You’ve heard the old expression about not reinventing the wheel? Basically, it’s saying that we shouldn’t waste time and/or resources trying to redesign something that already works. This adage can also apply to the concept of residential fire sprinklers. It isn’t that they can’t be made better–I have little doubt they can. But perhaps we should reinvent how we promote their use.
Resisting Requirements
Two states, California and Maryland, have done their homework and influenced the public policy debate over mandatory requirements for fire sprinklers. Both have been successful in maintaining the requirements for sprinklers in new construction. But what about the rest of the nation?
Fights take place every day at the state and local level because model codes state that residential fire sprinklers should be mandatory. It’s ironic (but not surprising) that recent code changes that help make housing more affordable (and concurrently more at risk for fires) were predicated on the fact that residential fire sprinklers would also be in place. They did so by allowing changes in construction like engineered wood products that can fail more quickly in a fire, which were intended to be protected by fire sprinklers. State-by-state, the Homebuilders Association has fought to exclude the residential sprinkler requirement. In some places, they’ve even been successful in passing legislation that would prevent local jurisdictions from requiring them regardless of state laws.
All of this means that there’s a continuing struggle to demonstrate the value of residential fire sprinklers as part of the public policy debate regarding model fire and building codes in the United States. But as local fire and life safety community practitioners organize their efforts to convince policy makers of residential fire sprinklers value, they must remember that when it comes to fighting this fight, there’s no need to reinvent this particular wheel, because excellent strategies for promoting and marketing residential fire sprinklers already exist.
The Wheel Inventors
As an example, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is putting considerable effort and resources into developing local coalitions to continue this legislative/advocacy fight across the country. When I’m looking for materials and a step-by-step guide for how to promote sprinklers, I can look to the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC). They’ve been around for years and are supported by a broad range of organizations, but their real value is that they have “been there, done that” nationally and they have the tools to help convince policymakers about the value of fire sprinklers.
One of their strategies involves showing a side-by-side comparison of two burn rooms, one with sprinklers and one without. When looking at the images, the effectiveness of sprinklers becomes immediately apparent. This tactic, along with other tools and expertise they bring to bear, makes it unnecessary for us to try to come up with something new locally. The HFSC has answers to common questions about how fire sprinklers work and why they are needed. They also have information that applies to certain localities (e.g. issues from some local water purveyors about the need for increased meter sizes to accommodate increased water flow).
The NFPA has downloadable kits for public educators and homebuilders; there’s also a kit for those who already have fire sprinklers, so they can understand their value and what it takes to maintain them. I like the fact that HFSC hasn’t given up on educating homebuilders on the value of fire sprinklers, and works to dispel some of the myths that abound when they are discussed in a legislative setting.
FireTeam USA is another organization devoted to this cause. They support “how to” workshops across the nation that are designed to help local leaders develop coalitions that can help win the public policy debate. They also have considerable expertise to draw from when we’re looking for answers to common stumbling blocks. They fill a specific niche of the local advocacy effort that readily compliments the tools of the HFSC. And each has so much to offer, there is absolutely no reason to start from scratch.
There is one element in the debate that may need attention: Fire sprinklers do save lives and they’re a more efficient way to provide fire protection. But in this public policy debate, we may be asked to demonstrate the value of residential fire sprinklers in terms of community cost. How much can we save on our traditional firefighting expenses if we get every structure “under water” as it were? We may not be able to sell the value of fire sprinklers if we’re basing it on the fact that sprinklers save 3,500 people a year. Instead, there may need to be a more thorough analysis of how our communities can align themselves and fire protection efforts more cost-efficiently.
Final Thoughts
Will fire protection efforts mean fewer firefighters? Over time perhaps, but that’s a critical question that requires additional examination and could be more appropriately addressed through the need for managed growth of operational personnel rather than reductions in the short term. It’s a convoluted issue that must also take into account the other services that emergency responders provide–notably emergency medical services.
That’s a public policy debate that will occur more widely in the near future, as evidenced by some of the questions being asked about the cost of fire protection in some places. The question is worth asking and answering properly.
Meanwhile, the value of fire sprinklers cannot be argued. And tools to help promote them already exist. In this case, we should adhere to the idea “don’t reinvent the wheel, just realign it.”
Those wishing to obtain the tools and support of these organizations can find information online.
- Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition: www.homefiresprinkler.org
- FireTeam USA: http://fireteamusa.com
- National Fire Protection Association: www.nfpa.org
