REGIONAL REPORT
Great Lakes Edition
,
September 2012
Ron Brown
Regional Manager
1615 Cypress Spring Drive
Ft. Wayne, Ind. 46814
Cell: (845) 661-6534
Email: brown@nfsa.org
NOTICE!!!!
In ongoing environmental preservation "green” efforts at NFSA, registration information for the 2013 Annual
Seminar and North American Fire Sprinkler Expo™ will be made available only through digital communication.
Check back frequently as conference programming will be posted as it is finalized. Click here for Details
INDIANA soon to implement the Adoption of the 2010 edition of
NFPA 13 / 13R Below is the text of an e-mail from Indiana state officials regarding the final adoption
and implementation of the 2010 edition of NFPA 13 / 13R for the state of Indiana:
Good morning everyone,
Good news, the 2 rules shown above, 2010 edition of NFPA 13 and 13R will be effective on September
to the final rule will be on the Commission’s website as soon as it’s published in the Indiana Register, probably September 27th.
27, 2012. A link
Denise Fitzpatrick
Code Specialist
Legal and Code Services
Indiana Department of Homeland Security
ATTENTION
SimplexGrinnell in cooperation with NFSA will be conducting a FREE one day
class covering fire sprinkler Inspection, Testing and Maintenance for the AHJ. The class will be held in
Indianapolis October 24, 2012. For more information on the class and to register
Here
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REGIONAL REPORT
Great Lakes Edition
Inspection, Testing & Maintenance for the AHJ-Indianapolis, IN
10/24/2012
When: October 24, 2012
07:30
Where: Map this event »
The Marten House, Hotel and Lilly Conference Center
1801 West 86th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46260
United States
Kentucky Building Commission acts on Code adoption:
At the August 17th meeting of the Kentucky Housing, Building and Construction Commission the
adoption of the Kentucky International Building Code (based upon the 2012 IBC) with all R 1-4 sprinkler
provisions included was adopted. If the document remains on course the Rules will be filed on October
1 and then noticed for public comment in November. If all goes as scheduled, the code will go to the
Legislative Review Committee in January and would likely be effective July 1, 2013. The Residential
Code Committee recommended adoption of the IRC without the sprinkler requirements (as expected).
The Kentucky Fire Service agreed to this arrangement as a compromise to get the full fire sprinkler
provision in the Kentucky Building Code as mentioned above. The Residential Fire Sprinkler Task
Group report now goes to the Residential Dwelling Committee (where it is sure to be approved) and
then back to the Commission in November (where it is also sure to be approved). Once approved it will
then be noticed for public comment and then to the Legislative Review Committee for consideration.
This time table would likely mean the Residential Construction Code would most likely also be
implemented sometime in the second quarter of 2013.
West Virginia and Michigan working on Commercial and
Residential Code adoptions.
Nothing happening with code adoption in Indiana or Ohio at this time.
The West Virginia Fire Commission has adopted the 2012 IBC absent the energy code and it has
re-adopted the 2009 IRC as the residential building codes for the state of West Virginia. The readoption of the 2009 IRC means the residential fire sprinkler requirement is back in the code for
now. A public comment period for the codes has now passed and the code is now in the hands
of the WV Legislature. The Homebuilders have indicated opposition to the residential fire
sprinkler requirement and are likely working the Legislature to have it removed.
The state of Michigan has begun the committee review process for the adoption of the 2012 IBC
and IRC. The state delayed action on the 2012 codes because the Code Commission was
anticipating passage of Michigan HB 4561 which would have allowed the state to skip a code
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cycle as far as adoption is concerned. It now appears 4561 is dead and the Code Commission
must now move forward with the 2012 review and adoption process. There is nothing
happening with Construction Code adoption in Indiana or Ohio.
required by NICET. Meets
Oshtemo, MI Side by Side Fire Sprinkler Demonstration a Big part of
Safety Fair Day:
Below is a sting of e-mails related to the Oshtemo, Michigan Safety Fair side by side burn. A special
thanks to Viking Group Inc. Jeff Norton for his help with this event.
Chief Barnes,
Thanks for forwarding the pictures and comments from Ms Winters regarding her impression of the side by side fire
sprinkler demonstration held at the Oshtemo Field Days event and Thanks to you and your department for providing the
best in fire safety education to the citizens of your community. Although I believe the entire state of Michigan should
comply with the International Building Code requirement to install fire sprinklers in ALL new residential construction I
recognize "it is what it is" so we are blessed to gain acceptance one, two and three at a time.
Education is the key ----Keep up the GREAT work.
Your Friend
Ron Brown, Regional Manager
NFSA
1615 Cypress Spring Dr.
Fort Wayne IN 46814
845-661-6534 Cell
brown@nfsa.org
Greetings to all who have supported our Oshtemo Fun Day live fire, residential sprinkler demonstration,
Below is an email from a lady that works for Liberty Mutual Insurance. Liberty Mutual has made a small donation to
insure that we were able to purchase the materials needed to build the burn cubes. She sent this email (with photos) to
her supervisors and others in the company so that they can see how their donation had made a positive impact on her
and the rest of the citizens who attended.
I am forwarding it to you with the same intent. You have also been very supportive of this educational effort and we
appreciate your partnership.
Mark L. Barnes, CFO
Fire Chief
Charter Township of Oshtemo
Fire/Rescue Department
Lisa; Gasser, Brendan
Subject: Oshtemo Field Days 2012 - Burn Cube Demonstration Photos
Saturday, Justin and I were at the Oshtemo Field Days event with the ESCAPE trailer. I thought I would share the
pictures of the burn cubes demonstration which we helped contribute to the cost of building. It was a pretty emotional
sight for me to see realizing how fast a fire consumes everything - it's something I have never witnessed in person and
it really left an impression on me, especially keeping in mind that I have a 3 year old and what could happen. The first
cube was completely destroyed in about 4 minutes, and at the point the fire station would not have even arrived yet.
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The other cube had a small home sprinkler system installed and did not require the fire department to extinguish the
fire.
I thought you just would enjoy seeing the pictures and what we were able to witness at this event - this is definitely not
something that is able to take place at each ESCAPE event, but is a very powerful sight to see.
Ms. Arwen Winters
Sales Representative
7894 Oakland Dr.
Portage, MI 49024
Fort Wayne Fire Department supports residential
fire sprinklers:
Fort Wayne, IN. Fire officials are encouraging people to have sprinkler systems installed when building
a new home. In a recent WANE TV news segment Fort Wayne Fire Officials made a case for the
installation of fire sprinklers in all new residential construction in the City.
"Smoke alarms give you early warning, but sprinkler systems will put a fire out and save your life
sometimes even before the smoke alarm activates. That's how good they can be," Capt. Dave
Meadows with the Fort Wayne Fire Department, said.
Meadows said it's not very expensive to add them to a new home while it's being built, but it can cost a
little more to add to a home that's already built.
He also said the sprinklers will only activate when there's high heat, so they won't go off if someone
burns popcorn or something else that creates a lot of smoke.
Sprinklers have been in commercial buildings for a while and now officials are really pushing people to
get them installed in new homes. They say sprinklers can not only save your life but can also help save
your home.
Click here to view the interview
The Fort Wayne Fire Department used Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition grant funding to help with
this effort. My thanks to all involved.
Michigan Fire Chiefs to assemble a Residential Fire Sprinkler Committee:
NFPA’s Russ Sanders and I were invited to attend a meeting with a group of key Michigan fire officials
on August 24 to discuss the formation of a new Michigan Residential Fire Sprinkler coalition. While the
Michigan Fire Chiefs and the Inspectors association did a stellar job in its efforts to have the 2009 IRC
fire sprinkler requirements adopted in 2010 there efforts were blocked by an extremely well organized
home builders association. Recognizing that success will not come without an equally well organized
fire service effort the group decided to begin the formal organization process in hopes that they will be
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successful in future attempts to broaden the installation of fire sprinklers in new construction in the state
of Michigan.
The group discussed four areas of concentration regarding the residential fire sprinkler initiative. These
areas of concentration will likely be developed into a mission statement and goals for the Committee or
Coalition that evolves from this meeting. The areas of concentration include: A) Educational Initiatives
(Public Officials, Home Builders, Citizens and Firefighters) B) Installation Barrier Identification and
Removal C) Residential Fire Sprinkler Advocacy / Leadership and D) Provider of Recourses and
Information.
Russ Sanders offered the support of NFPA to assist in the formation and organization of the Coalition.
He indicated Jeff Hudson, NFPA Residential Fire Sprinkler Specialist will be assigned to work with the
group. I offered all of the support I am able to provide through NFSA as well.
Water Taps expectations and Fees a BIG Obstacle:
Work continues in the Great Lakes Region on issues related to water tap expectations and monthly
fees associate with the installation of residential fire sprinklers. I’m actively involved in both West
Virginia and Indiana talking with local officials and water departments about unreasonable expectations
that quickly discourage those interested in the installation of residential fire sprinklers. In WV we have a
group organized by the office of the State Fire Marshal working on the concerns. The group will likely
attempt a rule change through the state Public Utilities Commission. In Indiana we have a group that
will be meeting next month with Citizens Water in the Indianapolis area to address the issues that have
developed there regarding a 13D installation in a condo project. These are not easy issues to address
but we will continue our efforts to change attitudes through education.
NOTICE!!!!
In ongoing environmental preservation "green” efforts at NFSA, registration information for the 2013 Annual Seminar and North American Fire
Sprinkler Expo™ will be made available only through digital communication. Check back frequently as conference programming will be posted
as it is finalized.
Introducing the 2013 NFSA Annual Seminar
and North American Fire Sprinkler Expo™
The National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) is pleased to announce that in conjunction with its
Annual Seminar being held April 4 – 6, 2013 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, it is partnering with the
Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association (CASA) and the newly formed Mexican Fire Sprinkler
Association (AMRACI) to host the first ever North American Fire Sprinkler Expo™. Check out NFSA
website for more details Click here for Details or go to the NFSA.org.
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REGIONAL REPORT
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NFSA Training Catalog and Class Schedule
The new training catalog is a great e-tool to learn about the many courses and training opportunities
offered by NFSA. Follow the below link to the new Training Catalog. It will take you directly to the
catalog which is interactive and on our website under the “training” tab. You can turn pages, links are
active, etc. Check it out! Then call me to schedule some classes. What an improvement in our catalog
Congrats to Jim Lake and the NFSA Team.
NFSA Course Catalog
NFSA Classes Scheduled
Below are NFSA
Great Lakes Area Classes Scheduled
Upcoming In-Class Training Seminars
Washington Township OH
September 9-11, 2012
Homes to High Rise
Fire Pumps
Hydraulics for Fire Protection
The NFSA training department also offers in-class training on a variety of subjects at locations across the country, and in recognition of
the current recession has adopted a new reduced fee structure. Here are some upcoming seminars:
Click Here for other classes scheduled.
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