While sitting in a code development hearing in Baltimore, 
being attended by building and fire officials from all across the country, the moderator unexpectedly tells everyone that they are going to take the dinner break immediately a little after 5 PM, and you need to take everything out of the room when you leave.
You know things are bad when the Baltimore City Fire Department vacates the Inner Harbor Hilton conference room for being over crowded, by building and fire officials, not to mention contractors and home builders.
Kudos to the BCFD for doing what needed to be done!
The Residential Building Code hearing resumed around 6:30 and 3 hours later the residential sprinkler requirements came up. There was much lengthy and heated discussion.
It was time for the IRC Committee to vote. The vote was to disapprove the code change as presented by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) which was to remove the requirements for fire sprinklers in residential structures. The Committee voted 7 to 4 to disapprove the requested change meaning the fire sprinkler requirement would stay in the code.
NAHB called for assembly action. A floor vote of what had to be at least a couple of thousand members of the ICC was taken. This vote was to approve the proposed change as presented which was to remove the fire sprinkler requirements.
By a nearly unanimous vote.....
residential sprinkler requirements.....
ARE STAYING IN THE 2012 CODE.
This really means nothing for existing homes. If Virginia adopts what was approved for 2009, only new homes would require fire sprinklers. The fight will now move to Virginia as well as other states and localities all across the country for local adoption of the IRC. For Virginia, the next hearing in the adoption process will take place in January 2010. Every one needs to be ready to show up in Richmond in January to help keep the clear, concise and unmistakable message sent from the IRC Code hearing in Baltimore moving forward and into the Virginia Codes.