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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Standing in front of side-by-side demonstration homes, Maryland state Fire Marshal Bill Bernard watches as the one without fire sprinklers goes up in flames, the

Hoover is the latest city in the Birmingham metro area to consider adopting controversial codes that calls for fire sprinkler systems to be installed in new homes beginning in 2011.

City Executive Allen Pate said the city, at this point, is only considering adoption of the 2009 International Code, as a way to keep its current ISO 3 rating for building inspections and code compliance. The rating helps keep the city’s and homeowners’ insurance premiums at a low rate, Pate said.

The Washington-based International Code Council sets the 2009 International Residential Code, which includes a requirement for fire sprinklers in all new one- and two-family homes beginning Jan. 1, 2011.

A small kitchen fire was extinguished Monday night by an automatic fire sprinkler in a Sioux Falls apartment building, fire officials said.

A tenant at Foxmoor Apartments, 5007 W. Equestrian Place, was cooking when oil in a pan overheated and ignited shortly before 10 p.m. Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded to the building, near Marion Road and 18th Street, but the sprinkler automatically activated and sprayed water to put the fire out, according to Sioux Falls Fire Rescue.

No damage to the apartment, other than wet carpet, was reported.

A last-minute amendment to a plumber licensing bill during the latest session of the Texas Legislature is pitting fire chiefs against homebuilders.

And, Gov. Rick Perry is caught right in the middle.

Sealy Fire Chief Joey Schmidt, along with about 25 other Texas fire chiefs, traveled to Austin this week in attempts to draw attention to the amendment, authored by Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton. The amendment would do away with a municipality’s right to require sprinkler systems in single- and two-family homes after Jan. 1, 2009, if signed into law by Perry.

Schmidt and the fire chiefs, including the Austin and Dallas fire chiefs, called on Perry to veto the bill at a news conference Monday, while standing across from the fire-damaged Governor’s Mansion.

“This bill is taking the cities’ rights away in Texas, whether they want to require having the sprinklers in new homes or not,” Schmidt said.

While Sealy does not have a local policy on the books regarding sprinkler systems within new homes, it does usually adopt the International Building Code each year, Schmidt said. The 2009 version requires that all single-family dwellings have a fire sprinkler system in place. If Perry signs the bill into law, any ordinances passed by municipalities this year adopting the building code would be null.

“If this bill is signed into law, the city would not be able to enforce that part of the building code,” Schmidt said. “There are contractors out there that are fighting this. So far, they are winning.”

Otto has said the choice should be left to homeowners. Supporters of the legislation take issue with the additional cost of installing sprinkler systems within homes, not their effectiveness.

Still, Schmidt said safety should prevail.

“Fire sprinkler systems are important. It’s proven that they save lives,” he said. “There’s never been a multiple loss of life in a building with sprinklers.”

Schmidt estimated it costs about $1.65 per square foot to install a sprinkler system during construction. The amendment does allow local governments to require homebuilders offer installing systems to homebuyers for a fee.

The amendment does not affect requirements for commercial establishments.

The last day for Perry to veto the bill is June 21.

Snohomish County Fire District 7 responded to a report of a roof fire in the 5100 block of 176th St. SE (unincorporated Bothell). Upon arrival, crews found flames coming from nearly 50 percent of the roof.

Wind fueled the fire, making it difficult to manage. Crews spent 90 minutes getting the quick spreading fire under control. The homeowner called 911 after seeing smoke coming from the roof. The owners, two of their children and a dog evacuated immediately.

Two cats were later saved by fire crews from inside the home. Crews were also able to save a classic car and a BMW from the garage, as well as salvaging other family memorabilia from inside the home. The Snohomish County Fire Marshals Office is still investigating, but the fire is believed to have started from fireworks. The homeowners and neighbors had heard fireworks throughout the day on the street behind the home.

The preliminary damage assessment values the loss of the structure at 1.2 million and the contents at $800,000. Overall, 30 fire personnel responded including two units from Snohomish County Fire District 26. Crews from Monroe Fire District 3 and Snohomish County Fire District 1 moved into Fire District 7 to help cover other calls during the fire. Fire District 7 urges citizens to use extreme caution this Fourth of July; keep it safe and legal!

In unincorporated Snohomish County, legal fireworks can only be discharged on July 4 from 9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. For more information on professional displays in Washington, legal vs. illegal fireworks, and safety tips, visit www.firedistrict7.com. Fire District 7 would also like citizens to be aware that home fire sprinklers can protect against significant property loss.

According to the Washington Sprinkler Coalition, sprinklers reduce the average property loss by 50 to 66 percent per fire.

For more information on home fire sprinklers, visit www.firesprinklerinitiative.org.

For more information on Snohomish County Fire District 7, visit www.firedistrict7.com, or contact Public Information Officer Autumn Waite at 360-282-3956 or awaite@firedistrict7.com.

Most businesses have a sprinkler system and all of them must be inspected and maintained. Sprinkler System Installers plan, test, repair, and install water, carbon dioxide, chemical, and foam fire protection systems. To become a certified sprinkler system installer you must pass an examination and complete an apprenticeship. Once you become one you might also have to take yearly courses to keep up to date on new information available in your field. (In 2000) most Sprinkler Installers earned between $24 and $30 an hour. An installer can work for another company or be self employed, and business math is essential for this job. They may be in charge of purchasing and scheduling that requires basic arithmetic. On a more difficult level, trigonometry is also needed. An installer must be able to install sprinkler heads with a fixed spray angle in the right position to cover the appropriate area. This becomes even more complicated when you have to determine if the sprinkler can reach to the opposite side of obstacles and still provide enough coverage. Equipment and blueprints are labeled in SI (International System [of units]) and Imperial units and an installer needs to be able to read, convert, and measure in both. When setting up a system, the volume required to fill all the pipes must be determined and meet the strict standards of the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). An installer must also be able to take pressure readings to diagnose a leaky system.

Image courtesy of San Miguel Fire District

The Washington offices of the NFL Players Association were damaged by a fire and the building’s sprinklers early this morning, a union official said.

The fire started around 5 a.m. in the office of DeMaurice F. Smith, the union’s executive director. Most of the damage that resulted was water damage done by the office’s sprinkler system, said George Atallah, the union’s assistant executive director of external affairs.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although it’s possible that a candle in Smith’s office was to blame, and there was no immediate estimate about the cost of the damage. The offices, located on 20th St. NW, were not occupied at the time and there were no injuries.

Smith was returning to the D.C. area on a red-eye flight from San Francisco, where he was meeting with players as part of his tour of all NFL teams, at the time of the fire. He had not been in his office since the middle of last week.

Atallah said the union remains prepared to open labor negotiations with the NFL’s team owners Wednesday as scheduled.

“There’s no damage that we know of to anything essential to our business operations,” Atallah said.

The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to seek bids for installing fire sprinklers in the City Administration Building and finally bring it into compliance with city laws after decades of delays.

The motion by Councilwoman Marti Emerald directs the mayor’s office to seek bids from companies for the roughly $5 million project and to report back to the council June 1. It also calls for evacuation drills to be held at City Hall for the first time in about six years.The 13-story building that houses the mayor, council members, city planners and financial staffers is the only tall building in the city without sprinklers. For more than 20 years, the City Council has delayed compliance with an ordinance that requires sprinklers in other high-rises.