NFPA Journal - May/June 2017 - 8

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Rural challenges for residential
sprinklers

TO THE EDITOR:
I read your "Perspectives" interview
with Dr. Michael Crane, medical
director of the World Trade Center
Health Program ["Danger in the Dust,"
September/October 2016], and it saddens me that responders are dying
years after 9/11 from cancer and lung
disease.
They were all heroes-rushing in
and working on such a tragedy. The
agencies did not have the proper
equipment for prolonged work in
contaminated areas. I saw pictures
of firefighters wearing handkerchiefs
over their faces when the air in their
self-contained breathing apparatus ran
out. Others used N-96 dust masks.
For the conditions, as I understand
from press articles, P-100 multigas filter
respirators should have been used. Fullfaced masks would be a must.

TO THE EDITOR:
I wish to present an argument against
installing residential fire sprinklers in
some areas.
NFPA has been pushing residential
fire sprinklers for some time. It would
be a good idea if it were affordable.
Most of the articles I have read supporting the installation of residential
sprinklers apply to cities. I have yet
to see an article advocating residential sprinklers in rural areas. Little
consideration has been given to water
pressure, the rural water supply, and
how to install a system where the
main water supply is a well.
Cities are planned with supporting infrastructure. Rural areas are
largely unplanned and do not have
the supporting infrastructure, and the
installation of residential fire sprinklers in these areas should be optional.
I live in a rural California community in the foothills of the Sierras that
had the foresight in 1917 to build a

Heather Dawn Green
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

8 | NFPA JOURNAL * M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 7

Problems related to
water volume and
pressure can only be
solved by installing
reserve water tanks,
pressure tanks, and
other expensive items
that can raise the cost
of a sprinkler system
substantially.

and I know that safe installation of
equipment saves lives and prevents
fires. Sprinklers do not prevent fires.
They are extremely useful once there
is a fire and have real value, but at the
present time, in rural residential use I
believe we would do better to enforce
the electrical code. There is a tremendous lack of code enforcement in rural
California and I suspect the same

AP/WIDE WORLD

The long-term health effects of
9/11 on first responders

dam and create a water district supplying the town with water. Water
pressure varies immensely depending
on which part of town you're in, the
size of the feed lines, the location
of water tanks, and the aging infrastructure that is continuously being
rebuilt. Our water district has been
doing a good job replacing mains
supplying water to the residential
areas, but pressure varies from over
150 psi in some areas to less than
110 psi in others. The availability of
suitable volume and pressure causes
a problem that can only be solved
by installing reserve water tanks in
new homes, pressure tanks, and other
expensive items that can raise the cost
of a sprinkler system substantially.
Other building costs also have to be
factored in. Structural loading has to
be increased and insulation has to be
added as temperatures in the winter
can drop below freezing.
Instead of advocating for sprinklers,
I would like to see more upgrading
and enforcement of the National
Electrical Code®. I am an electrician,
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - May/June 2017
