Currently there is a major brouhaha going on in Pennsylvania as the home builders organizations are desparately trying to negate the new building code that went into effect on January 1. Their situation became more shaky last week when a Commonwealth Court judge denied the builders’ motion to stay the implementation of the code while they continue to appeal it (see the Firegeezer REPORT HERE).
Now in the builders are flailing about and lobbying the state legislators vigorously to the point where they are, to be frank, outright lying about the consequences of installing home sprinklers. They are saying things like “If there is a fire, all the sprinklers open up, ruining everything in the house.”
Here is the most disgusting thing about this approach. The builders know full well that statements like this are not true, but they have no shame. What they are actually doing is feeding excuses and justifications to the legislators who need a reason, true or not, to vote against home and firefighter safety. One of the ugly facts of life is that there are some legislators who have been corrupted by the well-organized home builders lobby and are figuratively in their pocket. They will take these fables and repeat them to their constituents in an attempt to appear that they are looking after the citizens’ best interest when that is not really the case. Chief Billy Goldfeder posted an excellent commentary on the builders’ shenanigans at his website Firefighter Close Calls HERE. Be sure to read that, too.
While this is going on, another example exposing the lies of the builders is taking place in Bucks County, just north of Philadelphia. In Bucks, as in hundreds of other localities around the country, the advanced vocational-education students refine their skills by building a genuine house that is then sold on the open market after they have completed it. The proceeds from the sale finance the project for the next year’s students and the cycle continues.
This year’s house in Bucks was built with a home sprinkler system in it. An article Friday in The Intelligencer reports:
Bucks County fire marshals ran water through the house’s sprinkler system Thursday, and the water flowed about 25 percent faster than the standard, said plumbing and HVAC teacher Jeffrey Muschlitz.
Students at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in Warwick have been building houses for more than 30 years, but this is the first year they’ve installed a sprinkler system in the house. Muschlitz said he believes MBIT is the first vocational school in the state to build a house with a sprinkler system.
Muschlitz said the students installed the system because all new homes built in Pennsylvania must have fire suppression systems.
No only is the school advancing the concept of home sprinklers, but the fire marshal’s office is able to take advantage of the project to educate the public:
About 20 plumbing students spent several weeks studying fire suppression systems and blueprints for the 2,240-square-foot Colonial-style modular home. They then spent three weeks installing the sprinkler system. The system is a “looped system” developed by Minnesota-based Uponor Fire Protection, which means that it’s tied in with the rest of the plumbing in the house.
“So the fire suppression system gets tested every day, every time you use a fixture in your house,” Muschlitz said.
You can’t ask for any better endorsement than that. Read the entire article HERE.
The entire fire community in Pennsylvania needs to mobilize now…starting right at the grass-roots level….and accomplish two things immediately. First, you need to contact your local legislator now before they start voting, and explain to them face-to-face how and why the home builders are being so dishonest in the debate. Secondly, you need to become vocal now and tell the citizens in your territory what the truth is in the sprinkler debate.
Now the truth is that we have to get this equipment checked out for today. I’m going to get some more coffee started.
Hat tip to Anthony C. for assistance.
FICEMS is the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS. Inaugural meeting December 8, 2006. FICEMS is charged with coordinating Federal Emergency Medical Services (EMS) efforts for the purposes of identifying State and local EMS needs, recommending new or expanded programs for improving EMS at all levels, and streamlining the process through which Federal agencies support EMS.
What this means is that NEMSA is a FACA-compliant advisory committee to NHTSA. The two day workshop was NOT functioning as an advisory committee.
There is also a great choice of focus points including, engine company operations, ladder company operations, multi-company operations……check their website 
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