, MN last September. The most hotly contested issues were those of fire sprinklers for 1 and 2 family dwellings (new construction), and multi-family townhouses (also new construction). A two-thirds vote was necessary for passage, and the fire service turned out in masses, and we prevailed.
FYI, any interested party can testify at hearings, but the ICC voting privilege is reserved for Code Officials and representatives of local govenrment, which includes the fire service, if they have joined the ICC.
Subsequent to the hearings, the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) cried foul and challenged the legitimacy of the vote, because the fire service "unfairly dominated" the voting process. An ICC appeal board ruled against their complaint. So, the builders have taken their fight to the state level.
A bit more backstory: not too long ago, there were a handful of code promulgating entities who decided to join forces, pool resources, and offer a full scope of codes for use by any state wishing to adopt them. This action created the ICC, which is accepted by 48 states, plus the District of Columbia. The ICC Codes are revised and issued every three years, and cover residential and commercial construction, fire, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, energy conservation, property maintence, and other issues.
Back to the issue of fire sprinklers. As noted above, the battle is now on a state level. To see what has been proposed where you live, click the link.
The claims of homebuilders are numerous and flawed. I sat through seven hours of testimony in Harrisburg, PA yesterday, and heard the same old mistruths told to the UCC (Uniform Construction Code) Advisory Council. Thankfully, that council had the good sense to separate wheat from chaff, and voted to uphold sprinklers in the 2009 ICC, set to become law in the Commonwealth in January 2011.
In case any of you want to write your legislators regarding an upcoming challenge, this thread exists to give honest answers to any questions regarding how fire sprinklers work, and related queries. I'm going to lead off with some of the most common misstatements and misconceptions, and attempt to factually refute them.
Do all sprinkler heads activate at once? NO! Thank Hollywood for this myth. The majority of residential fires are contained or extinguished by one operating head. Systems where all heads simultaneously flow do exist, but are reserved for specialized commercial/storage occupancies.
Smoke detectors are sufficient for occupant protection. NO! In the 35 years I've spent in the fire service, I can't count the number of dwelling fires with missing detectors, or those with dead or removed batteries. Studies have indicated that children, the elderly, persons with hearing deficiencies, disabled persons, and those impaired by prescription or recreational drugs do not respond appropriately to a sounding detector. Further, independent detectors cannot alert sleeping occupants on the second floor of a basement fire. Smoke detectors can suffer from sensitivity drift, which is why the NFPA recommends they be replaced after 10 years. Fire sprinklers don't suffer from any of these problems.
Sprinklers cost too much. That's a judgement call, and depends on what you feel is "too much". In areas where a sprinkler ordinance exists and economies of scale have taken place, the cost can be as low as $0.38/SF, or can run to the high end at $3.66/SF. They are most costly for rural users without municipal water supply, who will need an "improved well" or domestic storage tank for sprinkler water. For a home of 2000SF in a rural setting, $5K would be average. To put that in perspective, one Mother who spoke in Minneapolis noted that more was spent on flowers for her daughter's funeral than it would have cost to sprinkler the dwelling in which her child died.
A few other facts for your information: Residential construction today utilizes lightweight building materials, such as a wood-I beam, made up of a web of 3/8" plywood or OSB (Oriented Strand Board) glued between two 2x4s of sawn lumber or engineered lumber. Another choice is the lightweight wood truss, made up of 2x members glued together. These are nice building materials, and perform well until there's a fire. When compared to older full-dimension 2x construction, they ignite more readily, and lose load carrying capacity quickly.
Our furnishings aren't what Grandpa had. Couches and chairs used to be made of wool, linen, cotton, mohair, and so forth. They were natural fibers. Today's furnishings are synthetic, which is another way of saying long-chain-molecule-petrochemical-derivative. That futon is modified oil. When ignited, it burns like oil. Studies conducted by NIST (National Institute for Standards and Technology) show a BTU/h production rate by modern furnishings which is significantly higher than what was in Grandpa's house, together with a higher release of toxic smoke.
NIST and UL (Underwriters Laboratories) both have produced DVDs showing identically furnished rooms, one sprinklered, and one non-sprinklered, which were ignited, where the fire behavior along with room conditions were monitored. Within five minutes, an unsprinklered average living room or bedroom will reach flashover, with simultaneous ignition of all combustible products, toxic smoke at floor level, and air temperature 5' above floor exceeding 800°F. Contrast that scenario with a sprinklered room, where the fire is contained, smoke is mild, and temperature 5' above floor is 110°F.
Over to you. Ask.