View Full Version : Toyota, Firestone, and Fire Prevention
Bear with me, not trying to make a fire safety lesson - I promise! There is a point and question for the group here... ;)
We are acutely aware of the current issues Toyota is facing - be it a real problem, perception, or hysteria.
Remember the Firestone tires self-destructing? Approximately 200 deaths with attributed to the tires and Firestone recalled 6.5 million tires. Ford responded by pledging to replace 13 million Wilderness AT tires.
Natural disaster claim, on average, about 100 deaths in the US each year.
Now consider the press that these all have received. A tornado in East BFE makes the national TV news.
But what about our loss to fire. Some stats from the CDC:
- On average in the United States in 2008, someone died in a fire about every 158 minutes, and someone was injured every 31 minutes.
- Four out of five U.S. fire deaths in 2008 occurred in homes.
- In 2008, fire departments responded to 403,000 home fires in the United States, which claimed the lives of 2,755 people (not including firefighters) and injured another 13,560, not including firefighters.
- Males account for $4.8 billion (64%) of the total costs of fire/burn injuries.
- Females account for $2.7 billion (36%) of the total costs of fire/burn injuries.
- Fatal fire and burn injuries cost $3 billion, representing 2% of the total - Hospitalized fire and burn injuries total $1 billion, or 1% of the total cost of all hospitalized injuries.
- Non-hospitalized fire and burn injuries cost $3 billion, or 2% of the total cost of all non-hospitalized injuries.
Those are just personal injury statistics - not including property damage losses. And the US has one of the worst fire problems in the industrial world. I won't subject you to more stats.
So... The International Code Council (ICC), the association that writes the most prevalent building codes in the US, has finally approved residential fire sprinklers for all new construction effective 2011. Each state and local government normally writes their own code or adopts the ICC. Sprinklers will likely be coming to your state.
Pennsylvania, that bastion of backward thinking, has adopted this change. The home builders lost an emergency injunction here in PA, but the fight is still on. Some states are refusing to adopt this new code.
My town, and many of the townships in the center of my county, have mandated sprinkers in new homes for nearly 10 years. This is not new to us. My house has a sprinkler system.
Part of the fire equation is the use of lightweight construction materials and modern interior finishes. Today's fire is not like the fires of old. New houses and roofs collapse quickly under fire conditions. Firefighters have little time now to make rescues and make an efficient interior fire attack. Sprinklers are "buying time" for the occupants to exit and for the firefighters to make a strong attack.
My questions for learned masses:
Why the focus on these other smaller in magnitude, those no less tragic, incidents? Fire losses get little if any press. Even worse, there is the overwhelming focus on tires, floods, and "runaway" cars. A runaway Toyota is p1 on the city paper, 3 kids dying in West Philly in p5 of the "B" section. :mad:
Why the opposition to sprinklers? Putting aside the bad information and misunderstanding (they all go off, water damage, etc :rolleyes:), why are builders screaming about this, yet they can offer marble counter tops and wood floors that cost twice as much as the sprinkler system? The firefighters, those who must combat these fires, are backing these code changes. The US Fire Administration is supporting the code. Yet, there are some builders and legislators trying to make it against the law to pass any ordinance or code mandating sprinklers. :saywhat:
How do we accept the fire losses as noted above?
What should we, the fire service, be doing to get the message out?
oddlycalm
03-15-10, 04:38 PM
It's simple, in the US political system the group with the most money gets to call the shots. In this case that's the builders. They can fight this county by county state by state, and I'm sure they will. From where they sit granite counters and hardwood floors sell houses while sprinkler systems just raise cost & price. The customer's well being doesn't enter into their calculations nor does the cost to society. Substitute any of a 100 other issues and it's the same.
You're also fighting the immortality complex that a lot of people have. GM offered seat belts as extra cost options back in the early 1960's and around 5% of their customers were willing to pay for them. It took a federal (socialism :gomer:) mandate to actually get them into cars and laws to mandate their use. Even then a significant number of people don't use them.
I feel you on the sprinklers, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
oc
datachicane
03-15-10, 05:40 PM
On target as usual, oc.
I'll add that humans, being really, really bad at mathematics and even worse at statistics, are fundamentally incapable of accurately assessing risk. Look at the number of folks in the wake of 9/11 who refused to fly for fear of terrorism, or would never dream of traveling to supposedly dangerous places like Turkey or Central America for fear of whatever unnamed horrors they imagine, yet have no problem snarfing a trans-fat laden Twinkie and a McFatBomb while driving on the Interstate and yakking on their cellphone.
I could draw a parallel (if somewhat politically charged) argument about assessing the risks of environmental degradation, but out of respect for the moderators I'll abstain.
What should we, the fire service, be doing to get the message out?
Elmo - don't the insurance companies share your incentive for sprinkler installations? If so, partnering with them ($$$ and motivation) might be a good idea.
oddlycalm
03-15-10, 05:58 PM
Elmo - don't the insurance companies share your incentive for sprinkler installations? If so, partnering with them ($$$ and motivation) might be a good idea.
Yo Rich, good to see you. You're right, it was the insurance lobby that got seat belts and air bags mandated on cars. Joan Claybrook and her little cabal were behind it. Pitting the insurance lobby against the builders would make for a nice little dustup. :cool:
oc
Good to see you too - I just stopped by to learn about the awesome Delta Wing rage that is sweeping the nation. :)
I still have to whup you and Gnam at Burlingame on the track :p
Why the opposition to sprinklers? Putting aside the bad information and misunderstanding (they all go off, water damage, etc
You answered your own question. Every movie that has sprinklers going off in a house, has all the sprinklers in every room going off.
And if it's in the movies, you know it must be real.
Educating people about how sprinklers really work would be a start.
Methanolandbrats
03-15-10, 08:22 PM
Is there any :gomer: retrofit sprinkler system that could be added to an existing house? How about a big electrical fire that gets going in a wall? A sprinkler won't do **** for that will it? A cool system would be cannisters that flood the home with CO2 when a fire is detected, but I guess that would be hard on the people :D
rosawendel
03-15-10, 08:24 PM
the code writers have been in bed with the insurance industry forever.
they've been stepping up sprinklers for the last two go-rounds of the ibc. it used to be you had a 12k limit (as long as you didn't have a restaurant or other assembly occupancy). meh. it's been coming for a while.
in single-family homes, i'm sure it'll be fed off the domestic. with recessed heads, no doubt.
the code writers have been in bed with the insurance industry forever.
Funny, the local code enforcement people say it is the builders driving the code process. But this time the fire service beat them at their own game. The fire service, for once, spoke with a unified voice and participated in the process.
As for retrofits, the reason we use water in the first place is that its cheap. Any specialty system will be far more expensive than water. There are some new mist systems that use very little water. Retrofit a single story home isn't too bad.
I paid $3K for my system when my house was built. I had to fight with the builder and twist his arm to let me have the system installed. He told me all the horrible reasons NOT to have the system.
I do get a small break on my insurance - about 20% off.
Any input from the folks down under? I know sprinklers have been more widely accepted there.
Anything that can raise the cost of new construction is ok by me, but I would hate to see remodels forced to retrofit.
My question is that if new builds are already required to have hard wired smoke detection systems how much incremental benefit do sprinklers provide?
Anything that can raise the cost of new construction is ok by me, but I would hate to see remodels forced to retrofit.
My question is that if new builds are already required to have hard wired smoke detection systems how much incremental benefit do sprinklers provide?
The new IRC requirement is for townhomes (effective in 2009 Code) and for NEW one and two family dwellings (2011). Retrofits are not specified in the IRC.
If you have the recommended number of smoke alarms, you increase your chances of surviving a fire by 47 percent. Sprinklers increase that to over 97 percent. Lots more reading here (http://www.firesafehome.org/about-residential-fire-sprinkler-systems/) if so inclined. ;)
The short version is there is no record of a multiple death fire in an occupancy protected by a working sprinkler system. While smoke alarms provide the needed early warning, sprinklers control the fire, allowing the occupants to escape.
The benefits are also shown the dollar loss. The 10 year stats from Scottsdale found that the average fire loss w/o sprinklers was $17K. With sprinklers, the average loss was $2K.
This was in the inbox this AM:
2012 International Residential Code
Will Retain Fire Sprinklers for New Homes (http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001AYtQarwRIsA6LB5ikTv8o9jGaBI_7K7ohviJeH g44C1hUfXU4yeLutB07Y_aGKFFqxd5zvkJ5e69VBW21kNveSsb egyyRqIBsP_l2YrKa39gMUwinnFd_tIjcnXTm_sk44tP8lhslr IvDaJD6n_JXzcOymHbrORWqufyDO3HiW4kt3u6j37QJOzvF0vh YTvwvgOxAElkTnycCh_cHI7B-OdbowaS8AzOHAUqoCWn7NymxURwRH5fmbItSZW1re6kMXjeya6 cZiMig2_ll-4MG6JxuimEdg9mZnMq4zPcoqWJoiIQAoEPJUGfshB_zyJiKxL-q33ZaDU7FQ5jpDqFMw%3D%3D)
The final action hearing agenda for the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC) has been released by the International Code Council (ICC), and we are pleased to report that there were no public comments challenging code requirements for residential fire sprinklers. Accordingly, under ICC regulations, requirements for residential sprinklers will not be subject to debate at ICC's final action hearing in Dallas in May. Instead, proposals to rescind sprinkler requirements from the IRC will be automatically disapproved, without discussion, as part of a consent agenda.
Ok, dumb consumer question here. My smoke detectors go off when I burn the toast. What is to prevent a sprinkler system from similar false alarms?
Ok, dumb consumer question here. My smoke detectors go off when I burn the toast. What is to prevent a sprinkler system from similar false alarms?
Sprinklers are heat activated - typical residential sprinklers are designed to open at 150ishF (depending on the model and application). Only the sprinkler nearest the fire will activate. Most fires (both residential and commercial) are controlled with no more than 2 sprinklers activating. :thumbup:
Sprinkler FAQ from the USFA (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_fire_prev/sprinklers/)
I am not trying to sell you all on sprinklers ;). This whole Toyota thing has me pondering the reaction in the press and the perception of risk.
rosawendel
03-16-10, 09:28 AM
http://img.en.china.cn/0/0,0,327,17027,320,419,701f8a85.jpg
that red part is a small glass cylander filled with a fluid that expands when it gets hot. the glass cylander is holding the valve for that head shut. when the temperature in the room gets above a certain point, the red fluid expands, breaking the glass cylander, and the valve for that head is opened.
So how good is the process control for the manufacture of those tubes? What are the odds one would get a defective/abnormally sensitive tube?
Also, once it turns on, how do you turn it off?
So how good is the process control for the manufacture of those tubes? What are the odds one would get a defective/abnormally sensitive tube?
Also, once it turns on, how do you turn it off?
Those are in every office building throughout the country, as well as stores, malls, etc. To turn them off you either shut off the main water supply or a local water supply to the sprinklers (like an irrigation system @ home).
-Kevin
What should we, the fire service, be doing to get the message out?
Move to Russia where people will let the government take away their rights to fry to a crisp. I ain't paying $200 for some technical fire mumbo jumbo just because some government worker like you when to some elite school and learned something.
Move to Russia where people will let the government take away their rights to fry to a crisp. I ain't paying $200 for some technical fire mumbo jumbo just because some government worker like you when to some elite school and learned something.
A fairly common response. Just don't call us when the fire starts getting warm. ;)
So how good is the process control for the manufacture of those tubes? What are the odds one would get a defective/abnormally sensitive tube?
Also, once it turns on, how do you turn it off?
Piping is pressure tested and has a rated working pressure of 175psi - way above anything you will see on the domestic side. It is tested and rated by UL, FM, and built to ASTM standards. The quoted failure rate of the sprinkler itself is 1 in 16 million. Again, sprinklers have been around for over 130 years. It is not the hardware that is new here, it is the application in the dwelling.
Turning off is a concern with water damage, but it isn't really valid. A standard sprinkler flows about 25 gpm. Fire -> sprinkler activation -> FD response. The FD arrives 10 minutes later (just for the sake of argument) and finds an extinguished fire controlled to the point of origin = 250 gallons.
W/o sprinklers, the fire burns unchecked for 10 minutes and now encompasses the entire room and then some. The smallest hose used by the FD will flow 150gpm.
A fairly common response. Just don't call us when the fire starts getting warm. ;)
You have to bail me out. Just don't take my freedom.
datachicane
03-16-10, 11:22 AM
You have to bail me out. Just don't take my freedom.
:rofl:
oddlycalm
03-16-10, 02:12 PM
You have to bail me out. Just don't take my freedom.
:D:laugh::rofl: Nicely played.
oc
You have to bail me out. Just don't take my freedom.
:thumbup::thumbup:
There is the public servant side of me... but there is far more truth in this:
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -- PJ O'Rourke
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."
Right. But none of the bad things that happen to me are my fault. That's why you need to bail me out. All of the good things that happened to me are because I work hard. That's why I owe you nothing. It's the perfect system.
A fairly common response. Just don't call us when the fire starts getting warm. ;)
Well, I understand the smiley, but not the best answer, I'd say. If our public servants are going to start declining to serve people based on whether they've made all the best decisions for themselves then we're going to be knee deep in rubble, wreckage, and bodies in short order.
Of course once you respond you have every right to take the lack of sprinklers and it's impact on your safety into account on how you approach the problem.
On getting the word out, one thing that you can bet on here is that news crews will turn out for a fire. Maybe just make a point to talk to them and say, "This home could have been saved by a residential sprinkler system."
The other thing that you could do is get suppliers to partner with one of the companies that cranks out McMansions and get them to promote that their homes come with them. Soon all the McMillionaires will be giving up that extra turret for their very own residential sprinkler system.
Well, I understand the smiley, but not the best answer, I'd say. If our public servants are going to start declining to serve people based on whether they've made all the best decisions for themselves then we're going to be knee deep in rubble, wreckage, and bodies in short order.
Smiley yes, and while the sentiment might exist for some - it would never happen. My job bookends the actual fire - I do the fire prevention inspections/code enforcement and the fire investigations. I get to the see aftermath of the fire - and I don't mean the fire damaged structure. :(
More bizarrely, it is the builders not the homeowners, who will loudly state that if lightweight construction, no sprinklers, limited access, etc presents a fire suppression problem, then the fire service should let it burn. :rolleyes:
Back on the issue folks making bad decisions - in the "wildland urban interface" areas (think west coast massive brush fires), some cities will conduct inspections of the neighborhoods. If you have cleared undesirable brush away from the house and made it "defensible" you get a green letter. This notes that in event of a fire, the FD will make a stand and try to save your home.
If you have not taken the proper actions, you get a red letter. Red letter means if there is a fire, the FD will NOT stop at your home and they will move to the next defensible structure.
datachicane
03-16-10, 08:04 PM
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."
Right. But none of the bad things that happen to me are my fault. That's why you need to bail me out. All of the good things that happened to me are because I work hard. That's why I owe you nothing. It's the perfect system.
:thumbup::thumbup:
Uncomfortably close to the truth.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."
Right. But none of the bad things that happen to me are my fault. That's why you need to bail me out. All of the good things that happened to me are because I work hard. That's why I owe you nothing. It's the perfect system.
Damn, dude, you should run for office.
datachicane
03-18-10, 01:17 PM
Damn, dude, you should run for office.
It's entirely possible he already has.
:(
It's entirely possible he already has.
:(
You may be right. He certainly has his finger on the pulse of modern American thinking. :laugh:
Bankers are getting fired up to oppose financial reform, the Washington Post reports. The paper attended the American Bankers Association’s most recent meeting and found it most resembled pep rally. One Michigan banker, saying nothing less than the industry’s future was at stake, vowed to his fellows, "We're not going to sit silently while we are blamed for problems that were caused by others." (http://www.thebigmoney.com/features/todays-business-press/2010/03/19/apples-racing-line-last-minute-ipad-content)
SurfaceUnits
03-23-10, 12:41 PM
I burnt my finger on a skillet this morning and I'm suing Kenmore because there isn't a notice on the stove telling me it gets hot when the burner is turned on.
Don Quixote
03-23-10, 02:53 PM
I burnt my finger on a skillet this morning and I'm suing Kenmore because there isn't a notice on the stove telling me it gets hot when the burner is turned on.
That's an easy case, you will win for sure. I'm sure the pain, suffering and mental anguish are off the charts.
That's an easy case, you will win for sure. I'm sure the pain, suffering and mental anguish are off the charts.
But you didn't get the burn from the stove, it was the skillet. Apparently the skillet mfg did not say that it will get hot when you put it over open flames.
The crazy thing is they might through you a few bucks to just go away. :rolleyes:
devilmaster
03-23-10, 05:22 PM
The crazy thing is they might through you a few bucks to just go away. :rolleyes:
True story - a friend of mine made lasagna one night for herself and a few friends. It was kinda a check out my new place thing.... she didn't make it right, (i think the filling was too wet and she just simply overcooked it) and the noodles dissolved.
She wrote a letter to the noodle company, complaining of how their noodles dissolved, and how it wrecked her little fest.
They sent a nice letter back and a 50 dollar check.
A new poll of Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, Iowa, found that Tea Party supporters "want the federal government out of their lives except when it comes to creating jobs." Most believe that the federal government spends too much and that it is "trying to control too many aspects of private life," Bloomberg reported. "They also look to the government in rein in Wall Street, with almost half saying the government should do something about executive bonuses."
Most believe that the federal government spends too much and that it is "trying to control too many aspects of private life," Bloomberg reported. "They also look to the government in rein in Wall Street, with almost half saying the government should do something about executive bonuses."
Unless it is the private life of Wall Street execs? :rolleyes:
It is what we see in local gov't every day. Please don't regulate me, but can you tell my neighbor to:
Move his shed
Quiet his dog
Stop running a chain saw at 7AM
Cut his grass
Move his unlicensed car
Tell the developer to build a house exceeding the minimum code
Tell the builder to fix my house that has had something fail after 20 years
We don't want gov't interference in our lives, we want it in yours!
cameraman
03-26-10, 07:07 PM
It is just like the Utah legislature which hates Federal anything and constantly harps on States rights while at the same time micromanaging anything & everything the city or county governments try to do.
It is the same everywhere the guys above us on the ladder are incompetent fools but the guys that are below us must be instructed on exactly how do everything....
From today's paper, in a neighboring town -
Township says house a public health hazard (http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/28/2010/march/27/township-says-house-a-public-health-hazard.html)
"Maybe I'm a lazy slob," Horn said by phone Friday. "The house is a mess. But what business is it of yours or anyone's? I wish to hell the government would keep out of my business. I'm sick and tired of corporate, nanny-state politics."
versus
The suit alleges that township ordinances and health codes are being broken. Following complaints from neighbors over the years, the township's code enforcement officer conducted several inspections of Horn's property.
The health department has been in touch with Horn as well.
Insightful comment after the story:
"The house is a mess. But what business is it of yours or anyone's? I wish to hell the government would keep out of my business. I'm sick and tired of corporate, nanny-state politics."
Replace "house" with "health care system" and you have a tea bagger talking about Health Care Reform.
oddlycalm
03-27-10, 04:02 PM
"I wish to hell the government would keep out of my business. I'm sick and tired of corporate, nanny-state politics."
It obviously hasn't occurred to this 8 ball that without the government and it's laws, courts, police and available legal (albeit slow) remedies for the nasty hog wallow he calls home his neighbors might have long ago caved his head in and burned the place to the ground with him in it.
oc
Philly Inquirer Editorial from Saturday:
Sprinklers save lives (http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/89823847.html)
The Pennsylvania Builders Association contends that the sprinkler and other safety mandates in the updated building code threaten to "suffocate our economy" by boosting home prices, according to Joseph Mackey, an East Stroudsburg builder who heads the trade group.
But there's a more compelling case being made by firefighters, code-enforcement experts, and fire-prevention industry officials that sprinklers are both affordable and one of the smartest safety investments that a homeowner could make.
oddlycalm
04-05-10, 07:43 PM
Philly Inquirer Editorial from Saturday
Interesting that Scottsdale, AZ was one of the first communities mandating sprinklers. Scottsdale is not exactly known as being a nanny community and AZ is far from a nanny state. Until fairly recently Scottsdale had a private fire company, Rural Metro. The sprinkler mandate went into effect in 1985 when Rural Metro was still the private provider AFAIK.
Experience in Scottsdale over the 15 years following adoption of their residential sprinkler ordinance has shown that residential sprinkler systems reduced fire related property loss by an order of magnitude, and avoided 13 fatalities in a city with a population of just under 220,000
fire protection trends (http://www.fpemag.com/archives/enewsletter.asp?i=39)
oc
Interesting that Scottsdale, AZ was one of the first communities mandating sprinklers.
oc
The long term studies have shown the effectiveness and cost savings. The Scottsdale report was the first major study. We are working on a similar report for this area now.
Scottsdale 10 Year Report (http://www.nfsa.org/info/sprinklers.PDF)
deadbeat dads should sue Durex and Trojan for child support :gomer:
More fun with builders and regulations -
Feds: Homes with Chinese drywall must be gutted (http://my.earthlink.net/article/bus?guid=20100402/4963d256-a36b-4efd-876a-bd6dba8855e6)
I am lost now - is this good government or bad government?
But Randy Noel, past president of the Louisiana Home Builders Association, said the Chinese drywall problem has been exaggerated. He called the new guidelines "overkill."
"Nobody has come up with a house yet that has caught on fire from the Chinese drywall, no one has come up yet with a house that leaks water or gas because of Chinese drywall," he said.
He has examined numerous homes containing Chinese drywall and found minor problems, he said.
"It's a black soot on top of the copper, brass and silver," he said. "You wipe the stuff off and it looks as good as new."
TKGAngel
04-07-10, 08:56 AM
I've been reminded of this thread a lot the past couple of days. I'm getting contractor bids to remodel my bathroom. As part of the work, the contractors have to install hard wired smoke detectors in every room of the house in order to bring the house up to city code. Never mind the fact that I have battery operated smoke alarms in the bedrooms and kitchen and change the batteries when I change my clocks. Nope, I have to have everything hard wired with battery backup. Who knew that wanting a shower installed would require fire safety upgrades?
Nope, I have to have everything hard wired with battery backup. Who knew that wanting a shower installed would require fire safety upgrades?
See if they will accept wireless interconnected smoke alarms as an equivalent alternative.
An example. (http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-0919-9999-RF-SM-DC-Battery-Operated-Interconnectable/dp/B000HYOHZI)
cameraman
04-07-10, 05:36 PM
On a kinda sorta related note...
A construction mishap Wednesday morning closed half of the newly-opened Deseret Book flagship store downtown and damaged books.
Deseret Book vice president and store manager Jeff Clark said a worker knocked a sprinkler head off on the second floor, which triggered the entire sprinkler system on the floor.
Water leaked through the ceiling and onto books in the store's west "zone."
"That's the sad part about it: we're still in our grand opening week," Clark said.
Steve99
04-07-10, 07:14 PM
Deseret Book vice president and store manager Jeff Clark said a worker knocked a sprinkler head off on the second floor, which triggered the entire sprinkler system on the floor.
I thought earlier in this thread it said only the one head would go off?
I thought earlier in this thread it said only the one head would go off?
Physical damage to one head cannot under any circumstance cause another sprinkler to activate. They are activated by heat only OR some bonehead damaging the unit.
The quote was from a company rep and the press is notorious for getting this wrong.
The article I found said they tripped the fire alarm which caused the sprinkler to activate. :rolleyes:
cameraman
04-07-10, 11:24 PM
But but but KSL is the major local news source:rolleyes::saywhat:
Anyway some construction worker broke the sprinkler line on the second floor of the building. That caused something of a flood which drained through the bookstore below. The water flow in the sprinkler system triggered the fire alarm system as it was supposed to. Turns out none of the sprinkler heads were involved, the report I saw said they broke the pipe.
More sprinkler news. Interesting as this is a big east coast city - change is much slower 'round these parts.
New Residential Sprinkler Law in Baltimore (http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/display/0759309600/articles/fire-engineering/prevention-__protection/fire-prevention-news/2010/06/baltimore-sprinkler-law.html)
At a press conference this morning at 9 AM, Baltimore (MD) Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will sign a new fire sprinkler law for our city. The law requires fire sprinklers in all new one and two family residential structures built here in Baltimore after July 1, 2010. On that date, we believe Baltimore becomes the largest city in the United States to require residential sprinkler systems in newly constructed one and two family homes. Experience from around the country where residential sprinklers are required tells us that this important public safety legislation will save many lives in the years ahead.
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