Fire
Sprinklers Where We Live, Work & Play:
Building Safety Week is May 5-11, 2008
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, May 5, 2008—The National Fire Sprinkler Association – WI Chapter Recognizes National Building Safety Week, May 5 – 11th. This year’s theme is “Building
Safety: Where You Live, Work and Play.”
Sponsored
by the International Code Council (ICC), Building Safety
Week increases awareness of the important role that safe,
sound and accessible buildings play in our state and across
the U.S. It shines a national light on the importance
of construction measures that protect the lives of residents,
occupants and emergency responders.
“A major percentage of the ICC’s International Building Code (IBC) relates to fire safety,” explained NFSA North Central regional manager Dan Gengler. “The IBC’s purpose is to protect people in occupancies from all types of building construction challenges, including fire. But until automatic fire sprinklers are required, the codes don’t
go far enough.”
Fire
sprinklers should be required routinely, regardless of
a building’s size. “Pinpointing fire sprinkler installation to a square footage minimum is so twentieth century, and is unsafe,” Gengler said. “Forward-thinking
community leaders can make our state a national influence
in fire safety building construction. Now that is a public
safety concept that makes sense.”
Gengler said National Building Safety Week is also a great time to recognize all the building and fire inspectors who work together to make the daily plan review and inspection decisions for the safety of the citizens.
According to Gengler, whether the building is a high-rise apartment or commercial, a school, hotel, strip mall or single family home, fire sprinklers save lives. The time-tested technology is recognized within the fire service and broader fire safety field as being the number-one means to suppress or control structural fire in its early stages.
“Fire sprinklers are heat activated and stop fire from spreading and potentially reaching deadly flashover,” Gengler said. “When
a fire is contained, fire sprinklers prevent widespread
property loss, benefiting building owners, employees, the
economy and the environment.”
No other technology provides the level of life safety and property protection that a fire sprinkler system can and does. Building Safety Week reinforces the importance of fire safety provisions in building codes, including strong requirements for fire sprinkler system installation, testing and maintenance in every structure.
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