(The following is an excerpt from a press release issued by the US Fire Administration and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the AFAA-NE)

The U.S. Fire Administration has promoted research, development, testing, and demonstrations of residential fire sprinkler systems for more than 30 years. The research regarding residential fire sprinkler systems has indisputably demonstrated the following:

• Residential fire sprinklers can save the lives of building occupants.
• Residential fire sprinklers can save the lives of firefighters called to respond to a home fire.
• Residential fire sprinklers can significantly offset the risk of premature building collapse posed to firefighters by lightweight construction components when they are involved in a fire.
• Residential fire sprinklers can substantially reduce property loss caused by a fire.

The time has come to use this affordable, simple and effective technology to save lives and property where it matters most – in our homes.

In the past year, the National debate about the benefits of residential fire sprinklers passed a major milestone with the adoption of a change to the International Residential Code that will require fire sprinklers in all new construction. This code change survived rigorous scrutiny, during which all interested parties had ample opportunity to comment on the technical merits of the issue. Since then, parties who oppose this life-saving technology have started a vigorous campaign to enact laws at the state level that will prohibit adoption of sprinkler requirements for new homes.

The March 18th meeting held at the Doubletree Hotel was a smashing success for the AFAA-NE, our sponsors, and everyone attending. Our forum on Mass Notification solicited  much important discussion on the matter. As he always does, our keynote speaker, Ed Ledoux, led his presentation on a complicated subject (changes to 780 CMR) in a simple yet thorough manner so everyone could wrap their heads around the new requirements.

Thank you to our sponsors and attendees. With your support, we will continue to help educate and inform our members with timely and relevant discussions.

Below are some photos from the event. See the links below if you'd like to download any of the materials used in the Mass Notification forum, including the Powerpoint presentation and a PDF of UFC 4-021-01.

 Download a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation on NFPA 72/12 & UFC 4-021-01

 Download a PDF of UFC 4-021-01

 Download Ed Ledoux's Presentation on Changes to 780CMR