The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is coordinating a campaign to increase the number of homes protected by sprinklers. This is the second major fire safety campaign NFPA has undertaken recently.
The campaign will encourage jurisdictions to put in place home fire sprinkler requirements by adopting local ordinances or model codes, including NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code®; NFPA 101, Life Safety Code®, NFPA 5000®, Building Construction & Safety Code® and the International Code Council’s (ICC) International Residential Code (IRC).
The organization will also provide materials and resources to support the adoption of sprinkler requirements in communities across the country. An online community will also be created for those interested in furthering the use of home fire sprinklers.
“NFPA has long been an ardent supporter of home fire sprinklers for good reason. Home fire sprinklers are a proven technology that save lives,” says NFPA President James Shannon. “Our past activities have laid significant groundwork from which to move this effort forward now.”
A recent ICC vote to include a sprinkler requirement in the IRC has been an important step for NFPA, and will potentially provide momentum for the home sprinkler movement, says Shannon.
According to NFPA research, 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home. Sprinklers, together with smoke alarms, cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 82 percent.
“We need a campaign like this to spur the adoption of sprinkler mandates locally,” says Maryland Fire Marshal William Barnard. “That is essential to ensuring that this advancement in safety will start saving lives as soon as possible.”
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