11/30/2011
Cape Coral, FL: Working towards fire sprinklers in all new homes
In 2010, the Florida Legislature prohibited the Building Code Council from including the 2009 IRC home fire sprinkler requirement in the adopted code. Local jurisdictions retain the ability to adopt provided that they perform an economic impact analysis justifying the requirement. It is a difficult and arduous process that has been achieved by at least one other community in the state.
On Tuesday, November 29th, major stakeholders attended a Fire Team USA workshop with NFPA participation. The all-day event culminated in a side-by-side burn with the cooperation of the Cape Coral Fire Department coordinated by Battalion Chief/Fire Marshal Alan Carter.
Mayor John Sullivan and Council Member Chris Chulakes-Leetz have asked for assistance from NFPA to achieve this purpose. NFPA will work closely with the fire marshal and policy makers to support the effort by participating in the process and providing the needed resources available through the Fire Sprinkler Initiative®: Bringing Safety Home campaign.
The Cape Coral Construction Industry Association has indicated interest in being a part of the process. The participation of this major stakeholder is very important for success.
The City of Cape Coral is to be commended for taking progressive steps to protect the life of its constituents by supporting the construction of new homes meeting minimum standards that provide a reasonable level of life safety in the event of a fire.
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