NYSAFC Continues to Pursue Code Adoption

On November 18, 2014, NYSAFC Executive Director Jerry DeLuca, along with numerous other members of the Build Safe NY Alliance, attended a New York State Code Council meeting in support of the adoption of the 2015 IRC Code. The alliance is composed of more than 25 members including fire service groups, burn victim advocates, insurance companies, engineers, architects, and disability advocates. The Build Safe NY Alliance supports the adoption of the code without amendment.

The Code Council is currently considering adoption of the new residential building code to replace the existing 2006 code. The IRC governs new home construction and reconstruction of a home with more than 50 percent of the home being involved. The code will make many important improvements for New York’s construction industry and economy. It will provide homebuilders with numerous cost saving measures, such as reduction in the required fire rating of sheet rock. In exchange for these cost saving measures, new homes would be equipped with residential sprinkler systems.

During the latest meeting of the Code Council it was very clear to the members of the Build Safe NY Alliance that New York state homebuilders are going to fight the adoption of the 2015 code. Representatives of the building industry stated that new homes are not the problem, but instead the fire service should be concerned about the safety of older homes. As we have seen in numerous studies conducted by UL and others, the materials in new homes, such as manufactured trusses and I-beams, burn at a much faster rate and place the lives of firefighters and residents in jeopardy. When you add highly combustible furnishings and carpeting to the mix, the potential for early flashover is greatly increased.

There were many misstatements and much misinformation provided to the Code Council by the homebuilders. The Build Safe NY Alliance will continue to provide clear and accurate information regarding the entire IRC Code in its effort to get the code adopted.

NYSAFC asks its members to educate their departments, department members, and communities regarding the benefits of the code and the safety benefits of residential sprinkler systems. Click here to learn more from NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative.