PRINKLER TIMES. New Legislation Provides Safer Student Life. Bill Passage Process Takes Perseverance. Wisconsin Act 78 Spotlights Private Colleges

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1 F O R T H E P R FIRE E S E R V A T I O N O F L I F E A N D P R O P E R T Y PRINKLER TIMES The Wisconsin Chapter of the NFSA Spring 2006 Edition I N S I D E : Industry Promotions Committee Emphasizes Education NFSA Midwest Notes Successful Activations NFSA Joins into Partnership with the Home Safety Council Code Survey Information Useful for NFSA-WI Retro Section Fire Sprinkler Resource is an NFSA-WI Click Away Fire Safety Video Wins Int'l Telly Award National Survey: Fire Sprinklers Prosper Home Value Voluntary Sprinkler Replacement Needs More Volunteers Support Our Troops and Keep Them in Our Prayers. New Legislation Provides Safer Student Life Wisconsin Act 78 Spotlights Private Colleges Governor Jim Doyle has signed a landmark fire safety bill that protects college students living in various forms of campus housing. The two-year legislative process completed on December 21, 2005 pays particular attention to safeguarding students from fire injury or death at private colleges. Senator Ron Brown (R-Eau Claire) and Representative Rob Kreibich (R-Eau Claire) introduced Assembly Bill 544 that requires automatic fire sprinkler systems installed in all new construction, including college residence facilities on private campuses and all college residence halls greater than 60 feet in height. Bill Passage Process Takes Perseverance The process of moving campus fire safety bill AB 544 forward took a lot of personal support and dedication from many concerned individuals who recognized the critical need to protect students from fire tragedy. This determination meant inclusion of committee and public hearings such as the one with the Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities on September 6, 2005 at the Capitol. In early October, the committee reconvened to take action on AB 544. Committee Chair and principal sponsor, Rob Kreibich, called for the vote. There were eleven members in favor of passing the bill with only one dissenter. The bill was then passed on to the State Senate in the approval process. Protecting students from fire death, Gov. Jim Doyle signs AB544 mandating fire sprinklers in student housing to include private colleges. Greek housing on private and public colleges and privately owned high-rise buildings that provide 80% or more student housing occupancy are also part of the new law. This bill is a companion bill to the one effective in continued on page 6 Having strong conviction for fire sprinklers in student housing, Dana Christmas-McCain traveled from New Jersey to attend the September Wisconsin hearing and provided written testimony thereafter in order to share her tragic January 19, 2000 experience during an early morning dorm fire while a student at Seton Hall University. As a residence assistant in a dorm not equipped with fire sprinklers, Christmas-McCain alerted and helped students who had ignored smoke alarm warnings to get out of the building. In the process Christmas-McCain sustained severe burns and smoke inhalation. Attendees at the hearing could see her visible burn scars and empathize with emotional disposition as she recalled that horrible event. continued on page 7

2 Fire Sprinkler Times Spring 2006 Industry Promotions Committee Emphasizes Education Residential Fire Sprinkler Awareness is 2006 Goal The Industry Promotions Committee has included a dozen live, side-by-side burn demonstrations in 2006 as a part of its strategic goal to educate the public on fire sprinklers' life and property saving benefits. Many fire departments are confronting challenges that strain their resources and ability to protect so many new residents as Wisconsin continues tremendous new housing growth. In neighboring Illinois, 36 municipalities and fire districts currently require all new homes to install fire sprinkler systems.wisconsin has none! Therefore, the need for education is critical. And, the easiest and most economical time to install a sprinkler system is during building construction. Unfortunately, not enough builders or homebuyers are aware of the life-saving sprinkler option. City of Brookfield Fire Chief John Dahms said, Fire departments are facing significant service challenges in growing communities, therefore we believe it is important to educate our community about residential fire sprinklers by hosting an education session. Automatic fire sprinkler systems make it easy for homeowners to assure that their families and property are adequately protected 24/7 in any community. Last year, Brookstone Homes participated in the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition s "Built for Life" a program funded by a Fire Prevention Grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The endeavor included fire sprinkler installation in one of builder's model homes. As the only Wisconsin builder to do so, Brookstone Homes is offering fire sprinklers as an option to their residential customers. The sales staff provides educational materials as well as information concerning discount offers by many insurance companies that value this added protection. For information about upcoming education sessions or hosting an event that includes a side-by-side burn and trailer demonstration, please visit the NFSA-WI web site at The trailer schedule can be viewed at You may also Kathy Meulemans at Kathy@ppacom.com or call her at (262) NFSA Midwest Notes By Dan Gengler, NFSA Midwest Regional Manager (IL,WI) Contact Dan at or DanNFSA@aol.com Support Needed for WI Sprinkler Incentive Act Although support for the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2005 is good, more sponsors must still come forward if the bill is to prevail, especially in Wisconsin. In the Sprinkler Times fall edition, I wrote about the growing support of the Act's federal legislation to reduce the economic burden of retrofitting existing buildings with sprinklers. Since then, the number of government representatives in support of Rep. Curt Weldon s House bill (HR 1131) has increased across the country. However,Wisconsin s list has only been able to hold steady. The Wisconsin representatives who have signed on as co-sponsors include Paul Ryan (1st), Tammy Baldwin (2nd), James F. Sensenbrenner (5th) and Mark Green (8th). Wisconsin representatives who have not signed on yet include Ron Kind (3rd), Gwen Moore (4th), Thomas E. Petri (6th) and David R. Obey (7th). Although 15 senators have committed to the Senate side of the bill,wisconsin Senators Russell Feingold and Herb Kohl are not included on the list. The House and Senate versions of the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2005 are posted on the NFSA web site In addition to the bills, the website contains a host of other important information for download, including a list of current co-sponsors and support organizations as well as prepared or personalized letter assistance. So if you haven t already done so, it's time to write to your senators and representatives to advocate for passage of this landmark fire protection legislation. Don t procrastinate! We cannot afford to lose the tremendous momentum already accomplished. This legislation is important to the entire industry and everyone who enters a building! HR 1131 Sponsors Solicit Colleague Support Curt Weldon and James Langevin, the two Congressmen sponsoring the Fire Incentive Act, co-signed a letter to their fellow congressional representatives dated February 27, Following is their letter demonstrating commitment to this bill. Dear Colleague: With the support of the country's major fire protection organizations, we urge you to cosponsor the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act.This bill creates tax incentives for property owners to retrofit buildings with automatic fire sprinkler systems. Similar legislation had 140 cosponsors in the 108th Congress (HR 1824). HR 1131 has been slightly altered to reduce the projected cost. The benefits of fire sprinkler systems have long been known. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association has no record of a fire killing more than two people in a public continued on page 4 2

3 Spring 2006 Fire Sprinkler Times Fire Sprinklers at Work: S U C C E S S F U L A C T I V A T I O N S SEPTEMBER 2005 Condominium Stoughton The Stoughton Fire Department responded to a fire call in a condo located on the second floor of the condominium building. When the crew entered the unit, firefighters discovered three inches of water. They shut off the sprinkler system and asked residents who had already evacuated to wait until the new sprinkler was replaced. All residents were allowed to enter the building within two-hours of the fire. Deputy Chief and Fire Marshall Scott Wegner said, An un-sprinklered building would have had a different outcome. NOVEMBER 2005 Piggly Wiggly Grocery West Bend West Bend Fire Department firefighters responded to a call from the Piggly Wiggly grocery store monitoring company. Employees reported that water was coming from an upper compressor room and a fire had occurred involving the water heater located there. Upon investigation, firefighters found the fire had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system. The water heater had a fire sprinkler above it, which was the only sprinkler that activated in the room. Upon confirmation that the fire was out, the main water valve was closed to prevent further damage of goods below. The fire sprinkler was replaced that evening and the system was restored to full operation. Captain Edward Geidel, West Bend Fire Department Inspector, spoke to the owner of the grocery store, sharing that the fire sprinkler system saved them thousands of dollars in grocery items. Had the building not been protected by a monitored fire sprinkler system, the fire may not have been readily spotted by employees since the room was not often used and the door was closed. This proves sprinkler systems can not only save lives, but in this case also prevented the grocery store from being closed down to business due to potentially larger fire damage. DECEMBER 2005 Southwest Metal Finishing New Berlin Around 8:45 p.m., about 100 employees were in the metal finishing plant when a fire started inside duct work that collects and filters aluminum dust. According to New Berlin s Assistant Fire Chief Fred Schultz, the flames raced into the plant causing heavy damage to several robots and other equipment in the roughly 58,000 square-foot plant in the 2400 block of south Calhoun Road. Schultz credited the fire sprinkler system with saving the plant from total loss in the blaze. FEBRUARY 2006 Holiday Inn Express Mt. Pleasant The Mt. Pleasant Fire Department received a fire call at the Holiday Inn Express at 10:41 p.m. on February 25. Upon arrival, the first fire units found smoke on the second floor. Alarms were sounding and people were evacuating the premises. According to Assistant Fire Chief Mark Pierce, the fire occurred in the bathroom of a room, ignited from a lighted candle set on a bathtub edge.the occupant who lit the candle left to retrieve an item from her car while the candle was burning. The one sprinkler activated in that bathroom was sufficient to extinguish the fire. Damage was confined to the fiberglass tub enclosure. It should be noted that there were no injuries reported even though the hotel was at 75% occupancy," Pierce said. "Seventeen of the rooms were occupied by wheelchair bound guests. There was also no municipal water and the hotel is located in the furthest part of the response area in the district. The sprinkler system is supplied by the pool." Without a doubt, this fire could have had a more tragic result had the structure not been equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system, he concluded. Sticks N Stones Restaurant Brookfield While preparing food for Sunday brunch, a cook at the Sticks N Stones restaurant was moving a pan of melted butter from a burner when it accidentally ignited, causing a fire in the pan. The fire activated the sprinkler located immediately above the pan. Unfortunately, reacting in fear, the cook spilled hot butter on her hand, causing some burns. Incidentally, the day before, a sprinkler system pipe froze and broke. However, there was apparently enough water in the system to extinguish the pan's flame that reached six feet high and wide. An observer said the event was over in seconds and if the sprinkler had not opened and extinguished the fire, the worker may have received burns over a larger portion of her body. MARCH 2006 K&K Warehousing Green Bay Firefighters from the Green Bay Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at a warehouse owned by K&K Warehousing around 4:20 p.m. on March 3. According to the fire department, the fire was caused by sparks coming from a metal wire attached to a bale of paper that scraped on the concrete floor while being pushed by a forklift. The sprinkler system helped keep the fire controlled until fire crews arrived, and the blaze was confined to the immediate area. Damages resulted in $300,000 in contents and $10,000 to the structure. No one was injured in the fire. Apartment/Former Toy Factory Sheboygan Firefighters from the Sheboygan Fire Department responded to a fire located in an apartment bedroom. A woman fell asleep while smoking a cigarette that ignited the bed's comforter. One fire sprinkler in the bedroom activated and extinguished the fire, likely saving the woman s life. Smoke and water damage were contained primarily to the first floor bedroom, although some water did seep into the basement damaging drywall and insulation. Stoughton Trailers Stoughton As personnel attempted to repair a semitrailer door brace in a spray booth,a torch they were using created a spark or ember that ignited either filters or residue inside the ducts. The Stoughton Fire Department responded to the call at 4:18 a.m. By the time firefighters arrived, two sprinklers inside the booth and one above it extinguished the blaze. Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Scott Wegner said, Firefighters just had to spray 50 gallons of water to extinguish debris on top of the spray booth. All fire units returned to quarters by 5:45 a.m. After the activated sprinklers were replaced and repairs were made to the booth, operations continued by about noon the same day. No damage occurred to the 386,000 sq. ft. building. 3

4 Fire Sprinkler Times Spring 2006 NFSA Midwest Notes continued from page 2 assembly, or an educational, institutional or residential building, with a complete and fully operational automatic fire sprinkler system. Unfortunately, due to the costs of implementation, there has been little incentive for property owners to install these systems. Our legislation would reduce the tax depreciation time on non-residential real property from 39 years to only 5 for those that install sprinklers. Benefits of this legislation also include lower local fire department costs, increased loan activity, reduced insurance claims and premium costs, and increased retrofitting and installation jobs. By supporting the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, you will be helping to save American lives. To become a co-sponsor, please contact Diane Collins on Rep.Weldon's staff at , or Jon Atlas of Rep. Langevin's staff at Sincerely, CURT WELDON JAMES R. LANGEVIN Members of Congress Commercial and Multi-Family Building Code Review Wisconsin s version of the International Building Code IBC-2003 is moving forward to advance to the IBC-2006 as its base version. This new code is being promoted for existing buildings; and there is optimism that it will execute the state s mini-max code for multifamily residential buildings. However, as we move forward, there is some opposition from other groups to the multi-family provisions of the proposed building code revision. Watch for updates in the next Sprinkler Times edition. FOR UP-TO-DATE DETAILS ON WHAT NFSA-WI OFFERS, VISIT NFSA Joins into Partnership with the Home Safety Council The National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) is pleased to announce it has joined the Home Safety Council (HSC) as a Keystone sponsor, their highest sponsorship level. The Home Safety Council is a national, non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent home related injuries through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers. The HSC educates people of all ages to be safer in and around their homes. According to HSC s research, fires and burns are the third leading cause of unintentional home injury deaths behind falls and poisoning. Adults over 70 years of age and under five years are at the highest risk. Residential fire sprinklers are among the core messages within HSC s public outreach. HSC has been successful at broadening the public s awareness in a variety of very prominent vehicles to include: The Home Safety Council website The Home Safety Council Expert Network web site providing free resources and support to nearly 3,000 fire and life safety educators The Weekly Reader website where HSC president Meri-K Appy contributes a home safety column on a regular basis National Broadcast and print media resulting in over 40 million impressions including: CNN s Open House 2 million viewers Dear Abby column 95 million readership BottomLine Personal newsletter > 1 million circulation When asked about their support of HSC, NFSA president John A. Viniello said, HSC is the country s leading organization in the promotion of safety in the home.with fire being among the leading causes of death in the home and the majority of deaths by fire being in the home, we are proud to be among their top sponsors to help mitigate these tragic losses. Viniello added, This is an exciting partnership that will serve to raise public awareness to even greater heights to the value and benefits of residential fire sprinklers. CODE SURVEY INFORMATION USEFUL FOR NFSA-WI Calling on fire departments and municipalities to participate The National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA)-WI Chapter has been conducting a survey of fire departments and municipalities throughout the state for approximately 18 months, to help determine their needs and the resources that NFSA-WI can provide to help upgrade codes. Thank you to the following who have completed the survey so far: Hartford, De Pere and Village of Pleasant Prairie Fire and Rescue Departments, Watertown Building Safety, City of Two Rivers, Oak Creek, City of Hudson, Altoona, City of Madison, Germantown, Green Bay, West Bend, North Shore, City of Brookfield, Oakdale Area, West Milwaukee, City of Waukesha, Menomonee Falls, Green Bay, Marshfield, Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services, Stevens Point Town of Menasha,Village of Sussex, Greendale and the West Allis Fire Departments have responded sharing information such as what NFPA standards they have formally adopted by ordinance, if they enforce the NFPA 25 for inspections, do they review their own fire sprinkler plans and if annual fire pump tests are witnessed as per NFPA 25. The survey information is important to NFSA and we would like fire departments to participate. Enclosed in this newsletter is the survey or you may also request it from Kathy Meulemans by ing Kathy@ppacom.com. Some fire departments and municipalities have submitted more than one survey. Please look at the list before taking time to complete the survey. We will continue to print results in upcoming issues of the Fire Sprinkler Times and post them on the web site. 4

5 RETROs e c t i o n Historic Building Updates with Modern Sprinklers Renovation is giving Milwaukee's historic four-story Schuster s building an opportunity to update its 50 year-old fire sprinkler system to today's modern codes and technology. The city's south side structure is being turned into affordable housing apartments after serving as a Gimbel's Department Store, other smaller stores and, most recently, offices for the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services and a social services agency. U. S. Fire Protection is replacing the old fire sprinkler system with a new system that includes 2,105 sprinklers and a new fire pump. However, the construction variations from an historic building compared to modern building practices presents a unique aesthetic challenge. Ron Zenner, U.S Fire Protection Project Manager, said the original Schuster building shape was not an "even square." "It was probably constructed using the two streets on which it is located (Mitchell and 11th streets) as guides," Zenner explained. "(Those streets) are not exactly perpendicular even though it appears straight to the naked eye. But we found out during the install, it isn t. The architects and wall contractors worked with us to correct that." If you haven t visited the Wisconsin Chapter web site of the National Fire Sprinkler Association, you ve been missing a lot of important information. The web site is an excellent resource for up-to-date details on what the NFSA-WI offers, how fire sprinklers work, contractor and vendor lists, and reports from the regional managers sharing current information on codes, legislative issues, hot topics and more. New pages have recently been added to The aesthetic goal remains to install straight pipes in an equally straight line along the ceiling for a uniform and pleasing appearance in apartments and stores. When all the work is complete, the street level of the building will continue to be retail along with new retail on the basement level and residential apartments through the remainder of the structure. U.S. Fire Protection plans on the project being completed by the end of Fire Sprinkler Resource is an NFSA-WI Click Away include news updates, links to other pertinent fire safety sites, college campus information related to fire safety, and a guest book to share your thoughts as well as request information. If you have suggestions for the site or would like to share some updated information for inclusion, please provide your comments in the web site guest book or Kathy Meulemans at Kathy@ppacom.com. Spring 2006 Fire Sprinkler Times Fire Safety Video Wins Int'l Telly Award The "A Burning Issue: Is Your Family Safe?" video has received the Bronze Telly Award, one of the most prestigious awards in advertising and video and film production. The Telly Awards, now in their 27th year, honor outstanding television commercials and programs as well as video and film productions. The three-part fire safety educational video conceived and guided by the Wisconsin Alliance for Fire Safety (WAFS) was among more than 12,000 entries from five continents. It serves as a community educational tool for fire and life safety educators to use with adults. Narrated by Ron Hazelton, home improvement editor with the ABC Television program "Good Morning America," the step-by-step production addresses fire prevention, smoke alarms and escape planning, and home fire sprinkler systems.the video can be presented in whole or as individual segments, and is available in both English and Spanish.The latter version, completed this past fall, helped pave the way for this wonderful recognition. "A Burning Issue: Is Your Family Safe?" was produced by marketing communications firm Peg Paul & Associates. Underwriting by a 2003 Federal Emergency Management Agency/United States Fire Administration grant, proceeds from the Burn Center Golf Invitational, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin and the NFSA-Wisconsin Chapter made it possible to distribute the video at no charge by the nonprofit Home Safety Council through its online resource, the Expert Network. It is truly an honor to receive such distinguished recognition for this video, said Dan Gengler, WAFS Chair and NFSA Midwest Regional Manager. We are delighted to share the credit with our partners, who are helping us convey key home fire safety messages through thousands of fire departments across the country. A project this productive to fire safety education needs to go beyond the boundaries of our state, and these partners are making it happen on an extremely large scale. My appreciation goes to all who were a part of this effort! A copy of the video can be obtained through the Home Safety Council web site by visiting on the Expert Network page. 5

6 Fire Sprinkler Times Spring 2006 New Legistation continued from page 1 The new, more inclusive bill requires colleges to comply within a maximum eight years. The bill passed with bipartisan effort and garnered support of the Wisconsin State Firefighters' Association, Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin,Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association,Wisconsin Alliance for Fire Safety and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges & Universities. Martin Schreiber & Associates, NFSA-WI lobbyist, did a magnificent job leading the bill to the successful outcome," said former Milwaukee Fire Department Deputy Chief Dan Gengler, now National Fire Sprinkler Association Regional Manager for Wisconsin and Illinois. This legislation is groundbreaking in the national movement to reduce tragic fire deaths of college students, Gengler added. Fire is non-discriminatory and this legislation will protect students and may ultimately save lives." "The passage of this landmark legislation illustrates the commitment of these lawmakers to protect all of our college students," he concluded. "As a result,wisconsin is one of the safest states when it comes to campus housing fire safety. An average of 1,500 fires causes about $9 million in damages to college residence halls and Greek housing each year, according to NFPA statistics. Additional studies show that installed sprinklers reduce deaths caused by hotel and motel fires structures similar to dorms by 91 percent. Moreover, over the last 100 years, the NFPA has not documented a single instance of multiple life loss in any building with a fully functional sprinkler system. For a copy of the bill, visit the WI NFSA web site at National Survey: Fire Sprinklers Prosper Home Value Homeowners: Sprinklers are Financial & Safety Investments In a national poll conducted by Harris Interactive, 69 percent of homeowners believed that a residential fire sprinkler system increased the value of a home. The survey, commissioned by the non-profit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), also found that 38 percent of those homeowners would be more likely to purchase a new home with sprinklers already installed. Overall, 63% of respondents were aware that fire sprinklers were also available for residential construction, and not only commercial and industrial protection. Forty-five percent found a sprinklered home more desirable than an un-sprinklered option. And, a 51% majority cited "added safety" as the reason for that desirability. Homeowners and homebuyers also perceived builders that installed fire sprinklers as a standard feature to be "safety concerned" (70%), "innovative" (52%) and "caring" (51%). Thirty-nine percent of homeowners said they would be more likely to hire such a builder to construct their house rather than a builder that does not offer fire sprinklers as a feature. HFSC commissioned the December 2005 survey of 1,019 U.S. adults (620 of whom owned a house) to measure public awareness of residential fire sprinkler systems and gauge opinion toward builders that install sprinklers as a standard feature in new homes. While fire sprinkler systems have been in wide use commercially for more than a century, the life-safety technology has only been applied to homes for about 25 years. Although sprinklers are common in office buildings, hotels and hospitals, they remain relatively rare in single-family homes. It s ironic and very unfortunate that the places where people are most likely to die in fires are the least likely to be protected by sprinklers, HFSC Chair Gary Keith said, adding that thousands of people die from home fires each year in the U.S. Leading fire safety groups recognize fire sprinkler systems as the single most effective built-in protection against home fire deaths. Yet widespread misconceptions about sprin- Brookstone Homes is the only Wisconsin builder to offer fire sprinklers as an option to their customers. klers apparently undermine interest in the technology among both homeowners and homebuilders. For example, fear of potential water damage is a concern for 48 percent of homeowners that are hesitant to install a home sprinkler system. However, such information as the water damage myth remains prevalent, and is often fueled by non-factual Hollywood portrayals and allegedly humorous situations depicting all sprinklers erroneously activating due to an otherwise localized small fire. In reality, water damage is no more likely with fire sprinklers than it is with other household plumbing, Keith observed. Fire sprinkler mishaps are rare," he said. "Sprinklers activate individually and only in response to the high temperature of a growing fire. Smoke cannot and will not cause a sprinkler to operate. Fortunately, the increased safety provided by sprinkler systems is gaining understanding and acceptance as homeowners become more educated about sprinklers' life-saving value. When considering new home construction, many home buyers even said they would prefer to install a fire sprinkler system over other amenities such as cabinet upgrades (35%) and hardwood floors (36%). And if the cost of sprinklers could be included in the mortgage, 43 percent of respondents said they would be even more likely to have home fire sprinklers installed. Although most homeowners (85%) said they completely trusted the fire department as a source for information about fire continued on page 8 6

7 Spring 2006 Fire Sprinkler Times Bill Passage continued from page 1 Side-by-side live burn demonstration with a sprinklered and non sprinklered rooms I am constantly reminded of the fire, Christmas-McCain said. In addition, the current president of Alverno College, Mary Meehan, provided compelling testimony at the hearing that shared her equally horrible experience, including recollection of receiving the phone call regarding Seton Hall's fire while she was serving as that school's executive vice president. Meehan s recollection reenacted that January day which resulted in three deaths due to fire, five students severely burned over 70% of their bodies and 50 other students treated for smoke inhalation and broken bones. Now, as president of Alverno College, she is insistent that fire sprinklers are installed in all dorms, even without having the official law requirement. Madison Fire Chief, Debra Amesqua also provided statements about her experience with both sprinklered and non-sprinklered college residence hall fires, noting that increasing student housing fire statistics provide valuable planning and decision-making information. Her stories of college fires caused by foolish mistakes made by students were compelling, depicting how vulnerable young people are as they live with one another under one roof. Campus fire safety experts Ed Comeau,Center for Campus Fire Safety Director and Buddy Dewar, Regional Operations, National Fire Sprinkler Association Director, both provided further testimony from a campus and cost recovery perspective. Russ Stern, Ahern Fire Protection,also gave testimony about installation procedures and general associated costs. As a part of the hearing, a live burn demonstration took place in front of the state Capitol. Two side-by-side rooms were set up to look like typical college dorm rooms, complete with furniture. One room was protected with a fire sprinkler system while the other room was not. Ahern Fire Protection and City of Madison Fire Department personnel participated in the side-by-side burn event in which a trash can was ignited in both rooms. In less than a minute, the fire began to spread. Government hearing attendees and the general public watched as the sprinkler activated to control the fire in the protected room while the other room went into flashover in less than two minutes. The demonstration provided a close-up view of the life-saving effectiveness of a fire sprinkler system compared to an uncontrolled fire that will quickly spread. Senate & Assembly Pass Campus Fire Law The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Agriculture & Insurance met on SB 250, the Fire Sprinkler Safety Act companion bill to AB 544. The committee voted 7-0 in favor of the bill during the October 26 session. Senator Ron Brown, author of the bill, illustrated supportive leadership with his testimony. He showed a live burn demonstration video as well as segments from "The Early Show," which highlighted the story of Dana continued on page 8 Voluntary Sprinkler Replacement Needs More Volunteers The voluntary replacement of potentially defective fire sprinklers in 2001 still needs more volunteers to comply before tragedy strikes needlessly. Central Sprinkler Company, an affiliate of Tyco Fire Products LP, issued the recall that applied to about 35 million Omega Series residential fire sprinklers manufactured by the company that possibly had defective O-ring seals. A number of the O ring models were sold by the Gem Sprinkler Company and Star Sprinkler, Inc. totaling about 167,000 sprinklers. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Central Sprinkler Company initiated the voluntary replacement program because it discovered performance of affected O-ring sprinklers could degrade over time. The problem arises when minerals, salts or other contaminants in water corrode sprinklers due to ineffective O-ring seals, thus potentially resulting in a sprinkler that would not activate in a fire. In May 2003, the CPSC and Central Sprinkler Company announced a modification to the 2001 voluntary replacement program in which Central Sprinkler would provide new sprinklers and installation labor free of charge. At the time, Central Sprinkler agreed to install the new sprinklers by using either its own Central Field Service crews or by contracting with professional sprinkler contractors. Now, according to the recent modification, consumers can arrange for the installation subject to certain conditions including advance notice to Central Sprinkler, verification of the replacements and return of the removed sprinklers. Central Sprinkler will negotiate either full or partial reimbursement for labor charges. Old fire sprinklers should be checked on wet and dry systems, according to Central Sprinkler s official 2001 recall letter. Call the Central O-ring Voluntary Replacement Hotline at to learn how to check for recall verification of the sprinkler system type as well as how to participate in the program. Similar information is also available by accessing the program s web site at The National Fire Sprinkler Association, WI Chapter, and the fire sprinkler industry share their concern for making sure defective fire sprinklers are replaced to ensure protection systems are capable of performing if called upon in the future. 7

8 Standard PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Plainfield, IL Permit #170 PO Box 280 Williams Bay,WI For more information about fire sprinklers, contact Dan Gengler, National Fire Sprinkler Association, (262) You can also contact Dan via Bill Passage continued from page7 Christmas-McCain and the Seton Hall fire in New Jersey. Brown pointed out that Wisconsin needed to take action to prevent such tragedies in its own state. City of Madison fire marshal Ed Ruckreigel followed with persuasive testimony of the value of fire sprinkler systems in preventing senseless tragedies during campus life. The Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges & Universities also testified in support of the bill, while no group or individual spoke against the proposal. Buddy Dewar, NFSA Director of Regional Operations, participated by sharing a letter from an insurance group giving significant premium discounts to fraternity groups for fire sprinkler installation. He also offered other factual references to the national trend of proactively protecting students in residence halls and Greek housing. Mary Meehan, president of Alverno College and former executive vice president of Seton Hall University, provided a testimonial letter detailing her horrific experience with the Seton Hall University fire in Russ Stern, Ahern Fire Protection, concluded the public hearing with convincing arguments relating to the need to install fire sprinkler systems. He pointed out the reality that sprinkler system cost is something that will be overcome and also dispelled misinformation of inflated costs that had been mentioned in the Assembly hearing on Sept. 6. On November 10, 2005, the State Assembly passed SB 250 on a voice vote, a process in which individual votes are not recorded, but rather members of the Assembly simply indicate yes or no out loud. A voice vote indicates how far the fire sprinkler safety issue has come in the process from the public hearings, where controversy was very evident, to a voice vote on the floor as opposed to a long debate and roll call vote.there was not a single no vote. National Survey continued from page6 sprinklers, about 40% of respondents also indicated they trusted homebuilders for these details. Survey Methodology Harris Interactive conducted the U.S. telephone survey on behalf of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition between December 16 and 19, 2005 among a nationwide cross section of 1,019 adults ages 18 and over. Figures for age, sex, race and region were weighted where necessary to align statistics with actual proportions in the population. A probability sample of this size suggests with a 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of only plus or minus three percent, and would be indicative of a poll of the entire U.S. population. The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition has developed a comprehensive package of information for homebuilders, including print and video programs designed with new homebuyers in mind. To learn more about home fire sprinkler systems and request free materials, visit HFSC s Web site at