The National Fire Protection Association in the US has welcomed the news that three more states have adopted the 2009 edition of its International Residential Code, which requires sprinklers in all new one and two-family homes.
The three states are Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and California.
“These are significant steps forward in our efforts to eradicate the home fire death problem by requiring home fire sprinklers in new homes,” said James Shannon, the NFPA’s president. “These states are adding an important safeguard for the people in their state. We are hopeful their actions will lead to more states doing the same in order to save lives from fire."
According to the NFPA, about 3,000 people a year die in home fires. But when sprinklers are present, the chances of dying in a home fire decrease by about 80%.
In 2009, NFPA launched the Fire Sprinkler Initiative, a nationwide effort to mandate the use of home fire sprinklers.
