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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 Fire Sprinkler Agendas & Minutes AGENDA RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE JANUARY 30, 2004 9:00 A.M. CITY HALL, 2ND FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM, NORTH TOWER 1. Call to order 2. Roll call 3. Presentation by Attainable Housing Alliance Mary Lucas and Associate 4. Discussion on installation cost for NFPA 13D System—C. Miller 5. Scheduling of future meetings 6. Adjournment MINUTES OF 1'HE ELGIN FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE ELGIN CITY HALL 0900 HRS JANUARY 30, 2004 PRESENT: Bill Freiberg, Committee Chairman Committee Member Charles Miller, Charles Miller Real Estate GUESTS: Thomas Sandor, Elgin City Council Mary Loucas, Colin McRae, Attainable Housing Alliance OTHERS PRESENT: Tom Lia, Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Committee Jamie Reap, U.S. Fire Protection of Ill., Inc. Lonnie Jackson, Ill. Fire Inspectors Assoc. ABSENT: Mark Mastrorocco, Pulte Home Corporation Chairman Freiberg called the meeting to order at 0900 hrs. Motion to adopt the minutes of the December 5th meeting made by Bill Freiberg and seconded by Chuck Miller. Ms. Lucas and Mr. McRae of the Attainable Housing Alliance, referred in future as the AHA, introduced themselves as members of a not for profit organization representing the interests of over 500 builders in the greater Chicagoland area. Ms. Lucas and Mr. McRae submitted a position paper from the AHA stating its opposition to any form of mandated residential sprinkler ordinance. (See attached). Mr. McRae stated that the AHA is chiefly concerned with issues affecting costs incurred by builders relating to mandated ordinances and that the organization believes that sprinkler systems in residential dwellings should be at the option of the home buyer and not mandated by law. He stated also that using the NFPA 13d standard for residential sprinklers, the cost to the homebuyer exceeds the $1.50 to $2.00 per sq. ft. price for the system as stated by both the Illinois Fire sprinkler Advisory Board and Mr. Reap of U.S. Fire Protection of Ill., a residential sprinkler contractor. Mr. Reap and Mr. Lia disputed this allegation. At this time committee member Miller submitted a bill from Mr. Reaps firm that exceeded this amount because of the need of an auxiliary pump required for the system in one of his buildings. It was determined that the pump, at a cost of$1400.00 pushed the cost to approximately $2.30 per sq. ft. and if the pump were not needed' the system would have cost $1.83 per sq. ft. Mr. Reap stated he did not know why the pump was required in this development, but would get back to Mr. Miller with an answer. Pg. 2 Mr. McRae then stated that the potential homebuyer should be informed of the availability and also the cost/benefits of an installed sprinkler system and also that this educational information should be offered by the builder/developer. Mr. Miller suggested that perhaps, a modified version of NFPA 13D could be proposed and, this was countered by Mr.Lia and Mr. Jackson, who both stated that a deviation from a standard such as this invites litigation since it deviates from national standards. Mr. Lia advised that NFPA 13d is already a compromised standard and should not be further diluted. Mr. Jackson submitted figures from the Illinois Fire Inspectors, the United States Fire Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, disputing earlier claim made by the AHA relating to fire deaths in sprinklered/non-sprinklered buildings. Following a lengthy discussion on the above matters, it was decided that the next meeting of the committee will be at 0900 hours on Friday, February 6ih at City Hall A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Freiberg and seconded by Mr. Miller. The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 hours. AGENDA RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 6, 2004 9:00 CITY HALL, ELGIN 1. Call to order 2. Roll call 3. Presentation by Committee member Mark Mastrorocco and associates of Pulte development. 4. Committee review of residential sprinkler ordinances enacted by surrounding communities. 5. Scheduling of future meetings. 6. Adjournment. MINUTES OF THE ELGIN FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE ELGIN CITY HALL 0900 HOURS FEBRUARY 6, 2004 PRESENT: Committee Chairman, Bill Freiberg Committee Members, Mark Mastrorocco, Pulte Home Corporation, Charles Miller, Charles Miller Real Estate GUESTS: Scott Withington, Vice President of Sales, Pulte homes Mark Guenther, Vice President of construction, Pulte Homes Lonnie Jackson, Illinois Fire Inspectors Jamie Reap, U.S. Fire Protection of Illinois Inc. ABSENT: Tom Sandor, Elgin City Council Chairman Freiberg called the meeting to order at 0915 hours. Motion to accept the minutes of the January 30 meeting made by Mr. Miller and seconded by Mr. Mastrorocco. Scott W. addressed the impact of mandated sprinklers by stating that the $10K to $15K cost will price homes out of the market for buyers who are already strapped for financing and that such an ordinance will stunt growth in the area. He stated that no potential buyers have ever asked for a price on an installed sprinkler system. He further stated that many potential buyers, when touring a model equipped with sprinklers, did not like the appearance of the heads and have asked if they could be deleted from their home if they purchased one. Mark G. stated that homes built on a slab are more difficult to sprinkler since pipes cannot easily be run under the home. A number of other problems were noted by Mark G., such as: * Many who spend their winters in warmer climates routinely drain all water lines, add anti-freeze, etc. and shut down heating plants completely. This would disable a sprinkler system. * He said he has seen maintenance problems from abuse of the system by children, although Bill F. stated that parents must educate and supervise children around this equipment the same as they would for a child playing with an electrical outlet. • Mark G. agreed but believed that the education process would take a long time. Pg. 2 He saw sprinkler costs in W. Dundee at $3.50 to $4.00 per sq. ft., not adding the basement to the square footage of the house. Jamie R. stated that since the piping for the system must be run through the basement in order to access 1st and 2nd floors, the cost of adding heads to those pipes does not significantly add to the cost. Jamie R. asked if perhaps architects could help cut costs through design features in the drawings but Pulte personnel stated this would only add to the cost since more material would be needed to create pipe chases in the structure. He also suggested that more density of homes would bring down overall costs, but Scott W. was certain that the city would not allow greater density. Jamie R. asked if the City would consider lowering impact fees to help offset the cost and This remains unknown. Chuck M. suggested the possibility of an ordinance affecting homes over a set square footage since a home he recently finished was only 1300 sq. ft. and would have far exceeded the $1.50 to $2.00 per sq. ft. cost because of its' small size. Chuck M. also questioned why there is such a drive for residential sprinklers in the area recently. Lonnie J. stated that the drive is not local but nationwide and he submitted figures from the NFPA citing figures on deaths, injuries and causes of home fires in the US from 1994 to 1998. He stated that while we have improved our fire statistics greatly in the last 25 years we still have far to go. He further stated that as technologically advanced as the USA is, we still have the most fires of any country on the planet and that the United States Fire Administration has embarked on a mission to drastically reduce these numbers. It is estimated that it will take one hundred years to achieve this goal. Mr. Jackson also submitted a copy of the book AMERICA BURNING, published in 1972 that first recognized the major scope of the problem of fires in the USA. Bill F. stated that the problem of house fires does not target the safety of the homes being built today, but rather the things in the homes that cause these fires. A motion to adjourn was made by Chuck M. and seconded by Mark M. and the meting was adjourned at 1055 hours. AGENDA FEBRUARY 13, 2004 9:00 A.M. RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY HALL, 2ND FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM, NORTH TOWER 1. Call to order 2. Roll call 3. Presentation of position paper by Fire Chief Michael Falese 4. Discussion of Committee recommendation pertaining to an ordinance 5. Discussion of possible public hearing 6. Scheduling of future meetings 7. Adjournment MINUTES OF THE ELGIN FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE ELGIN CITY HALL 0900 HOURS FEBRUARY 13, 2004 PRESENT: Committee Chairman Bill Freiberg Committee Members, Charles miller, Charles Miller Real Estate Mark Mastrorocco, Pulte Home Corporation GUESTS: Councilman Thomas Sandor, City of Elgin Chief Michael Falese, Elgin Fire Department Fire Prevention Officer Robert Bradbury, Elgin Fire Department Lonnie Jackson, Illinois Fire Inspectors Association Jamie Reap, Bill Winzentsen, U.S. Fire Protection of Illinois, Inc. Kara Spak, Paddock Publications Inc., The Daily Herald Chairman Freiberg called the meeting to order at 0905 hours. Motion to accept the minutes of the February 6th meeting made by Mr. Miller and seconded by Mr. Freiberg. Chief Falese and F.P.O. Bradbury of the Fire Dept. addressed the committee relating to a position paper on a residential sprinkler ordinance from Fire Department administration (See attached). The overall message was positive in favor of a sprinkler ordinance and it was pointed out that such an ordinance would place a proactive organization like The Elgin Fire Department in a positive light as well. It was further stated that residential sprinklers are not meant to replace a well-trained and adequately staffed and equipped fire service in the areas protected by sprinklers. Mr. Miller suggested that perhaps if the impact fees were increased, extra fire stations could be built and staffed with these monies instead of a mandated sprinkler ordinance. Mr. Sandor answered by saying that our impact fees are the highest in the area already and that the cost of personnel cannot be taken from this income. Mr. Miller asked about possible delays(trains, etc.) in fire dept. response to a house fire in a sprinklered residence and if the sprinkler would continue to operate indefinitely. Mr. Reap stated that since none of the homes in Elgin would be operating on wells, the water supply would not be overcome even if multiple heads fused to control the fire. Pg. 2 Mr. Miller asked Chief Falese if a much smaller home posed less of a life safety hazard under fire conditions from an escape hazard and the Chief stated that the hazard is as great in any size home, noting that even in smaller dwellings, victims are found next to doors, windows and other means of escape. Mr. Miller estimated that over the years of the far west development in Elgin, the cost for residential sprinklers could exceed 40 million dollars and he asked the Chief if this was an acceptable expense. Chief Falese stated that question was not his to answer, however most fire fatalities in the US are the result of house fires. F.P.O. Bradbury stated that while this is a very large sum of money, it is a one-time cost. Mr. Miller then stated that it is not a one-time cost as there is a yearly mandated test for a sprinkler system and the cost is between$250.00 and $300.00 per year per home. Both Mr. Winzentsen and Mr. Reap stated that the sprinkler costs can be misleading because basements must be sprinklered even though they are not considered livable space, and not counted in the square footage of a home. They also stated that it is more expensive per sq. ft. to sprinkler a small home than a large one because of the fixed costs such as water main size, etc. Mr. Miller questioned how much should be mandated in new construction and Mr. Reap addressed the life safety issue of a sprinkler ordinance. Mr. Sandor stated that much is already mandated such as street size and width, brick • facades, side loading garages and street lighting and this is the cost of doing business. He also stated that it is the responsibility of government to set standards. Mr. Sandor stated further that this mandate must be considered because of the scope of the development and the time frame before construction begins. He said that many communities surrounding us have enacted legislation and others are considering it in the future. He closed by commending the Committee for their hard work. Mr. Freiberg received a letter written by Mr. Winzentsen listing many developers who would not allow him to install his own sprinkler system in a home he would purchase from them. Mr. Mastrorocco was unfamiliar with this and Mr. Winzentsen stated that the developers did not offer the system and would not allow an outside contractor to do work on their homes without voiding all structural guarantees. Mr. Miller proposed that in lieu of a mandated sprinkler ordinance, would it be possible to mandate that the systems be offered to prospective buyers along with educational material showing the benefits. Pg.3 Mr. Freiberg stated that we have heard from both sides of the sprinkler ordinance argument and that we must first vote to recommend or not recommend such an ordinance. Following that, he said, we can convene to consider offering the systems to buyers. Mr. Freiberg requested that each member take a week to make his decision and return to the table on Friday, 2-20-04 to make our statements and cast our votes. Mr. Jackson urged the Committee to read America Burning and also The Scottsdale Report before making any decisions. The meeting was adjourned at 1030 hours. " • RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLER ORDINANCE February 9, 2004 POSITION STATEMENT Progressive and effective fire service organizations encourage and nurture practices that help them to better service the public. These ideas and practices range from training concepts to response patterns to public education tools. In addition, effective fire departments scour all possibilities to find items that can transition a"reactive" organization to one that consistently places itself in proactive and preventative positions. Over the last two decades, there have been several laws, ordinances, and mandates that have been put in place to address proven public safety dangers. Examples of these are typically found in building codes (building exiting, for example). Probably the most common one, however, is the Public Act that requires smoke alarms in residential occupancies. These new requirements over the last several years have had significant, documented, and proven success in the area of life safety. The current item that is now being embraced by communities is the requirement of sprinklers in newly constructed residential buildings. The intention of a residential sprinkler system is to provide a basic fire suppression system in the place where most fires occur. They are specifically designed to extinguish fires in their incipient or beginning stage. Many associations, however, are opposed to residential sprinkler ordinances. The opposition states that there is little fire problem in new homes, smoke rubs detectors make sprinklers unnecessary, sprinklers cause water damage, sprinkler systems are unsightly,and that sprinklers are not cost effective. Each one of these positions can very effectively be countered with supportive statements for a residential sprinkler system. Specifically, Congress continues to become increasingly aware of the nation's fire death problem, and is contemplating legislation designed specifically toward fire safety in America's homes. The Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board conservatively projects that the majority of Chicago suburbs will have residential fire sprinkler ordinances by 2010. The position one takes on residential fire sprinklers certainly is impacted by an individual's perspective. Although fire sprinklers certainly provide a tremendous advantage, they are not the entire answer to life safety. They must be complimented by a community that has a well equipped and appropriately staffed fire department. In addition,the type, amount, and efficiency of the department's training have a significant impact on the overall effectiveness of the fire department. Finally, a true measure of a fire department's success are the abilities of the Fire Prevention Division. In other words, the requirement of residential sprinklers can be one very positive element in the overall administration of a fire department. It is important to evaluate what the expectations would be of such an ordinance. The required sprinklers would undoubtedly have an overall positive impact in the areas that require them. However, this type of ordinance does not prevent fires nor reduce the fire ePb. activity in the structures already in Elgin. 1 I do believe that this ordinance would reflect very positively on the Elgin Fire Department and the City of Elgin. It would demonstrate that the fire department is pursuing proactive measures that support the obtainment of life safety initiatives. The issue of mandating safety in one's home,however, is a policy decision that rests with the City Council. r 2 AGENDA FEBRUARY 20, 2004 9:00 A.M. RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY HALL, 2ND FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM,NORTH TOWER 1. Call to order 2. Roll call 3. Committee discussion on individual positions 4. Committee vote 5. Further committee recommendations 6. Scheduling of future meetings 7. Adjournment MINUTES OF THE ELGIN FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE ELGIN CITY HALL 0900 HOURS FEBRUARY 20, 2004 PRESENT: Committee Chairman Bill Freiberg Committee Members, Charles Miller, Charles Miller Real Estate Mark Mastrorocco, Pulte Home Corporation Guests: Councilman Thomas Sandor Jamie Reap, U.S.Fire Protection of Illinois, Inc. Bill Winzentsen, Alliance Fire Protection, Inc. Chairman Freiberg called the meeting to order at 0915 hours. Motion to accept the minutes of 2-13-04 made by M. Mastrorocco., seconded by C. Miller. As discussions on individual positions began, Mr. Miller stated that an important question still needed to be answered and that he required this information before he was prepared to cast his vote. He wished to speak with Mr. Tom Lia of The Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board about bids he has put out for installed residential sprinkler systems. He has noted price differentials of 20%to as much as 30% in bids from plumbing or electrical contractors etc., but bids from different sprinkler contractors on the same home seem to be consistently within about $150.00 of each other. Mr. Freiberg stated that this information should come to the committee before a vote was taken and the committee vote was deferred until Mr. Lia could attend our meeting and explain why bids were not more competitive. It was agreed that John Rothenberger of Code Enforcement would be requested to attend this meeting as well. The committee then held a round table discussion addressing benefits versus cost for residential sprinkler systems. No conclusions were reached. The meeting was adjourned at 1045 hours. MINUTES OF THE ELGIN FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE ELGIN CITY HALL 0900 HOURS FEBRUARY 27,2004 PRESENT: Committee Chairman Bill Freiberg Committee Members, Charles Miller, Charles Miller Real Estate Mark Mastrorocco, Pulte Home Corporation GUESTS: Councilman Thomas Sandor, City of Elgin John Rothenberger, City of Elgin Code Enforcement Tom Lia, Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board Jamie Reap, U.S. Fire Protection of Illinois, Inc. Bill Winzentsen, Alliance Fire Protection, Inc. Chairman Freiberg called the meting to order at 0910 hours. Motion to accept the minutes of 2-20-04 made by Chuck M., seconded by Mark M. Mr. Miller produced estimates for a sprinkler system in one of his homes from 3 bidders: Alliance Fire Protection Inc., U.S. fire Protection of Illinois and Orion Fire Sprinkler Inc. He stated that all 3 bids were for approximately $8,000.00 and that all 3 were within $200.00 of each other. With this in hand, he questioned whether there was competitive bidding in the residential home sprinkler industry. Mr. Lia stated that there were 79 contractors associated with the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board. He thought the closeness in these bids reflected a very competitive market since the profit margin was so close. Mr. Reap and Mr. Winzentsen concurred with Mr. Lia and they stated that bids from competitors were close because of operating costs. Chief among these operating costs are the labor expense with fixed wages, since almost all installers are members of The Sprinkler Fitters Union, Local#281 and also because of the high cost of liability insurance, which is also standard. Mr. Lia then stated that there was a bill currently on the senate floor that would allow a $2,000.00 tax credit for buyers of a home with residential sprinklers and allowed for a $150.00 tax credit each year thereafter. He will get copies of this bill to the committee. It was agreed that each member of the committee would present a position paper at the March 5th meeting and following this, a committee vote on a residential sprinkler ordinance would be taken. The next order of business would then be to draft a recommendation from the committee to be presented to City Council. The meeting was adjourned at 1040 hours. AGENDA MARCH 5, 2004 9:00 A.M. RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY HALL 2ND FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM,NORTH TOWER 1. Call to order 2. Roll call 3. Presentation of position papers 4. Committee vote 5. Begin draft of committee recommendation 6. Scheduling of future meetings 7. Adjournment — MINUTES OF THE ELGIN FIRE SPRINKLER ADVISORY COMMITTEE ELGIN CITY HALL 0900 HOURS MARCH 5, 2004 PRESENT: Committee Chairmen Bill Freiberg Committee Members, Charles Miller, Charles Miller Real Estate Mark Mastrorocco, Pulte Home corporation GUESTS: John Rothenberger, City of Elgin Code Enforcement Jamie Reap, U.S. Fire Protection of Illinois, Inc. Bill Winzentsen, Alliance Fire Protection, Inc. Anne Marie Apollo, Fox Valley Publications, Inc., The Courier News Chairman Freiberg called the meeting to order at 0915 hours. Motion to accept the minutes of 2-27-04 made by Mark M., Seconded by Chuck M. Having spoken with and heard presentations from many groups both in favor of and opposed to a mandated sprinkler ordinance since November of 2003, the 3 committee members each presented individual position papers on the issue. (See attached). One member favored the implementation of a mandated sprinkler ordinance, one member favored an ordinance with certain restrictions and one member was not in favor of a mandated sprinkler ordinance at this time. All members were in favor of a public education program informing homebuyers of fire safety issues in the home and the value and cost associated with a residential sprinkler system. It was then decided that the Elgin Fire Sprinkler Advisory Committee would submit to Council these position papers along with a cover letter. Much other information, both pro and con, was also submitted to the committee. This will be submitted to the Council as well, that they may be given the information necessary to make an informed decision relating to the enactment of a residential sprinkler ordinance affecting new home construction in the City of Elgin. No further meetings are scheduled and the Committee awaits the further wishes of the City Council before they convene again or are requested to make a presentation at a formal meeting. The final meeting of the Committee was adjourned at 0950 hours.