Wednesday, June 28, 2023
3:30 – 8:00 pm
Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board Facility
7605 185th Street
Tinley Park, IL

The Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and National Fire Sprinkler Association – Illinois Chapter invite you to a social gathering at our facility.

WHO’S INVITED?:
• Fire and building officials
• Municipal, county, and state officials
• Fire sprinkler/protection industry professionals

Join us for FREE food, beverages, and more!  (Food provided by Smokin’ Z BBQ Food Truck.)

Please RSVP to [email protected] by Wednesday, June 21, so we have an accurate headcount for food & beverages.

National fire safety leaders joined together to underscore both the home fire problem and the importance of home fire sprinkler installations.

Watch the event here

Headlining the event….

Jim Pauley, President, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, U.S. Fire Administrator
Chief Donna Black, President, International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)

Following their comments, Reliable Automatic Sprinkler in Liberty, South Carolina hosted a ceremony where Shane Ray, president, National Fire Sprinkler Association donated a fire and sprinkler demonstration trailer to the South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Coalition. Speakers included Kevin Fee, president/CEO of Reliable Automatic Sprinkler; SC State Fire Marshal Jonathan Jones; Josh Holzheimer, president, South Carolina Firefighters Association; and Pam Elliott, a fire safety advocate who experienced burn injuries as a child in a house fire. Following the ceremony, Shane Ray moderated a fire and sprinkler demonstration with the new trailer.

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The Village of Wauconda Village Board with Deputy Chief Devin Mueller, Fire Chief Pat Kane and Erik Hoffer of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board.

Mayor Jeff Sode and Erik Hoffer, Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board

Mayor Jeff Sode, Erik Hoffer from the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and Fire Chief Pat Kane.

The villages of Wauconda and Island Lake have upgraded their codes. All new one- and two-family homes are now required to be protected with home fire sprinklers. These two villages join the list of more than 110 communities and fire districts in Illinois with the requirement that ultimately protects residents and first responders from house fires.

According to Fire Marshal Mike DaValle, Wauconda Fire District, the process to move forward with the requirement went smooth.

“For both communities, the process was simple. We worked with the respective building departments to craft the language, and then met with the village boards during their meetings to go over the NFPA 13D adoption and why it is important,” DaValle said. “We showed them data about how many sprinkler saves occurred in the area, as well as fire death statistics in residential settings. We also showed the cost of installing a system. There was never any objection or question of the importance of this for both communities.”

Wauconda Fire District covers several municipalities, including Wauconda and Island Lake. DaValle had been working with these municipalities to adopt the updated codes, and it just so happened that Wauconda and Island Lake updated their codes within months of each other.

“This helps the communities by keeping new homes and their occupants safe,” DaValle said. “It further shows that both villages care about their residents, as 90 percent of people who die in fires each year die in a residential setting. It also protects our firefighters. If we respond to a fire in a home with sprinklers, the fire will either be under control or extinguished. By updating their codes, we are helping to reduce injury and death from house fires, making our communities safer.”

Congratulations to both communities for updating their codes.

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Left to Right front row: Trustee Lance Neuses, Lt. Tony Farina, President Bill Hauck, Fire Chief Brad Delatorre, Trustee Dennis Krenz and Captain Andy Veath Left to Right back row: Fire Inspector Scott Pelletreau, FF. Brain Pelletreau, FF. Rob Hutchings and FF. Austin Tennell

Through a capital improvement plan, the Cary Fire Protection District recently retrofitted Station 2 with a fire sprinkler system. This comes ten years after Station 1 was retrofitted. Now all of the fire district’s firefighters and equipment are protected from fire while in quarters.

The fire sprinkler system at Station 2 protects 9,400 square feet, which includes sleeping quarters for six, an apparatus bay, and a mechanical room. The 6,800 square foot apparatus bay accommodates eight vehicles including an ambulance, two fire engines, a tanker, a grass-fire jeep, two pickup trucks, and a dive trailer.

Chief Brad Delatorre said he feels comfortable knowing the fire district’s firefighters, building and apparatus are protected. “I would hate to see us out on a call and something happen to the firehouse. If something caused a fire in either of our stations, sprinklers will keep the fire in check,” he said.

Automatic Fire Systems retrofit Station 2, but were able to do so with relative ease since staff temporarily moved out of the building. One challenge of the project was upgrading a two-inch water main line to an eight-inch line Delatorre said.

Station 1 was retrofitted with fire sprinklers in 2013 and then had a remodel a few years ago that required additional fire sprinkler work. The station is 15,100 square feet with 8 sleeping quarters and accommodates 7 vehicles. Nelson Fire Protection initially retrofit Station 1 and Absolute Fire Protection installed the sprinklers in the later addition.

“In addition to protecting our firefighters and our firehouses, it is important to set an example for the community,” said Fire Inspector Scott Pelletreau.

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Fire Chief Brad Delatorre and Fire Inspector Scott Pelletreau showing the riser within Fire Station #2.

Station #2 Dispatch Room

Station #2 Bunk Room

Station #2 Family Room Area

Station #1 Has fire sprinklers as well.

Station #1 Office. The ladies are protected with fire sprinklers.

Station #1 Work Room

Station #1 Fire Sprinkler protected as well.

Tuesday & Wednesday, June 13 & 14 (2-Day)
8:00 am – 4:00 pm (CT)

Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council
1256 Estes Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL

Instructor, Ron Ritchey, Great Lakes Field Services Coordinator, National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA)

Check-in begins at 7:30 am.
Boxed lunch will be issued for 14.0 ICC contact hours.

Please register by Monday, June 5. 

Register at www.bit.ly/plan-review-23
Class is FREE with gift card #GIFT-01029

Questions?  Please contact Erik Hoffer:  [email protected] or 708-403-4468

Flyer-PlanReviewClass-06.13&14.2023

For more than 30 years, the Village of Wheeling has been a leader in Illinois and nationally with their residential fire sprinkler requirements. Many of the residents living in the Whippletree Village Manufactured Home Community are protected with fire sprinklers because of this history. Currently, 35 manufactured homes are protected with fire sprinklers with another 37 going in.  Approximately 75 single family homes have sprinkler coverage as well as numerous townhomes in Wheeling.

Wheeling first included fire sprinkler requirements in the Village’s Building and Fire Prevention code during the 1990s. It was written as part of the Municipal Code with a section that said all structures were required to have automatic fire sprinklers, including manufactured housing.

Ten years ago, the Village further solidified its fire sprinkler codes by upgrading to the 2012 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC) with local amendments that required fire sprinklers in all new buildings regardless of square footage or occupancy classification.

According to Fire Prevention Manager Bob Niemiec, Wheeling’s most recent code adoption cycle upgraded the village to the 2018 edition of the IRC.

“The current adopted Municipal Code contains provisions modifying portions of NFPA 13D removing exceptions or adding provisions, such as sprinkler coverage in garages, bathrooms and other items that met the Department’s intent of providing sprinkler protection throughout all structures,” Niemiec said.

“Also included over the years were changes to the codes to include enhancements to sprinkler protection like tying the sprinkler water flow to the occupancy’s smoke alarm system. So like most codes, it’s growing and adapting.”

Early on, there were some challenges in getting this code passed; however, former Fire Chief Keith MacIsaac was a strong proponent of fire sprinklers and put a lot of local ordinance code language into effect.

Deputy Fire Chief Steve Mella spoke on how much damage could be done, especially to manufactured homes without fire sprinklers.

“When we had fires in a mobile home park, the homes are typically very, very close to each other. The fire spread was rapid, and it was a challenge to keep the fire contained to one of the manufactured homes,” Mella said. “Manufactured homes are lightweight construction, so they do  burn quickly. All homes with modern-day furnishings are mostly plastic, so homes, whether they are multifamily, single-family, or manufactured homes, the furnishings burn much, much quicker than legacy construction and legacy furnishings ever did. So anything we can do to save lives and minimize property damage, we’re most certainly going to advocate for.”

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Tinley Park, IL (January 25, 2023) – The fatal fire at the 25-story Harper Square Cooperative building at 4850 S. Lake Park Ave in Chicago could have been prevented if the high-rise would have been fully protected with a fire sprinkler system in all living units according to the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB).

The fire, which appears to have begun in a 15^th floor unit, broke through windows, and then climbed vertically on the exterior of the building, affecting the 15^th to 24^th floors. One resident perished, 8 residents were transported to the hospital in stable condition, and 1 firefighter had minor injuries.

Records show that the building was constructed in 1970 before the 1975 City of Chicago Municipal Code requiring fire sprinkler systems. Following the deadly fire at the Cook County Administration building in 2003, high-rise building owners were encouraged to retrofit their buildings with fire sprinklers. This building is among hundreds of residential high-rises that chose to forgo the installation of fire sprinklers when complying with the city’s Life Safety Evaluation.

According to NIFSAB’s Executive Director Erik Hoffer, if a fire starts in a room with fire sprinklers, the sprinkler closest to the fire activates and immediately starts controlling the fire.

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Tinley Park, IL (September 20, 2022) – The Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB) is partnering with local fire departments throughout Chicagoland to conduct live burn demonstrations at their open house events. The burn demonstrations will educate the public about how quickly fires can become deadly, as well as the important life- and property-saving benefits of fire sprinklers. The events are centered around national Fire Prevention Week, which runs October 9 to 15. This year’s theme is: “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape.”

The demonstrations provide a side-by-side comparison with two similarly furnished rooms; one room has a single fire sprinkler installed, while the other does not. Both have smoke alarms. Attendees will be able to feel the extreme heat and view the quick growth of fire in the room without the sprinkler and compare it with the quick response and cooling action of the fire sprinkler in the other room. The demonstrations also allow fire departments to talk to attendees about typical fire department response times, the importance of working smoke alarms for early warning, and well-practiced escape plans.

“A house fire can become deadly in as little as two to three minutes because the furniture and other contents in today’s homes are made out of petroleum-based plastics and synthetic materials, which produce toxic black smoke and burn hotter and faster than ever before,” said NIFSAB Executive Director Erik Hoffer. “With these live demonstrations, people can see how quickly everything in the room can burst into flames. They can also see how heat from the fire activates the fire sprinkler, stopping the fire from becoming deadly, so people have time to escape.” More than 110 Illinois communities require fire sprinklers in new construction homes — and many more require them in new multifamily and commercial buildings. Fire sprinklers not only protect occupants and property, but they also protect the lives of first responders arriving on the scene.

Below is a list of upcoming fire and sprinkler burn demonstrations. Contact NIFSAB or the fire departments for more details:

Saturday, Sept. 24:
Lake Villa Fire Protection District
Plainfield Fire Protection District
Pleasantview Fire Protection District

Saturday, Oct. 1:
Aurora Regional Fire Museum
Berwyn Fire Department
Clarendon Hills Fire Department
Des Plaines Fire Department
Fox River Grove Fire Protection District
Hammond Fire Department (Indiana)
La Grange Park Fire Department
Palatine Fire Department

Sunday, Oct. 2:
Roberts Park Fire Protection District

Monday, Oct. 3:
Moraine Valley Community College

Wednesday, Oct. 5:
Warrenville Fire Protection District

Saturday, Oct. 8:
Elk Grove Village Fire Department
Hinsdale Fire Department
Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District
Rolling Meadows Fire Department
Roselle Fire Department (Founders Day Festival)
Wauconda Fire Protection District

Sunday, Oct. 9:
Countryside Fire Protection District
McHenry Township Fire Protection District

Monday, Oct. 10:
Western Springs Fire Department

Tuesday, Oct. 11:
La Grange Fire Department

Wednesday, Oct. 12:
Westchester Fire Department

Friday, Oct. 14:
Beecher Fire Protection District

Saturday, Oct. 15:
Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District
Hillside Fire Department
Hinsdale Fire Department
Hobart Fire Department (Indiana)
Itasca Fire Protection District
Lansing Fire Department
Northbrook Fire Department
Richton Park Fire Department
Romeoville Fire Department
St. Charles Fire Department
Streamwood Fire Department

Sunday, Oct. 16:
Lockport Township Fire Protection District

Wednesday, Oct. 19:
Harper College

Saturday, Oct. 22:
Bloomingdale Fire Protection District
Oswego Fire Protection District

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Roselle, IL – The village of Roselle has announced that local business owners are eligible to apply for a new grant program funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The grant program is designed to assist village of Roselle businesses recovering from COVID-19 pandemic impacts. Funding can be used toward code compliance and fire protection/suppression systems among other improvements.

There are two grant categories: the COVID-19 Business Reimbursement Grant and the Business Resiliency Grant. Upon approval, each category offers businesses a maximum of $10,000 with a 50/50 cost share.

Fire Chief Mark Bozik offered praise for the grant program, noting it will help keep Roselle business owners, employees, and residents safer. “The grants will be crucial to the village. For example, we know that in the case of a fire there’s a significant impact to that business owner and to the employees of that business. Also, it eventually affects the entire community because it takes away the tax revenue that the village so much depends on. Updating to code compliance and improving the fire protection of a building are improvements that benefit everyone.”

Mayor David Pileski says grants like these help the village’s economy grow after a trying time during the pandemic. “All our grant opportunities provide businesses with assistance to tackle projects they have identified as critical for their long-term success and safety. Roselle has a deep relationship with our residents and business owners, so it was an easy decision to help make dollars go further in our community.”

For both grant categories, pre-application meetings are required to discuss eligible projects ahead of time. Roselle’s Economic Development Analyst Matthew Galloway says while the grants fund similar things, the business application project “has to stem around the response to COVID and the continued operation of the business during this time.”

Visit Roselle’s village website for more information on the grant program and additional qualification criteria.

NIFSAB-Roselle-Grant-Program-Ad-2022

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