The Village of Bloomingdale recently upgraded its code to the 2018 International Residential Code, which includes installing fire sprinklers in all new one- and two-family homes.

Building Commissioner Mike Gricus played a vital role in making sure village board members understood the importance of home fire sprinklers during the process of adopting the code. “They are well informed and safety is important to them,” Gricus said.  “That is why we upgrade our codes every three years. For years, all commercial buildings, regardless of size, had to be protected with fire sprinklers. It is satisfying to know that Bloomingdale adopted a code that now protects our residents in their homes.”

Prior to the code upgrade, the village worked with Pulte Homes, offering a trade up to encourage fire sprinkler installations. By installing fire sprinklers in their townhomes, the firewalls could be rated for two hours of protection instead of three, which allowed Pulte to save on construction costs.

Erik Hoffer, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB), said the code upgrade is a win-win for the community and firefighters alike. “In addition to protecting their residents for generations to come, protecting all buildings, both commercial and residential, will address the growing national concern for firefighter health and safety in regard to carcinogen exposure from fires,” Hoffer said.

According to NIFSAB, there are now more than 110 municipalities and fire protection districts in Illinois that require fire sprinklers in all new construction, regardless of building type, through the adoption of ordinances and national model codes provided by the International Code Council and the NFPA.

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Tinley Park, IL – In an effort to  assure the long-term viability of the community and improve the safety of its older buildings, the village of Tinley Park offers its Downtown Tinley Grant Program to help achieve a signature downtown to benefit all who use it.

Part of this program, launched in 2018, is the Code Compliance Grant. Its primary purpose is to incentivize property owners of older buildings to install fire protection systems, such as fire alarms and fire sprinklers, and to meet accessibility code requirements.  The program offers property owners a matching grant of 50 percent of the cost to make these improvements up to a maximum of $35,000.  Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on available funds and grantee eligibility. Since the program rolled out, the Village has awarded a total of seven code compliant grants totaling $172,752 in assistance.

This program aims to improve the safety of downtown Tinley Park buildings that were built before 2007. In addition to life safety, the benefits of increasing built-in fire protection and meeting accessibility code requirements includes higher property values and enhanced economic viability of older downtown structures.

Priscilla Cordero who was the Tinley Park Business Development Manager at the time the program was implemented is proud of the program. “Number one, it shows that the village is committed to life-safety issues and keeping our businesses healthy and our residents safe,” she says, noting that Tinley Park is business-friendly. Cordero points out that in many towns and cities, older buildings that are not in compliance may have a requirement to be updated with the owner needing to pay for it fully out of pocket. “In Tinley Park, we’re helping,” she says.

According to Tinley Park  Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention Dan Riordan, this grant has great potential to improve public safety.

“In addition to life safety, one of the reasons for promoting fire sprinkler protection is because the buildings are so close together,” Riordan says, underscoring the value of installed automatic sprinklers included in the Code Compliance Grant funding opportunity. “When downtown areas were put together a hundred years ago or so, everything had to be close together. That’s just the way it was. So a fire in a building that gets out of control could easily spread to a building next to it. That could affect not only the building where the fire is but also the building next door as well.”

To be eligible, applicants must be located along a public street in the Tinley Park Legacy District. This grant is only for code compliance improvements; related design costs are not eligible for funds. Information and applications materials are available on Tinley Park’s website.

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Bloomingdale FPD Board: (left to right); Gary Kostal, Fire Marshal; Tim Deutschle, President; Matthew Beyer, Fire Chief; Robert Gaseor, Treasurer; William Wolff, Secretary and Richard Kurka, Deputy Fire Chief.

In an effort to protect their residents and first responders from the dangers of house fires, the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District (BFPD) adopted an NFPA 13D fire sprinkler ordinance for all new one- and two-family homes located in the unincorporated areas of the fire district.

The fire district trustees adopted the ordinance last October after thorough research, education and discussion. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), home fire sprinklers reduce the risk of death and injury in a home fire by 80 percent and the average fire loss is reduced by about 70 percent. The decision was also made because many homes in the unincorporated areas have water supply issues.

Support from the leadership was very important. Deputy Chief Richard Kurka, who was acting chief and the new chief, Matthew Beyer supported every step of the process and made sure all stakeholders were informed.

Over the years, NIFSAB provided resources and worked with the district to conduct fire and sprinkler side-by-side burn demonstrations. According to Fire Marshal Gary Kostal, the burn demonstrations were an effective way to educate the public about the dangers of home fires.

“People think they are safe in their homes, they don’t realize how quickly a house fire can become deadly,” Kostal said. “The demonstrations helped them understand flashover and how effective home fire sprinklers are at keeping the fire from becoming deadly. Just as other safety features have evolved in our lives, home fire sprinklers will one day be the standard for all new homes,” he added.

Kostal also learned from other members of the service who had been through the process to adopt and/or enforce a home fire sprinkler ordinance. He spent two days with Scott Neil, senior fire inspector for Hoffman Estates Fire Department, performing inspections of fire sprinklers in homes under construction. This allowed him to see what the systems looked like in various homes and understand proper installations.

He also reached out to other area fire districts that had adopted home fire sprinkler ordinances for their unincorporated areas. Battalion Chief Doug Mulford from the Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District provided Kostal with a copy of their ordinance and his insight into the code adoption process.

“Kudos to the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District,” said Erik Hoffer, NIFSAB executive director. “The fire district did its homework and made sure all stakeholders and the public are informed and understand the impact fire can have on a community,” he said.

For Kostal, he states that the passing of this home fire sprinkler ordinance is “the greatest accomplishment” he has experience in his 45 years in the fire service.

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After years of documenting reports of fire sprinklers saving buildings and properties in Illinois, the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB) announces a new online fire sprinkler saves interactive map that simplifies locating and reading these success stories. Users can easily locate fire sprinkler saves on the map and read details about each save. A separate online submission form simplifies reporting of fire sprinkler saves that are added to the NIFSAB collection.

For more than 20 years, NIFSAB has recorded and documented fires in buildings where at least one fire sprinkler activated and controlled or extinguished the fires. The information is compiled from media coverage and fire sprinkler save reports from members of the fire service, building officials, and members of the fire protection industry. A typical save includes the building type (commercial buildings and residential, such as one- and two-family homes, multifamily, high-rise, senior housing, campus housing, and hotels). It also includes the cause of the fire, number of fire sprinklers that activated, room of fire origin, if there were occupants, reported injuries, and estimated value of property saved.

According to Erik Hoffer, NIFSAB executive director, this detailed information provides further education that supports the vital role sprinklers play in communities. The information is especially important for reference when communities are upgrading or adopting fire and building codes. It also underscores the need for building owners and managers to ensure the fire sprinklers in their buildings are routinely inspected, tested, and maintained.

The NIFSAB fire sprinkler save submission form also allows for photos and quotes to be submitted to further enhance the success stories. As an incentive, fire service members who complete the form will receive a collectible NIFSAB challenge coin. The fire sprinkler saves interactive map resides on NIFSAB’s website and is updated quarterly.

“There is nothing more compelling than a fire sprinkler save to support codes that require fire sprinklers, especially when the sprinkler activation resulted in a life saved or prevention of major property damage,” Hoffer said.

“We have seen an increase in fire departments submitting sprinkler saves using our form and sending the information to their local media. The best saves include a quote from the fire chief or fire marshal about what the potential outcome may have been without fire sprinklers,” Hoffer added.

To submit a fire sprinkler save, fill out the form: https://firesprinklerassoc.org/sprinkler-saves-submission-form/

To view the fire sprinkler saves interactive map: https://firesprinklerassoc.org/fire-sprinkler-saves-interactive-map/

To view Interactive Map on a desktop browser:

• To see details about a save, hover your cursor over a star. Click on the star to keep the details showing.
• Use the selector buttons to select a particular location, building type or year.
• Use the Reset Map button to return to the full map.

To view Interactive Map on a mobile device:

• To see details about a save, touch and hold on a star. Press and release on the star to keep the details showing.
• Use the selector buttons to select a particular location, building type or year.
• Use the Reset Map button to return to the full map.