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”.
Hollywood has done more to [click to continue…]
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