There’s no question about it: the process of reporting the results from a fire protection system inspection is a pain in the “you-know-what.” The current system and practices around receiving, maintaining, filing and following up on paper-based Inspection Reports is time consuming, disorganized and anything but cost effective. Service Providers (SP), Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and Property Owners (PO) each have their own system of handling Inspection Reports, and making changes to these systems can introduce significant anxiety. It has become a game of who does what and how.
“As a property owner and management company, we are looking for an efficient program to assist us in tracking and filing all our reports,” said Brian Dolan, Owner of Dolan and Murphy in Aurora, Illinois. “It is important for us because we use multiple Service Providers, have multiple locations and need one ‘place’ to receive everything.”
Draft Study Released for Public Comment Includes 11 Recommendations for Changes to Codes and Procedure
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Major factors contributing to a rapid spread of fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C., on June 18, 2007, included large open spaces with furniture providing high fuel loads, the inward rush of air following the breaking of windows and a lack of sprinklers, according to a draft report released for public comment today by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The fire trapped and killed nine firefighters, the highest number of firefighter fatalities in a single event since 9/11.
Based on its findings, the NIST technical study team made 11 recommendations for enhancing building, occupant and firefighter safety nationwide. In particular, the team urged state and local communities to adopt and strictly adhere to current national model building and fire safety codes.1 If today’s model codes had been in place and rigorously followed in Charleston in 2007, the study authors said, the conditions that led to the rapid fire spread in the Sofa Super Store probably would have been prevented.
Building and Fire Safety professionals from across the United States participated in the Code Development hearings in Baltimore. Today was a busy day with various code proposals found in the International Residential Code (IRC). These included revisions on stairways, general provisions, fire sprinkler provisions and many more.
Some of the more anticipated votes included
RB53, would have changed the sprinkler provisions that affect Townshouses was removed by the proponent.
RB54, added language to make sprinklers an option. The committee voted in favor of (7-4) to deny the code change while the floor action was requested and confirmed the committee action to keep sprinklers in the code.
The International Code Council (ICC) is heading full steam into the 5th day of code change proposals. Today’s hearings in Track 1 will feature IRC Building and include multiple proposals on the residential sprinkler requirements. Track 2 completed the structural provisions of the IBC and will now move into the IECC. The numbers estimated to be in attendance has forced a location change for the code hearings and Part II is now in the convention center to allow adequate space for the hearings in Part 1
The code development hearings will continue into the weekend up till the Annual Business Meeting and then restart next week. The code development hearings will shape the 2012 editions of the ICC documents.
International Code Council (ICC) Hearings Begin Today
The Code Development Hearings for the proposed 2012 ICC Code Documents begins today in Baltimore Maryland. The code hearings are running in two tracks until November 11, 2009. Remember this is a transition code development process.
This is a dynamic process where over 2,000 code changes will be heard by various committees. Tune in to the web-cast to see how the fire and building codes are changed in the ICC style. This is the first step in public testimony for code development. The next step will be the ICC final action hearings (2 sets of hearings).
It seems that the ICC just released the 2009 editions of the I-Code series and now it is time to start the process to develop the next generation of codes. The code change proposal monograph for the 2009/2010 Code Change cycle is now available. The web-page provided by the ICC gives you the option to download the changes through a .pdf format or you can register to receive a CD. The ICC has stated that CDs will be mailed for on or about October 3, 2009.
A Special Post by Deputy Chief Lawrence A. Rude, EFO
Each and every one of us in the fire service has the opportunity to make a difference in a very special way. On September 21st, 2008, Code Officials from the Fire and Building Services came together in Minneapolis, Minnesota to make history. Almost 2,200 gathered in the Minneapolis Convention Center in downtown Minneapolis to vote on a series of building and fire codes requiring sprinklers in newly constructed one and two family homes. (ICC Final Action Code Hearings (http://www.iccsafe.org/))
As a Fire Chief Officer, I have been beating my drum across the country for years, explaining to people how fire sprinklers save lives. These words have been met with mixed response. Some say, “Show me the proof”. Others say, “It is too darned expensive to put fire sprinklers in a home. Builders can’t afford it and the customer will never pay the price”. I even hear, “What about the water damage? My insurance company will never pay to replace everything lost by water damage”.
The International Code Council (ICC) heard testimony today about the National Association Home Builder’s (NAHB) appeal on code action on RB 64 07/08 and RB 66 07/08. The appeal process by the ICC occurred today and was chaired by Ron Lynn. The intent of the appeal is over the process that occurred, not in response to technical issues
The committee was made up of four representatives of the ICC. They heard testimony in favor the NAHB appeal as well as other interested parties testified in support of the appeal. Mr. Ed Sutton of the National Association of Home Builders summarized his testimony which stated the ICC could loose credibility and also stated that NAHB has funded travel in the past and supports the ICC to eliminate all 3rd party funding.
The testimony from various parties focused on the need for balance in [click to continue…]
Today, the ICC released the intention of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) to request a appeal hearing on RB 64 and RB 66 of the 2007/2008 code development cycle. The notice of appeal has been transmitted to interested parties by the ICC based on the appeal notification dated October 30, 2008, by the NAHB. The request by the NAHB claims that the ICC failed in providing a voluntary consensus standard and
The NAHB Claims:
ICC states that its International Codes are developed using the governmental consensus process. Further, it claims that the ICC governmental consensus process meets the principles defined in OMB Circular A-119, Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities.
The appeal Regrettably, voting on code changes RB64 and RB66 demonstrated an unequivocal failure of the ICC code development process to achieve real consensus on these code changes by not preventing a single interest group, specifically the fire service, from unfairly dominating the voting on these two proposals at the Final Action Hearings. The voting on these code changes clearly violated the principle of “balance of interest” specified in OMB Circular A-119 for a voluntary consensus body (see Attachment A.)
Many of you have emailed us to get specific information on the testimony that was heard during the International Code Council final action hearings. Code talk podcast highlights the audio from the testimony on RB-64 which was heard on September 20, 2008. This code change will require sprinklers in one and two family dwellings in the 2009 edition of International Residential Code (no earlier then January 1, 2011).
Code Talk, Episode 2 The Residential Sprinkler Debate[ 1:22:57 ]Play Now | Play in Popup
International Code Council final action hearings. Code talk podcast highlights the audio from the testimony on RB-64 which was heard on September 20, 2008. This code change will require sprinklers in one and two family dwellings in the 2009 edition of International Residential Code (no earlier then January 1, 2011).
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