HomeMy WebLinkAboutESD-011-08
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REPORT
Meeting:
EMERGENCY AND FIRE SERVICES
GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Date:
JULY 7, 2008
ReSo \1A~ori~t~t)- y 31o-d1
Report #: ESD-011-08
File #
10.12.6
By-law #
Subject:
RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLERS - CORRESPONDENCE FROM CITY OF
MISSISSAUGA
Recommendations:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee
recommend to Council the following:
1. THAT Report ESD-011-08 is received for information; and
2. THAT the resolution passed by the City of Mississauga, with respect to residential fire
sprinklers, be received by Council.
n
S,bm;,"", by ~L J ----
OOdon eir, AMCT, CMM111
Director of Emergency & Fire Services
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Reviewed by:
Franklin Wu,
Chief Administrative Officer
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CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF ClARINGTON
40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T(905)623-3379 F (905)623-6506
ESD-011-08
Page 2
BACKGROUND
At a meeting held on April 21, 2008, the Council of the Municipality of Clarington approved
resolution #GPA-267-08 "THAT Report ESD-005-08 be tabled for further investigation from staff
respecting the statistics on the age of the homes."
At that meeting the question was raised, whether fire death statistics could be attributed to the
age and type of construction of houses.
REPORT
Statistics that are collected by the Office of the Fire Marshal show that during the period of 1995
and 2007 there were 894 fatal fires in the Province.
In 1975 hard wired smoke alarms became law.
According to the statistics for the period 1995 to 2007, there have been 227 fatal fires in the
Province, in homes built after 1975. As of June 23, 2008 there have been 39 fatal fires with a
total of 49 fatalities.
Also, as captured in these statistics, there were 198 fatal fires in houses built prior to 1945 and
in the period between 1945 and 1975 there were 385 fatal fires.
There is no real conclusive evidence to suggest that the age of the house and the type of
construction puts you at a greater risk.
Smoke alarms became law in 1975 and we still see a high number of fires and fire deaths.
Construction types and methods have changed over this period; however, as you can see fatal
fires continue to occur.
Since 1975 fatal fires have been reduced but this has been attributed to hard wired smoke
alarms becoming mandatory, continued education with regard to battery operated smoke alarms
and more recently legislation requiring smoke alarms on each floor of the home. However, the
numbers are still high.
Recently, amendments have been made to the Ontario Building Code that will require fire
sprinklers in multiple unit residential buildings over (3) storeys in height. These amendments
are to come in effect April 1 , 2010.
I have also attached a position paper of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, which
organization supports the Ontario Building Code amendment and further changes that all new
residential dwellings require the installation of residential fire sprinklers as set out in Bill 72,
Municipal Residential Sprinkler Act 2008.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is respectfully recommended that the attached resolution passed by the City of Mississauga,
with respect to residential fire sprinklers, be received, that Council and building staff monitor the
possible passing of Bill 72. Should this occur, it would grant municipalities the ability to enact
by-laws requiring fire sprinkler systems in all new residential buildings.
Attachments: Letters from City of Mississauga dated February 5, 2008.
Ontario Fire Marshall Residential Fatal Fire Statistics.
Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs position paper on residential sprinklers.
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AGENDI\
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. OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
February 5, 2008
The Honourable Rick Bartolucci
Minister of Community Safety & Correctional Services
25 Grosvenor Street, ISdi Floor . .
Toronto, Ontario
M7A IY6
Dear Mr. Minister:
Re: Residential Fire Sorinklers
The Corporation of the City ofMississauga at its meeting on January 30, 2008, adopted the.
attached Resolution 0013-2008 resulting from concerns expressed by City Council that the Province
of Ontario is the only provincial jurisdiction in Canada that does not require residential fire
sprinklers in high-rise residential buildings. The safety of the citizens in Mississauga and in Ontario
as a whole is paramount and fire sprinklers have proven to save lives.
The Solicitor General for Ontario is responsible for the inclusion of safety regulations for
new buildings under the Ontario Fire Code. I am also writing to the Minister of Municipal Affairs
and Housing to request that the requirement for residential sprinklers be included in the Ontario
Building Code Act. I would strongly reco=end that the requirements for residential sprinkler
protection be included in the Ontario Fire Code at the earliest opportunity. .
I look forward to your response in this regard.
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cc:
Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs
Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs
Mississauga MPPs
Association of Municipalities of Ontario
All member municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area
,. MISSISSAUGA
!iiiii leading IDday fOl' Iomorrow
THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA
300 CITY CENTRE DRIVE, MISSISSAUGA, ON L5B 3C1
TEL: 905-89&-5555 FAX: 905-89&-5679
mayor@mlsslssauga.ca
Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs
Position Paper
Residential Fire Sprinklers
The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) supports changes to the Ontario Building
Code to require that all new residential dwellings require the installation of residential
fire sprinklers. The OAFC believes that the requirement for residential fire sprinklers will
save lives, will reduce serious injuries to people and will reduce property damage to
homes throughout Ontario.
Many lives continue to be unnecessarily lost in residential occupancies due to fire.
Based on statistics from the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal, there were 81 lives lost
in fires in Ontario in 2006. Many of these lives may have been saved had their homes
been protected with automatic sprinklers. While smoke alarms have had a significant
impact on reducing the number of fatalities over the past 10 years, the National Fire
Protection Association reports that a combination of fire sprinklers and smoke alarms
can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by about 80%. The presence of automatic
sprinklers would also serve to reduce risks faced by firefighters when fighting fires in
buildings constructed from lightweight engineered wood framing systems.
Fire Departments are committed to achieving a high level of public safety.
Residential sprinkler systems in residential occupancies will:
. Save many lives
. Significantly reduce property loss
. Reduce the impact on the environment due to limited release of toxic and other
hazardous combustion products
. Reduce some construction costs due to offsets
The Spread of Fire and Vulnerable Victims:
Flashovers in home fires lead to many of the injuries and deaths in residences. Over
the years, increased use of combustible furnishings in homes has reduced the period of
time between the start of a free-burning fire and flashover to between 2.2 and 4.3
minutes. This means that flashover can easily occur in a home fire prior to the arrival of
Fire Services. Residential sprinklers suppress the fire before flashover occurs.
Fatal residential fires most often occur between the hours of midnight and 6:00 am,
when victims are asleep. Victims are disproportionately children and the elderly
because they are physically less capable of escaping. When a fire occurs, occupants of
a house may not be able to respond to smoke alarms and escape in the few minutes
before flashover occurs.
Ontario Building Code Does Not Mandate Residential Fire Sprinklers:
The Ontario Building Code (OBC) provides uniform minimum standards for the
construction of buildings and is enforced by municipalities. Provisions to make
sprinklers mandatory in high-rise residential construction are not included in the Code.
Such requirements are in force in the rest of Canada.
The Ontario Building Code (OBC) contains comprehensive minimum requirements to
protect buildings and their occupants from the potential of fire. It is estimated that over
half of the provisions of the OBC are related to fire protection. Various provisions of the
Code intersect and inter-relate to each other to provide this protection. These include
design standards (e.g. path of travel to exits), requirements related to assemblies and
materials' fire rating, fire detection and alarm systems, smoke detection and alarm
systems, emergency systems (e.g. standpipe and hose), and fire suppression systems,
such as sprinklers.
The OBC also contains "trade-off' provisions that allow for the reduction of some
construction requirements, permit an increase in travel distance to building exits and
increase the permitted area of a building when sprinkler systems are installed. The
installation of automatic sprinkler systems permit waiving certain smoke control
measures and sprinklers can be used in lieu of fire detectors. Construction cost savings
can be found based on the "trade-off' provisions.
Fire Sprinklers are an Added Layer of Protection to Smoke Alarms:
A review of fatal fire data over a three-year period in the Province of Ontario found that
in the 52,990 fires that occurred, 43% of smoke alarms did not work (usually due to a
dead or missing battery/power source). In 197 fatalities, 67% of the alarms were not
connected to power and 5% were remote or separated from the place of fire. The
following provides an overview of the limitations of smoke alarms:
. A smoke alarm may not function due to improper location, age, or being located
too far from the smoke or fire location
. They may not detect fires in a remote area, in chimneys or walls, on roofs, or on
the other side of closed doors
. Units which meet standards may not be audible through closed doors, above
other activities, or by hearing or otherwise impaired individuals or sound sleepers
. Smoke alarms may not have time to activate before fire itself causes damage,
injury or death
. Due to the location or nature of the fire, smoke may not reach the unit
immediately
. Smoke alarms are not foolproof
. Smoke alarms have a limited life span and need to be replaced every ten years
. Smoke alarms cannot operate without power
2
Smoke alarms alone cannot get the job done. The logical next step is to introduce
residential fire sprinklers in order to create safe homes. Residential fire sprinklers will
extinguish smoke and fire in homes before it spreads to deadly proportions. Without
containment there can be extensive damage to life, property, and the environment as
well as the risk of the spread of fire in built up cities and towns.
Addressing the Risks:
Residential fire sprinklers are a logical response to fire risk. Because the large majority
of fire deaths and injuries occur in residential fires, fire protection measures which target
residential properties have the potential to prevent injuries and save lives.
Residential fire sprinklers to suppress fires complement the early warning capabilities of
smoke alarms and other required fire suppression and containment measures. When a
fire starts, the heat sensitive element in the sprinkler detects heat and releases water in
a fine mist. Each sprinkler head responds independently. The sprinkler suppresses or
extinguishes fire, preventing its spread and preventing the production and spread of
lethal smoke. The questions and answers section at the end of this paper clearly
outlines the myths and realities of residential fire sprinklers.
Proven that they save lives:
Many jurisdictions in North America have adopted requirements for fire sprinklers in
residential buildings. With the exception of Ontario, sprinklers are required in high-rise
residential buildings across Canada. In addition to provincial requirements, Vancouver
has adopted by-laws requiring sprinklers in all new residential buildings (including low
density housing), under the City's statutory authority in British Columbia.
Over 220 jurisdictions in North America have adopted requirements for residential fire
sprinklers in residential buildings.
Reviews of effectiveness in Vancouver, B.C. and Scottsdale, Arizona:
There have been reviews of the effectiveness of residential fire sprinklers in two large
North American jurisdictions, one in the United States and the other in Canada.
Scottsdale, Arizona has had a sprinkler ordinance in place since 1986, and Vancouver,
British Columbia has had a by-law since 1990. Both require all new residential
developments to be sprinklered. Since the regulations in each jurisdiction came into
effect, there have been no fire deaths in sprinklered homes, and over 90 percent of all
fires in these homes were contained by the operation of a single sprinkler.
The cost of fire damage or loss has also been significantly reduced. In Scottsdale, the
damage in the average sprinklered incident was $2,166.00 compared with $45,019.00
in homes without sprinklers. The Vancouver experience has been similar. The average
3
fire loss in a home with sprinklers was $1,065.00 compared with $13,937.00 in a home
without sprinklers.
Cost of Installation of Sprinklers:
Fire Service leaders suggest that the range of cost to install residential fire sprinklers is
$1.50 to $3.00 per sq. ft., depending on the size of the units. It is estimated that
savings on property insurance for units with sprinklers can range from 10% to 15%.
The Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association (CASA) reported as of April 2007 that
there were approximately 400-450 residential dwelling units voluntarily being sprinkle red
throughout the City of Toronto based on the accepted NFPA 130. CASA reported that
the price to the builder was on average $1.50 per sq. ft., which is approximately
1 % to 1.5% of construction cost. The installation of additional units in one residential
building or throughout a subdivision would reduce the cost per unit.
Conclusion and Recommendation:
The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs joins the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs
(CAFC) and the Canadian Council of Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners
(CCFM/FC) in supporting the need for residential fire sprinklers in all residential
occupancies - single and multi residential dwellings including hi rise buildings.
The OAFC supports and advocates for amendments to the Ontario Building Code to
require that all new residential dwellings require residential fire sprinklers. The
requirement for residential fire sprinklers will save lives and serious injuries to people
throughout Ontario.
4
Myths and Realities of Residential Fire Sprinklers
Question: Do sprinklers go off accidentally?
Answer: No. The odds of a sprinkler going off by accident because of a manufacturing
defect are 1 in 16 million. You have a better chance of being hit by lightening than for a
properly installed residential fire sprinkler to go off by accident.
Question: What about water damage?
Answer: One of the myths about sprinklers is that they will cause significant water
damage. While this may seem logical (after all, they spray water), fire records show
that the reverse is actually true. Here is why:
A residential fire sprinkler typically discharges less than 20 gallons per minute in a fine
spray that is quite efficient at fire extinguishment. A firefighter's hose line on the other
hand discharges more than 200 gallons a minute. In general, a sprinkler system will
use between 111 Oth and 1/100th of the water used by the Fire Department. The
combination of the sprinkler's quick response, the smaller water flow and lower pressure
will significantly reduce water and property damage.
Question: Will fire sprinklers leak?
Answer: No. Sprinklers and their piping are tested at the pressures two to three times
higher than your plumbing system, even though they use the same pressure as your
plumbing. Therefore, the chance of a leaking sprinkler is practically non-existent. Like
your plumbing pipes, sprinkler pipes are not exposed to cold areas so they are
protected from freezing. They do not leak because, unlike faucets and other fixtures
that are operated often throughout their lives, fire sprinklers remain closed until needed
and thus do not receive the wear and tear of daily use.
Question: Aren't they unsightly?
Answer: Residential fire sprinklers are much smaller than ones that you see in stores
and offices. All residential models come in colors to match popular ceiling and wall
colours, and manufacturers will even custom-paint them for you. Many models are
partially recessed into the ceiling with about Yo inch - 0/. inch below the ceiling.
If you want them completely recessed, these models are also available. A cover plate
that is painted to match the ceiling hides them. The cover is held in place by a metallic
link that melts in a fire and exposes the sprinkler. It is common to find that visitors do
not notice the sprinklers at all unless you point them out, even the ones that are not
recessed into the ceiling.
5
~
Question: How do sprinklers operate?
Answer: Fire sprinklers are individually heat-activated and connected to a network of
water pipes. When the heat from a fire raises the sprinkler to its operating temperature
(usually 1650F), only that sprinkler activates delivering water directly to the source of the
heat.
Question: Won't they all go off together?
Answer: No! Each sprinkler reacts individually to a fire, so only the sprinkler nearest
the fire will open. If t~at is not sufficient to control the fire then the next nearest will
open, and so on. In over 95 percent of cases only one sprinkler operates and this is
enough to control or extinguish the fire.
6
Q residential fatal fires 1995- 2007 Structure construction date
Residential
Residential
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1981
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