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| The NVFC urges you to vote to retain a provision requiring fire sprinklers in new residential construction |
Join ICC by October 14 to be eligible to vote
Vote to retain a provision in the International Residential Code (IRC) requiring the installation of fire sprinklers in new residential construction at the International Code Council's (ICC) Code Development Hearings on October 28 in Baltimore, MD. You must join the ICC by October 14 in order to participate in the vote.
The fire sprinkler provision was added to the IRC last year at the ICC's Code Development Hearings in Minneapolis, MN but there is an effort underway to remove it. Help keep the provision in the IRC by joining the ICC and voting in favor of retaining the fire sprinkler requirement.
Learn more about how you can become an ICC member and vote in Baltimore at www.iccsafe.org/membership/join.html.
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is a strong proponent of residential fire sprinklers, and members of the NVFC staff joined the ICC to take part in the vote. "Fire sprinklers, combined with smoke alarms, are proven to dramatically reduce losses of life and property due to fire," said Heather Schafer, Executive Director of the NVFC. "The NVFC is very pleased to be able to participate in this important vote in order to ensure that residential fire sprinklers are not stripped from the IRC."
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the risk of dying in a home fire is reduced by 80 percent in a home with fire sprinklers deployed. Additionally, sprinklers have been shown to reduce property loss in homes by an average of 71 percent per fire.
If you would like to participate in this historic vote but have questions about what you need to do in order to be eligible, please contact Dave Finger, NVFC Director of Government Relations, on (202) 887-5700 or dfinger@nvfc.org.
