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International Residential Code (IRC):
On April 17, 2009 the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code
Advisory Board (CAB) voted unanimously on a compromise to adopt
the 2009 International Residential Code with an effective date
of January 1, 2012, for the residential fire sprinkler
requirement for one- and two-family dwellings and also for
townhouses. The vote followed a discussion on the sprinkler
requirement and the current economic condition in New Jersey and
the nation. There was a suggestion to put the sprinkler
requirement off until the next revision of the IRC because of
the current economic condition in New Jersey.
However, arguments against that suggestion pointed out that the
long code adoption process would only delay the adoption of
residential sprinklers further beyond the year 2012. The
January 1, 2012 date will set the adoption date for one- and
two-family dwellings and townhouses. The 2012 date was selected
as a compromise with the hope that the current economic
condition in New Jersey will improve by then.
After the CAB made its recommendations, the 2009 IRC Codes
appeared on the New Jersey Register for a two-month public
comment period which ended on November 7, 2009. The 2009 IRC
Codes received overwhelming support from the public as the DCA
received 1,675 letters in favor of the codes as opposed to four
letters against. The DCA then approved the 2009 IRC Codes and
forwarded the Codes to Governor Corzine for his final approval.
However, Gov. Corzine was unable to sign and adopt the Codes
before he left office and Governor Chris Christie took over.
One of Governor Christie’s first executive
actions was to implement a 90-day freeze on the majority of new
and pending regulations, including the 2009 IRC Code. The
Governor formed a Red Tape Review Commission which reviewed all
of the frozen regulations and provided Governor Christie with
recommendations on what regulations New Jersey should adopt.
The 2009 IRC Code, including the residential fire sprinkler
requirement was recommended by the Red Tape Review Commission as
a regulation that should be adopted by the state. As of July 7,
Governor Christie still has yet to adopt the 2009 IRC Code and
if Governor Christie does not adopt the 2009 IRC Code by
September 8, 2010, the Code will expire. If you are interested
in helping secure the successful adoption of the 2009 IRC Code,
please contact
your local legislator and
urge them to find out why the state is taking so long to adopt
the residential fire sprinkler requirement.
The New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NJFSAB) reports
that automatic fire sprinklers in residential dwellings will
provide the following benefits:
·
Reduced risk of injury and fatality to civilians, EMS and fire
service professionals
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Mortgage interest tax deduction
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Increased present value of resale proceeds
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Local tax savings
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Injuries averted
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Direct uninsured property loss averted
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Indirect uninsured costs averted
·
Insurance premium credit
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA),
approximately 80 percent of all fires occur in homes, but when
home fire sprinklers are present the chances of dying in a home
fire decrease by about 80 percent. NFPA has no record of a
multiple fatality fire in a sprinklered building where the
system operated. All model safety codes now call for the
installation of residential sprinklers in new home construction.
Citing the fact that more than 90 percent of fireground firefighter
deaths occur in one- and two-family homes, leading fire service
organizations warned against state-by-state legislative efforts,
orchestrated by homebuilders, which are designed to prohibit
communities from requiring residential fire sprinklers in new
home construction. Fire service groups are reiterating their
strong support for sprinklers in the wake of several legislative
attempts across the country.
About the Fire Sprinkler Initiative
Fire sprinklers save lives and NFPA is committed to doing all we
can to bring this higher level of safety home.
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Roughly 84% of all
civilian fire deaths in 2007 resulted from home structure
fires.
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If you have a
reported fire in your home, the risk of dying decreases by
about 80% when sprinklers are present.
Sprinkler advocates across the country have asked for a
coordinated effort to encourage the use of home fire sprinklers.
NFPA has launched that effort through the “Fire Sprinkler
Initiative: Bringing Safety Home.” The initiative includes a
variety of proven, effective ways that home fire sprinkler
advocates can communicate the impact of sprinklers.
This Web site provides resources for the fire service and other
sprinkler advocates who want to demonstrate the need for home
fire sprinklers in their community. Tools and field resources
available here help advocates talk with local elected officials
and others about the life-saving impact of sprinklers.
In addition, the site contains information to help home fire
sprinkler advocates navigate the legislative process to get
sprinkler ordinances introduced and passed in their communities
and allow them to come together to share their ideas, successes,
and tools with other advocates across the country.
The Fire Sprinkler Initiative, in cooperation with many other
interested individuals and organizations, encourages the use of
home fire sprinklers through increased awareness and adoption of
local ordinances or model codes.
www.nfpa.org
www.firesprinklerinitiative.org
New
Jersey High-Rise Building Retrofit
Support High-Rise Building Retrofit Regulations in New
Jersey-Click Here
Issues
The Board partners with Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 696, the National Fire Sprinkler Association, the National Fire Protection Association and local, county and state fire officials to support education and legislative measures promoting the following key issues:
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Residential and commercial fire safety |
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Residential fire sprinklers and building codes |
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High-rise fire sprinklers and building codes |
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Nursing/Homes for the Elderly fire sprinklers and building codes |
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School/Campus fire safety |
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School/Campus fire sprinklers and building codes |
What Can I Do?
If a fire occurs in your hometown, what are the possible ramifications?
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Injury to or loss of loved ones, people at risk (disabled, elderly), fire fighters and good Samaritans. |
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Loss of homes, property and possessions. |
Fire sprinklers and building code measures can help prevent fires from getting out of hand and ruining lives. These disasters can be prevented! We encourage everyone to learn from the tragedies that have already occurred, even if they are not directly in our backyards, and speak up BEFORE tragedy strikes.
We encourage you to speak up in response and let your voice be heard!
Below are some easy steps you can take to help support fire sprinklers and help save lives and property.
Calls for Comments on Rule Proposals
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs will post new rule proposals from time to time to address issues related to fire safety and fire prevention. Once posted, the DCA asks for comments from the general public, and then considers those comments when it decides on which proposals to push forward with the state's legislature.
Visit the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety's website dedicated to rule proposals to stay up-to-date on current measures.
On
January2, the New Jersey Division of Codes and Standards
implemented revisions that will now require all nursing
homes in the state of New Jersey to have fire
sprinklers. This revision will require an estimated 48
nursing homes to install retrofit fire sprinklers within
the next three years, before June 2010
Letters
| To the Editor |
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Writing a letter to your local editor can be a fantastic way of having your voice heard on a community scale. Letters to most editorial newspapers should be restricted to no more than 250 words, which still allows room to make a tremendous impact. Once completed, you can send letters to editorial page editors of newspapers. Most newspapers even allow readers to upload their letters online. |
Click here
to see a template example of a "Letter to the Editor".
Please feel free to use this template when drafting an
editorial letter. Download - Editor Letter (Word Document
Format)
| To Your Local Representatives |
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Another way to help advocate for the use of fire sprinklers is to contact your local representatives and express your support, particularly when there is a bill being considered or following a major local event (a negative one such as a fire, but also positive ones such as Local Fire Prevention activities). |
Click here
to see a template example of a "Letter to your
Representative". Please feel free to use this
template when drafting your letter. Download - Government
Letter (Word Document Format)
To find facts and statistics to add to your letters or comments, stop by our
Resources page.
Bills
To view current bills related to fire safety, fire sprinklers or fire prevention, concerned citizens can visit the New Jersey Legislature website for up-to-the-minute information. In fact, the legislative website provides a service that sends e-mail alerts on specific bill activity as well.
New Jersey Legislature
Some of the current bills involving fire prevention and fire sprinklers are:
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A394 |
Human
Services-Disabled; Public Safety-Firefighters |
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1st
House: Referred to Committee |
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A1570 |
Requires New Jersey institutions of higher education to
disseminate fire safety information about their
facilities to students, parents or guardians, and
employees. |
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1st
House: Referred to Committee |
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S141 |
Clarifies that automatic sprinkler system is exempt from
taxation under certain circumstances. |
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1st
House: Referred to Committee |
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S498 |
Requires DCA to promulgate certain fire safety
regulations concerning furniture and furnishings
purchased for use in residential premises and public
buildings. |
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1st
House: Referred to Committee |
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S957 |
"Group Home Fire Safety Act." |
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1st
House: Referred to Committee |
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Government Links
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
New Jersey Legislature
Subscribe E-news Links
If you are interested in receiving updates when new items are uploaded to our Advocacy webpage, please e-mail our Executive Director by
clicking here .
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