Sprinklers corrupt international building code process

Gail McCauley, township supervisor, White Township, Indiana County, PA, describes the corruption of the ICC building codes meeting in Minneapolis in September 2008 during testimony before the PA Senate Labor & Industry Committee, Oct. 2009.

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• fire sprinklers
• sprinklers
• Pennsylvania
• Gail McCauley
• ICC
• International Codes Council
• building codes
• UCC
• codes battle
• codes fight
• roll back the 2009 code
• roll back the code
• PBA

[Dethreid]

building codes seem to be reaching a point where they are adding far too much cost onto home construction.

this constant nit picking trying to save people from themselves really needs to stop somewhere.

[dommer117rant]

Hello, yes I am posting here too. SURPRISE FUCKERS!..... But no in all seriousness, I just wanna say that after listening to shit and complaining about money not being available then being bused to A CASINO?! WTF. You people need to be shot by hamas and dropped to the sharks. Your negative shittery is not helping us AT ALL. I do hope one day that all you corrupters are killed, wiped out, because you.are.not.needed.

thanks for reading something that doesn't matter.

[jdat747]

@Gr8Bud1 If it weren't for the codes, builders could use the leftover form lumber to do the floor joists like they did in the old days. Since they can't use "used" lumber for new construction, they use those flimsy OSB engineered beams ... and I agree, those do suck.

[jdat747]

@Gr8Bud1 That's where everyone has a choice. I put sprinklers in my house when I built it. I also used solid lumber for joists, and the beams that support the 2nd floor have steel sheets sandwiched and bolted between 2x12s. I also designed it so their are 2 exits from the 2nd floor. If building codes were in force in the area where I built, I wouldn't have been able to afford any of that. I would have spent all my money on permits and inspections.

[Gr8Bud1]

@jdat747 Google "lightweight construction firefighter safety" and you will find 16,000+ hits on what is wrong with new construction. Firefighter deaths from home collapse increased from 13 % to 51 % in the last decade. New homes are not safe. Add in the open space and combustible furniture and fire deaths will increase. Stop using my kids as your benchmark and start using your kids - should your kids die in a new home solely because the homebuilders wants to maximize his profit margin?

[jdat747]

@Gr8Bud1 3w_dot_ nfpa _dot_org/assets/files/PDF/OS.f­ireloss_dot_pdf

[jdat747]

another good ref:

residential losses already on steady decline. also, for 2009, ~2000 people died in 1 and 2 family homes. How many of those were in older homes or homes w/ no working alarm? How many lives is this really going to save out of that 2000? You could spend much less on Hwy. improvements and save more lives.

[Gr8Bud1]

@jdat747 Cannot use 5K or 8K - must use cost per sprinklered sq. ft. 5K not excessive for a 3,500 sq. ft. ranch. A ranch house is not affordable housing. The IRC code specifically states it does not apply to existing or renovations. Prices will go down - basic economics 101 more competition seeking work drives prices down. My daughter sucessfully bid $285,000 for a house listed for $315,000 - does this mean the granite countertop was free? Housing prices are negotiated not fixed

[jdat747]

@Gr8Bud1 Here's a good link for cost ... in 2005 dollars: w_w_w_dot_usfa.dhs.gov/fireser­vice/research/dsn/sprinkler_sy­stems.shtm It pegs the average cost of a ranch style house at ~5K

$8K is not excessive since the price is likely to go up as soon as it becomes a requirement

Also, when this hits the codes, one would have to retrofit existing homes for any major remodel. Also, when the cost of a new house goes up, the cost of used will follow as more people compete for used.

[Gr8Bud1]

@jdat747 The median price of a new home is beyond the reach of 76.6% of American households. Over 95% of the homes on the market are existing homes - this 76.6% of households rent or buy an existing home. Your $8k cost figure is inflated - Habitat for Humanity in Austin Texas reports costs as low as $0.36 per sq. ft. You install a T on the plumbing and run a pipe inside the wall, install a sidewall sprinkler - your estimate is $533+ for each sprinkler. PBA goal - Rebuild market retention.