Sprinklers on a new home or not?

DAILY LOCAL NEWS

Builder: No new Pa. codes a win for consumers

Published: Monday, February 06, 2012

I think this is "win for consumers" is just the usual closed mind stupor that builders with political clout sink into when some kind change is suggested. You can't blame the collapse of the home building market entirely on the economy. In my opinion it takes about 5 years of fighting with builders to get a new home up to what it was supposed to be when you first walked in the door.


If you opt out of a sprinkler system on a new truss built home you have less than 3 minutes to get out of the burning structure.

 This video compares a truss built home collapse with a frame built home collapse

 The truss build home collapsed in 5 minutes.

 The frame build home stood up 20 minutes.

Consider how long it takes your fire department to come out. Once the roof framing is involved in a truss roof home you have less than 5 minutes to get out before the house totally collapses.

Check what your fire insurance would be with or without a sprinkler system

If you are looking for a new home try to find a builder that builds older style stick built homes or a home with masonry walls.

 "The Florida Legislature in 1993 passed a law requiring all new buildings three stories and above to be built with fire sprinklers installed.  While it took some developers time to adjust their construction plans and specifications to include fire sprinklers and take advantage of these building code allowed tradeoffs, today this progressive law meets with little opposition because the construction cost savings far out weigh the added expense of installing the fire sprinkler.  In most cases, the building can be built at a much lower cost per square foot with the fire sprinkler
system and taking advantage of the code allowed tradeoffs, and often the dollar cost
savings per square foot of construction is substantial (Advantage, 1997).   

"What has the fire services so mystified is the reality that these fire deaths can
be reduced by an estimated 82% if new technology residential fire sprinklers were
installed along with the smoke detectors (Ruegg, 1984).  Using the 10-year average
of U.S. fire deaths from 1985-1994 of 5,770 fire deaths per year, an 82% reduction
means that over 4,700 people a year during this period would have survived the fire
(Fire, 1997)."   

FROM: 

RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLERS FOR LIFE SAFETY