Comments on: Your Help is Needed http://michiganfireservice.com/your-help-is-needed/374/ Information, News, and Training for Michigans Fire Fighters. Visit www.michiganfireservice.com Sat, 03 Mar 2012 19:38:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: George Church http://michiganfireservice.com/your-help-is-needed/374/comment-page-1/#comment-6072 George Church Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:16:56 +0000 http://michiganfireservice.com/?p=374#comment-6072 In PA we were successful in defeating (thus far) the proposed omission of the residential sprinkler portion of the IRC, at least before the Advisory Council. Wanted to note for your purposes that the Fire Service testified, not the sprinkler industry, to avoid accusations of conflict of interest. We stood by to offer technical support for any rebuttal or "surprises". One of the homebuilders testified that he was also a fire chief in a rural area, and if your house caught fire, you could have over 500 gallons of water in your house waiting for them to show up. Members of the Advisory Panel nodded this was "water damage". One of the fire service reps then re-visited this on rebuttal, pointing out that if the alternative to having water flowing for 20 minutes was watching your house burn down, maybe it was the better alternative. You could see light bulbs above many Panel member's heads that DUH didn't think that thru last time. And you could also shut the valve.... Safety of firefighters in burning lightweight construction was key selling point. Best of luck with it! In PA we were successful in defeating (thus far) the proposed omission of the residential sprinkler portion of the IRC, at least before the Advisory Council.

Wanted to note for your purposes that the Fire Service testified, not the sprinkler industry, to avoid accusations of conflict of interest. We stood by to offer technical support for any rebuttal or “surprises”.

One of the homebuilders testified that he was also a fire chief in a rural area, and if your house caught fire, you could have over 500 gallons of water in your house waiting for them to show up. Members of the Advisory Panel nodded this was “water damage”. One of the fire service reps then re-visited this on rebuttal, pointing out that if the alternative to having water flowing for 20 minutes was watching your house burn down, maybe it was the better alternative. You could see light bulbs above many Panel member’s heads that DUH didn’t think that thru last time. And you could also shut the valve….
Safety of firefighters in burning lightweight construction was key selling point.
Best of luck with it!

]]> By: WHAT’S AT STAKE? — Michigan Fire Service http://michiganfireservice.com/your-help-is-needed/374/comment-page-1/#comment-6015 WHAT’S AT STAKE? — Michigan Fire Service Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:33:44 +0000 http://michiganfireservice.com/?p=374#comment-6015 [...] up to us in the fire service to stand up, unite and fight for the safety of our public and our own. Michigan has a code hearing this Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Please plan on attending or make sure your voice is heard on a local level. Talk to your fire [...] [...] up to us in the fire service to stand up, unite and fight for the safety of our public and our own. Michigan has a code hearing this Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Please plan on attending or make sure your voice is heard on a local level. Talk to your fire [...]

]]> By: Leslie L. Wedge http://michiganfireservice.com/your-help-is-needed/374/comment-page-1/#comment-5561 Leslie L. Wedge Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:35:28 +0000 http://michiganfireservice.com/?p=374#comment-5561 I plan to attend this session. Once again we will pursue what is already in NFPA Construction and Fire Codes. I look forward to seeing many friends there. Thank you. I plan to attend this session. Once again we will pursue what is already in NFPA Construction and Fire Codes. I look forward to seeing many friends there. Thank you.

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