A fire totally destroys an unsprinklered room during a live, side-by-side demonstration at NFPA headquarters in Quincy, MA, on November 3, 2011. In the room outfitted with a single sprinkler head, the sprinkler activated after 20 seconds and quickly brought down the flames..
Live fire demonstration shows value of home fire sprinklers
November 3, 2011—Saying the MA Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) is playing with fire, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) President James M. Shannon and representatives of every major fire service organization in the state came together on November 3rd to protest against the new building code in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
All national model building codes include the requirement for fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family homes. The BBRS promulgated a building code for the Commonwealth in August and omitted the provision to require home fire sprinklers in new construction.
“Your risk of dying in a home fire decreases by more than 80 percent with sprinklers and property damage is reduced by 74 percent,” said Shannon. “By allowing substandard housing to be built in Massachusetts, the BBRS puts firefighters and citizens at unnecessary risk. Their action should be reversed.” (Read Mr. Shannon's full remarks.)
Officials held a live side-by-side fire demonstration to show the value of home fire sprinklers. During the demonstration, firefighters set on fire two identical rooms, one of which was equipped with a home sprinkler and one that did not include a sprinkler. The demonstration graphically showed how sprinklers effectively control or in some cases extinguish a home fire, and how lack of a sprinkler allows the room to go to flashover, the point in which everything burns.
Other organizations attending the November 3rd fire demonstration and voicing their strong unanimous support for fire sprinklers were representatives from Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts, Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Call/Volunteer Firefighters Association and Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts.
Over 400 communities in the U.S. now require home sprinklers. California, Maryland and South Carolina have adopted the provision statewide.
A public hearing will be held in Boston on December 13, 2011, where testimony will be accepted on the code action. The time and location are yet to be determined. Visit www.firesprinklersma.org for more information.
In the room outfitted with a single sprinkler head, the sprinkler activated after 20 seconds and quickly brought down the flames.
Remarks by NFPA President Jim Shannon
Live home fire sprinkler demonstration, Quincy MA
November 3, 2011
NFPA President Jim Shannon was joined by representatives of every major fire service organization in Massachusetts at a home fire sprinkler rally in Quincy, MA, on November 3, 2011.
"We are joined today by every major fire service organization in Massachusetts to bring attention to the misguided action of the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) and to show you the value of home fire sprinklers.
The BBRS recently promulgated the Massachusetts Building Code and omitted the provision to require fire sprinklers in new one and two family homes. This is a dangerous precedent and will put Massachusetts citizens and its firefighters at risk.
In the last decade, there have been more than 54,000 fires in one and two family homes in Massachusetts. These fires injured more than 2,300 firefighters and 1,500 civilians and caused more than 753 million dollars in property loss.
Forty percent of all firefighter injuries happen in one and two family homes.
Every national model building code in this country includes the provision for sprinklers in new one and two family homes. That means it is the minimum level of safety. Jurisdictions who choose to bypass this provision or amend it out of their codes are choosing to allow substandard housing to be built.
We can do better than to allow this in the Commonwealth.
The facts are clear:
- The risk of dying in a fire decreases by about 80 percent when sprinklers are present in the home.
- Sprinklers reduce the average property loss by 71 percent per fire.
- Property is protected from destruction—meaning that families who survive a fire will also have a place to live and enough resources to continue living their lives as they did before.
There are over 400 communities across the country including some right here in Massachusetts that require sprinklers. The states of California, Maryland and South Carolina recently adopted this code provision.
The BBRS should reverse their action. They should not allow substandard homes to be built in Massachusetts."
Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Stephen A. Coan speaks at the Quincy, MA, home fire sprinkler rally.