Ernie Just Does not get it. Not one of the lives he mentions on this front page would have been saved by the New Sprinkler Law Not One

Yes sad but true not one of the fire deaths listed on the front of Pa Fireman magazine would have been prevented  had the Sprinkler legislation been passed they where all in homes built well before the legislation would have been passed.

Yes fire deaths are on the increase in Pa. it is because of our old housing stock  and even if back then sprinklers where the law  how many lives would be saved?  A very good question.
Because how many of those systems would have been maintained properly? I can tell you less then 50% because most would not bother to afford the cost . How many of those fire deaths was there a working smoke detector? less than 10% . Its because people take battery's out or never install them or otherwise maintain them despite it been on books in many community's that smoke detectors are mandatory and you want these same people to maintain a sprinkler system?

Yes sprinklers save lives but the law only covers new homes not old homes, not personnel care homes not mobile homes, not  children's camp buildings , day cares  etc etc etc.

New homes which will be safe and secure for many years till those sprinklers are called on and when called on if not maintained properly will not work and lives will be lost it is just human nature.

If you want to promote sprinklers then lets talk about how unsafe new homes are built and how fast they burn  etc etc etc.  Lets talk about the ever declining fire service and how sprinklers will insure a timely response to a fire. Lets stop beating a dead horse.
 Better yet why are there not more efforts to allow affordable retrofit systems for homes like mine . Why? its all NFPA and UL and there Archaic   and Draconian rules . Yes the same people making the rules are just as responsible for many of the deaths as the fire itself when it dissuades inventions to save life because it costs hundreds of thousands to get an approval something small manufacturers and investors can not afford so the invention dies.

Yes lets put the blame right where it belongs on the NFPA and UL for not allowing known good practical solutions being used overseas  to be used in the US because the costs they have imposed to meet approval.

Lets talk sprinklers and fire safety for all not just new homes. Lets get rid of the draconian rules and expensive approvals and lets get to work saving lives not what feels good.Time to get rid of UL and NFPA and start using common sense .