Group shot of attendees with their NFPA 13D book and Russ Sanders from the NFPA.

ORLAND PARK, IL (June 3, 2019) – In honor of National Home Fire Sprinkler Week, leaders from the Illinois fire service gathered to recognize seven communities who adopted codes within the last year that require fire sprinklers in all new single-family homes. The towns include Lake Forest, Crestwood, Elk Grove Village, Rock Island, Carol Stream, Wauconda, and Palatine. Representatives from more than 100 other communities who have adopted the model codes also received a recognition plaque.

The Illinois event was one of 50 held across the U.S. and Canada. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) initiated this North America-wide campaign to raise awareness of the growing dangers of home fires and the life-saving benefits of home fire sprinklers.

The event was hosted by Alsip Fire Department and Fire Sprinkler Fitters Local 281. Representatives from the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association (IFCA), the Illinois Fire Inspectors Association (IFIA), Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA), the (IAFPD) Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts, the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), and the Illinois Fire Services Association (IFSA) presented at the event and each one awarded one of the 7 towns with a special Coalition plaque. Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez spoke at the event and recognized the communities for adopting codes that protect citizens and firefighters. Fire Marshal Perez also presented a recognition plaque to NFPA Regional Director Russ Sanders for his 25 years of support to the Illinois Fire Service. Individuals who attended ICC and NFPA hearings to vote to include home fire sprinklers in the model codes were also recognized.

“Nothing compares to what they do here in Illinois,” Sanders said. “I’ve been doing this for more than 50 years, and I’m always impressed at what these organizations do here with 107 communities passing these codes.” For a complete list of communities that require home fire sprinklers, photos, facts and other resources, visit the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition’s Media Page.

Jim Kreher of IFCA pointed out that home fire sprinklers have been in national model codes since 2006. They are vital because fires burn quickly due to construction materials used in new construction and the contents in homes. “Home fires can become deadly in as little as two minutes,” Kreher said. “That is not much time for people to escape, especially families with small children, older adults, or people with disabilities. Fire sprinklers prevent fires from becoming deadly so everyone can escape.”

According to Tom Lia, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB), every conceivable fire sprinkler demonstration trailer available to communities was on display, including four types of trailers where fires are set so spectators can see how a home fire sprinkler activates. The trailers also include displays featuring risers with all home fire sprinkler components. Three different variations of the side-by-side demonstrations were also on display, including the Lake County demo where two rooms are rolled off a unit and the NFSA/NIFSAB flatbed trailer.

The highlight of the event was a fire and sprinkler side-by-side demonstration that was set up to look like the front of a home. It includes two rooms with identical furniture. One was protected with a fire sprinkler. First, a fire was set in the unsprinklered room. In less than 90 seconds, flashover occurred where the entire room was engulfed in flames. Alsip firefighters used their hoses to extinguish the fire. A second fire was set in the room protected with a fire sprinkler. Heat from the fire activated the sprinkler in less than 30 seconds and kept the fire from becoming deadly. Firefighters used a pump can to make sure the fire was extinguished. There was a dramatic difference between the two rooms after the fires. Everything was destroyed in the unsprinklered room, but there was very little damage in the sprinklered room.

Lia said it is important to recognize the communities and fire districts that adopt ordinances and upgrade their codes. “It is often a long process where the fire department must work with elected officials to make sure everyone is educated, has the facts, and makes the right decision. Some towns are presented with misinformation from builder and real estate groups who try to take sprinklers out of the codes, and it takes elected officials with strong morals and ethics to hold firm and resist the possible corruption. These towns need to be recognized because, ultimately, they will save the lives of their citizens and responding fire and police officials,” Lia said.

All the speakers agreed that protecting new homes with fire sprinklers will make the future safer for residents, first responders, and entire communities for generations to come.

(April 25, 2019) – In Indiana, one of the new state laws signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2018 prohibits state and local lawmakers from requiring fire sprinklers in single-family homes, duplexes, and townhomes (SEA 393). If that sounds counter-intuitive to public safety, know that this high-level opposition to progressive home fire protection codes isn’t restricted to Indiana. Fire safety advocates are dealing with the same thing all across the U.S. With some $517 million spent by the housing industry on political contributions and lobbying (ProPublica 2016), fire sprinkler codes have been banned in 25 states.

As NIFSAB and the fire service emphatically call out this sort of opposition to life-saving sprinkler requirements, there is fortunately another way to achieve the ultimate protection. That’s the path that Matthew Timmer took when he moved his family into their second home in Lake County, IN.

As the son of a fire chief, Bill Timmer, in neighboring Highland, Timmer knows the importance of fire safety, and he wants the best protection for his family. Having already lived in a sprinklered home, he knew he’d only get true peace of mind if their next house was also protected.

In 2015, Timmer’s new-construction house was the first in Lake County to have fire sprinklers installed. So, when he and his family moved, Timmer reached out to NIFSAB for assistance. NIFSAB’s Executive Director Tom Lia, who calls Timmer “one of Indiana’s fire safety standouts,” pulled out all the stops. With help from State Line Fire Systems, Sprinkler Fitters Local 281, and 281’s Business Agent George Marcinak, NIFSAB donated a tank and pump, and an NFPA 13D system was successfully installed in Timmer’s family home.

“Thank you,” Timmer says. “Hopefully it will remain in standby mode it’s whole life, but we can rest assured that it will be ready if needed.” In commending State Line Fire Systems and Local 281, Timmer adds, “George is a great advocate for the safety of fire sprinklers and has especially helped me out with plans, materials, and labor to complete our project. This whole job could not have been completed without Local 281’s hard-working men and women. Their superior workmanship and dedication to a fire safe house was obvious throughout the project.”

An avowed advocate for residential fire sprinklers, Timmer says he will be forever grateful for the assistance he received from NIFSAB and the others. “I truly do not believe I could live in a house that is not fire sprinkler protected,” he concludes.

Lia said we needed someone to carry the flag in Indiana while it is under the siege of the fire sprinkler ban. “We commend the father and son fire safety team of Fire Chief Bill Timmer, his son Matt Timmer and family, to keep the message alive until Indiana can be free from backward thinking fire code bans.”

So, if you’re reading this in a state like Indiana where lawmakers have blocked home fire sprinkler requirements, take heart. There are other paths to public safety while advocates wait for the pendulum to swing back to common sense codes.

This entry was posted on April 25, 2019 at 5:56 pm and is filed under 2019 – Issue 3. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

ORLAND PARK, IL (April 17, 2019) – One day after the world watched the massive fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and people gasped as the iconic spire fell during the blaze, there was relief that there were no fatalities and news that the cathedral still stands and will be rebuilt. One of the many questions is: how can fires in historic buildings be prevented and how can valuable artifacts be protected?

Fire safety experts agree that the outcome would have been different if the cathedral would have been protected with fire sprinklers, yet so many historic buildings are not protected. Tragic fires like this should open the door to positive discussions where facts can be utilized to educate the public and elected officials about the important role fire sprinklers play protecting life and property.

Following the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, NFPA’s Robert Solomon, PE, posted an article in NFPA’s Xchange where he stated that fires in historic buildings are often difficult to judge, extinguish, or control. He said codes and standards can help minimize the impact of fire even in buildings that are more than 800 years old. Innovative and novel designs have allowed sprinkler systems to be retrofitted in these older structures. Measures can be taken to allow the delicate balance of providing fire protection and life safety systems that are both effective, yet minimally obtrusive. Maintaining the historic fabric of the structure is a critically important goal of the designer.

During a radio interview with WGN’s Steve Cochran, Dan Finnegan, SIEMENS Building Technologies Division, said fire sprinklers are available to protect all of these important cultural buildings. “They definitely will keep the fire in check to extinguish it and support the firefighters while they are doing their job,” he said.

“We look at our own Art Institute of Chicago. It is protected in all ways possible, between fire sprinklers, early warning detection and a clear agent suppression system to protect antiquities and the valuables that are of great importance,” Finnegan said.

Both Solomon and Finnegan referenced specialized NFPA codes that deal with historical buildings: NFPA 909, Code for the Protection of Cultural Resource Properties — Museums, Libraries, and Places of Worship and NFPA 914, Code for Fire Protection of Historic Structures. The requirements in NFPA 914 have been carefully evaluated by a committee of experts, and it specifically outlines measures that can be taken to protect historic buildings from fires, including installing automatic fire sprinklers.

Other historic buildings in the U.S. protected with fire sprinklers include St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. A sprinkler system was part of a monumental $177 million restoration project, the largest in the cathedral’s 135-year history. The Washington National Cathedral, built in 1912, located in Washington D.C., is installing sprinklers as part of a renovation spurred by damage from a 2011 earthquake.

Dan Finnegan’s radio interview with WGN’s Steve Cochran Show 4/16/19.

Major Martin interacts with the Iraqi Children of the city of Yousaffia, Iraq, May 2004. Major Martin and his Civil Affairs team were conducting an infrastructure assessment for the area.

By: Tom Lia
During the holiday season, my family and I took a trip to the Wisconsin Dells and passed through Winnebago County, Illinois. I was reminded of our good fire safety friend and patriot Chief Rob Martin of the Win-Bur-Sew Fire Protection District. Dedicated to his family, his fire district, and his country, Chief Rob Martin is certainly someone I look up to.
Rob is one of the esteemed Illinois Fire Service and Building Department Class of 2008(9) and was an asset to the Minnesota ICC historical vote for the inclusion of residential fire sprinklers in the model code. He then did his own research and spoke with community leaders and the fire district board to push for fire sprinklers at a local level. I could never forget his enthusiasm for this issue and for being a part of this effort.
Win-Bur-Sew is one of the most progressive Illinois fire districts outside of the Chicago area. Chief Martin and the Board of Trustees of the Win-Bur-Sew Fire Protection District are examples to all. Their district requires fire sprinklers in all new construction at a zero square foot fire sprinkler threshold, including townhomes and single-family homes. This forward thinking is a result of Chief Martin’s dedication to community safety.

Chief Martin teaching kids in the fire safety survival house.Chief Martin understands the importance of educating his community. As a member of a Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) Built For Life Fire Department, he uses consumer education and other available resources to make sure his community understands the life-saving value of home fire sprinklers. He conducts open houses in homes protected with fire sprinklers. To demonstrate how quickly a house fire spreads compared to how quickly a fire sprinkler prevents a fire from becoming deadly, he conducts live side-by-side fire and sprinkler demonstrations.

Chief Martin extended his dedication to community and safety through his extensive military service. As a member of the Army and Army Reserve, he deployed to Afghanistan with the Public Safety Team for Civil Affairs, connecting to local civilians and working with their communities and government to create safer living conditions. During his deployment to Afghanistan, he worked as Deputy Chief of Stability Operations. In Iraq, he worked with Civil Affairs and worked with communities to rebuild infrastructure and care for community needs. He also served in the United States, training soldiers for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
His dedication to community and safety is the groundwork for all his efforts. Chief Martin’s and the Board’s action put fire safety first for all new residential and commercial buildings, making Win-Bur-Sew a model to follow. Thank you, Chief Martin!