http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/07/31/news/valley/b2-deald30.txt
By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich, Register Correspondent
DERBY — The Board of Aldermen unanimously approved an ordinance Thursday that could mean the difference between life and death for the city’s volunteer firefighters.
The ordinance will require a small reflective sticker to be placed on the front of new buildings and homes that contain engineered lumber, which fire officials say burns at a much faster rate than conventional stick-built construction.
The sticker would immediately alert firefighters if there is engineered lumber inside a structure, and thus help them have a plan of action. Engineered lumber, which is commonly used in newer construction, includes prefabricated joists, truss joists, truss rafter and laminated beams and studs.
Professional New Haven firefighter Frank Ricci, who was at the center of a recent Supreme Court discrimination case, and who is chairman of the Connecticut Council of OSHA, had said something as simple as a reflective sticker could save precious lives.
New York state was the first to adopt a similar ordinance, and Florida and California followed suit.
Ricci, at a previous meeting, said if Derby, being Connecticut’s smallest city, passed the ordinance, it would set a “huge example” for the state to follow suit.
Ricci had said more than 100 firefighters die each year, and more than 800 are injured, due to rushing into burning buildings where roofs and floors have collapsed. Ricci said if firefighters knew ahead of time if a building contains engineered lumber, they would be able to better assess the situation.
With stick-frame construction, Ricci had said there is about 20 minutes before a localized collapse can occur, but with engineered lumber, he said that same collapse could occur in less than five minutes.
A New Hampshire businessman, Josh Bartlett, who represents the Northeast chapter of the Structural Building Component Association, at Thursday’s meeting said while he’s in favor of protecting firefighters, the ordinance could damage the pre-engineered lumber industry.
“I applaud the goal of enhancing fire safety, but this will put a scarlet letter on any building with engineered wood,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett said this type of wood has unfairly gained a bad reputation, and he cited national fire statistics, saying fatalities due to collapsed roofs are very rare. He said fewer than 25 deaths have resulted from 1980 to 2007 in buildings containing engineered wood.
Building Inspector David Kopjanski disagreed, saying a small sticker won’t have a detrimental effect on the industry.
“There’s nothing wrong with pre-engineered wood, it’s fantastic, and a small sticker should not be considered a scarlet letter, but rather simply an indicator to the Fire Department that we have a building made with pre-engineered lumber,” he said.
Alderman Dave Lenart, who proposed the ordinance, said local businessman Frank Pepe of Pepe Construction has already offered to buy the first batch of stickers.
By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich, Register Correspondent
DERBY — The Board of Aldermen unanimously approved an ordinance Thursday that could mean the difference between life and death for the city’s volunteer firefighters.
The ordinance will require a small reflective sticker to be placed on the front of new buildings and homes that contain engineered lumber, which fire officials say burns at a much faster rate than conventional stick-built construction.
The sticker would immediately alert firefighters if there is engineered lumber inside a structure, and thus help them have a plan of action. Engineered lumber, which is commonly used in newer construction, includes prefabricated joists, truss joists, truss rafter and laminated beams and studs.
Professional New Haven firefighter Frank Ricci, who was at the center of a recent Supreme Court discrimination case, and who is chairman of the Connecticut Council of OSHA, had said something as simple as a reflective sticker could save precious lives.
New York state was the first to adopt a similar ordinance, and Florida and California followed suit.
Ricci, at a previous meeting, said if Derby, being Connecticut’s smallest city, passed the ordinance, it would set a “huge example” for the state to follow suit.
Ricci had said more than 100 firefighters die each year, and more than 800 are injured, due to rushing into burning buildings where roofs and floors have collapsed. Ricci said if firefighters knew ahead of time if a building contains engineered lumber, they would be able to better assess the situation.
With stick-frame construction, Ricci had said there is about 20 minutes before a localized collapse can occur, but with engineered lumber, he said that same collapse could occur in less than five minutes.
A New Hampshire businessman, Josh Bartlett, who represents the Northeast chapter of the Structural Building Component Association, at Thursday’s meeting said while he’s in favor of protecting firefighters, the ordinance could damage the pre-engineered lumber industry.
“I applaud the goal of enhancing fire safety, but this will put a scarlet letter on any building with engineered wood,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett said this type of wood has unfairly gained a bad reputation, and he cited national fire statistics, saying fatalities due to collapsed roofs are very rare. He said fewer than 25 deaths have resulted from 1980 to 2007 in buildings containing engineered wood.
Building Inspector David Kopjanski disagreed, saying a small sticker won’t have a detrimental effect on the industry.
“There’s nothing wrong with pre-engineered wood, it’s fantastic, and a small sticker should not be considered a scarlet letter, but rather simply an indicator to the Fire Department that we have a building made with pre-engineered lumber,” he said.
Alderman Dave Lenart, who proposed the ordinance, said local businessman Frank Pepe of Pepe Construction has already offered to buy the first batch of stickers.
