02 Jan. 2001 - An automatic fire sprinkler is credited with preventing a small fire from spreading to other near-by businesses at a Las Vegas, NV building.  The fire was ruled accidental by fire investigators.  There were no injuries.

The large building involved contains four businesses and it was an employee in one that noticed smoke coming out of a flower shop and called 9-1-1.  When firefighters arrived, they could see nothing from the street, but once they entered the building, they could see it was filling with smoke.  When they entered the closed/locked flower shop, they found that an automatic fire sprinkler, directly above where the fire started, extinguished a small fire, which started in the rear of the shop.

The fire burned a small portion of a wall and melted a number of items used to prepare flowers for retail and damage was estimated to be limited to $2000. 

About a week earlier, a painting crew at the University of California, Los Angeles, ignited solvent vapors causing an explosion and flash over.  While three of the painters were injured by the explosion, a single sprinkler head extinguised the flames preventing further damage or injury.

10 Jan. 2001 - One the the most treasured buildings in the U.S., Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA, was saved yesterday by the activation of the sprinkler system to extinguish a small fire in an adjacent building.

Read the Story

08 Mar. 2001 - In Abuja, Nigeria, a fire claimed the lives of 23 students trapped behind chained doors in a 165 bed residence hall.  This tragic reminder indicates the need for fire safety education as well as the installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems to protect lives and property..

08 Apr. 2001 - An explosion in a Burger King fryer caused a shut down of Schiphol Airport, the home of KLM airlines and one of the busiest in Europe having served nearly 40 million passengers last year.  The explosion resulted in heavy smoke and flames burst through a ventilation shaft but there is no early indication of any fire damage to the building and no report on what role fire sprinklers may have had.  Passengers were evacuated but no injuries were reported and the airport returned to normal activity by the end of the day.
Read USA Today Coverage

The IFSA has scheduled the Annual Meeting of its Board of Directors for 15 May, 2001. The meeting will be held in Anaheim, California in conjunction with the NFPA World Fire Safety Congress and Exposition at the Disneyland Resort Hotel.

Attendance at the NFPA meeting is expected to be at record levels with room space at a premium.  If you plan to attend that meeting, we urge you to make your reservations quickly.

Information about the NFPA meeting and reservations is available on the NFPA website at www.nfpa.org.

The International Fire Sprinkler Association is soliciting grant proposals from organizations interested in promoting the use of automatic sprinklers and related fire suppression systems.  The IFSA Board of Governors will be meeting on 15 May 2001 in Anaheim, California in conjunction with the NFPA World Fire Safety Congress and Exposition at the Disneyland Resort Hotel.  The grants are awarded to associations, societies, or coalitions that seek to encourage the competent installation of built-in fire protection systems in their specific regions of the world.

Grant proposals for the period of 01 July 2001 – 30 June 2002 should include information on the sponsoring organization, specific plans and goals, and budgetary information.

Proposals should be sent by 10 May 2001 to the IFSA c/o P.O. Box 1000, Patterson, New York, USA, Fax:  1-845-878-4215 or e-mail to: ifsa@sprinklerworld.org.

In June 2000, the IFSA awarded a grant of $150,000 US to the Residential Sprinkler Association in the UK for their work to demonstrate the effectiveness and economic feasibility of fire sprinkler protection for dwellings.  The National Fire Sprinkler Network in the UK was awarded $50,000 US to continue its work on increasing the requirements for installing automatic fire suppression systems in retail facilities. In addition, the newly formed European Fire Sprinkler Association was awarded $10,000 US to conduct a feasibility study on the scope of the fire sprinkler markets on the European continent.

The International Conference on Engineered Fire Protection Design will be held 11-15 June in San Francisco, California, USA.  This conference will bring together the leading fire protection engineering professionals from around the world to showcase the state of the art in engineered fire protection design. The conference will feature technical presentations and case studies on the application of the principles of fire science and engineering in design development and analysis of buildings, transportation infrastructure and industrial facilities.

The program and registration information is available in PDF format at www.sfpe.org.

Following a meeting held on March 9th, 2001, the two associations issued a joint statement acknowledging that it is in the best interests of the UK fire sprinkler industry for them to work closely on issues.  The meeting was attended by the Chairmen and Secretaries General of both groups.

Read Joint Statement

12 Mar. 2001 - A report on the Turkish sprinkler market in the year 2000 has been published by KARINA Design, Consultancy and Training Services, Ltd. Co.  As noted in the document, it is intended to provoke discussion and feedback to lead to reliable information in the future and it will be updated in several months based upon the comments that are submitted.

The firm has also prepared a report on the Turkish fire pump market that we have not reviewed.

Among the less controversial findings, the report notes that the 2000 demand for heads exceeded 100,000, the market potential is an estimated $8 Million, NFPA 13 is the controlling standard, U.S. manufacturers dominate the market, profit levels are below 15% and the post earthquake demand has been sated.

Read the report (PDF Format)

Meeting in Anaheim, California, USA on May 15, 2001, the IFSA Board of Directors authorized funding to the following organizations for the coming year:

National Fire Sprinkler Network (UK) - US$50,000
Residential Sprinkler Association (UK) -  US$125,000
Sprinklerframjändet (Sweden) - US$40,000

This is the third consecutive year that the IFSA has funded the two programs in the United Kingdom.  The National Fire Sprinkler Network, which achieved success in 2000 in its campaign to lower the threshold for sprinkler system requirements in single-story retail buildings in the UK, is now leading a campaign to provide sprinkler protection of schools.  It has continued to expand membership, welcoming new support from the Royal Institute of Architects and the Building Research Establishment.  The  Residential Sprinkler Association has been extremely effective in raising the profile of  residential sprinkler protection with burn demonstrations, training courses, and the development of British Standards for residential sprinklers and their installation.  The RSA is currently spearheading a movement to provide sprinkler protection for Houses in Multiple Occupation.

The IFSA also initiated funding in support of several sprinkler promotional efforts of the Swedish sprinkler association Sprinklerframjandet.  The projects include the feasibility of sprinklers on houseboats, sprinklers in multi-story wood frame housing, and exposure protection sprinklers for historic wooden street fronts.  The IFSA funding will permit better documentation of the projects as they move forward. A RealPlayer video clip describing the wooden street front project, translated to English, is available for viewing on this website by clicking  Here!
(requires RealPlayer available at www.real.com )

Exposure protection sprinkler system being installed in historic Swedish town of Eksjö.)

The Chairmen of BASA, The Residential Sprinkler Association and The Association of Fire Protection Engineers have issued a joint statement establishing the Joint Sprinkler Industry Liason Panel.  The organizations will work together to establish a third party certification process to insure the continued excellence and integrity of the fire sprinkler industry.

  Read the Joint Statement in PDF format

15 Jun 2001 - The U.S. Coast Guard issued a report on the Nordic Empress fire.  The ship suffered a major engine room fire due to a failed flange on a fuel line.  A "Flexi-fog" local application mist system was discharged and is credited with extinguishing the fire.  This is believed to be the first reported experience with a local application mist system in a maritime machinery space.

16 Jun. 2001 - Fire sprinklers operated to contain a fire in the engine room of the Royal Caribbean ship Nordic Empress.  The vessel was carrying 2216 passengers and there were no injuries.  The crew extinguished the fire and the ship which had just left Bermuda was back under power in less than 8 hours.

This success story for fire sprinklers is in stark comparison with the negligence of the Norwegian Line.  The cruise ship Norway was held in harbor in Miami, FL for several days due to more than 100 safety violations discovered in its fire sprinkler system.  Two weeks ago, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a surprise inspection and discovered that a number of holes in the main supply line to the sprinkler system had been covered with soft rubber patches that could have resulted in disabling the sprinkler system in a fire.  More than 2000 passengers were delayed while repairs were completed.

Royal Caribbean Ship Story
Norwegian Line Story

Sprinklers were credited with saving some lives in the terrorist attacks on the United States that took place on September 11, 2001. At a Department of Defense press conference on damage to the Pentagon, renovation project manager Lee Evey credited the building's fire sprinklers with limiting the damage caused by the terrorist attack.

Every said, ". If you look at wedge one, except in those areas where it was clearly fueled by jet fuel, the fire, when it tried to spread into other wedge one areas, was knocked down immediately by the fire sprinklers. There was virtually no spread whatsoever, so we saw a tremendous beneficial effect from that.”

13 July 2001, Patterson, NY - NFSA President John Viniello today announced the current activities of the Fire Sprinkler Manufacturers Joint Research and Development Consortium.  Central Sprinkler Co., Firematic Sprinkler Corp., Gem Sprinkler Co., Globe Fire Sprinkler Corp., Kidde Fire Fighting USA, The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Star Sprinkler Corp., Victaulic Fire Safety Co., and The Viking Corp. are participating.  The Consortium will fund an independent outside audit of quality assurance practices and testing in the fire sprinkler industry.

Viniello said, "No fundamental problems are believed to exist that would prevent fire sprinklers from continuing to be considered the best single tool for the protection of lives and property from fire. This is analogous to a healthy person going in for a physical examination.  Everything seems to be working well, but a check-up is always in order.  The goal is essentially to make an already well designed and reliable product even better.   The fire sprinkler manufacturers are to be commended for undertaking this effort to make sure that their products can continue to be counted on to perform when needed during a fire, and to maintain the excellent record of sprinklers in saving lives and property." 

Battelle Columbus Laboratories has been contracted to undertake the work, with a summary report of findings and recommendations due later this year. Battelle will review present industry practices and standards applicable to the manufacture and use of automatic sprinklers, available performance data, and recommend field sampling and laboratory tests as needed to support development of mechanisms for enhancing long-term field performance.  Battelle will also review the basis and assumptions of present performance standards and tests and assess their modern relevancy.

18 Aug 2001 - An early morning blaze in the six story Manor Hotel located in the Manila suburb of Quezon City claimed at least 75 lives.  There were no fire sprinklers or alarms in the structure. 

Fire officials believe an electrical short circuit started the fire.  Many of the fatalities are thought to be a result of people being trapped by iron security bars on the windows and blocked fire exits.  A number of the victims were found dead in their bathrooms from smoke inhalation. 

Managing Director of the IFSA, John Viniello, issued a statement today noting that, "This fire is an unspeakable tragedy that underscores the need for the IFSA to fulfill its mission to promote the installation of fire sprinkler devices in all types of buildings.  There has never been a multiple loss of life in a fire where there was an operating fire sprinkler system."

There were 236 registered guests including 172 U.S. visitors taking part in a Christian Ministry conference.  All of the dead are believed to be Filipino.

Read the CNN Story

20 Aug 2001 - Fire officials reported finding 72 bodies in the building and another has died in the hospital as a result of this tragic blaze.  All but one of the victims appear to have died from suffocation.

Despite denials from the owner's wife, officials maintain there is evidence of both blocked and locked fire exits.  Records also indicate that the owner was warned about safety violations at least a year ago.  A formal complaint against the owner has been filed and a trial is expected.

The SFPE and AIA are requesting papers for the Symposium on Fire Protection Strategies for 21st Century Building and Fire Codes to be held 17-18 Sept in Baltimore, MD (USA).  For further information, visit www.sfpe.org or contact education@sfpe.org.

15 Oct 2001 - The IFSA will sponsor the 4th International Fire Sprinkler Seminar in Prague, Czech Republic on 9-10 Jul 2002. 

The conference will be held at the Prague Marriott, centrally located in the heart of the city close to Old Town Square. Opened in 1999, the hotel has all the amenities of a new hotel amidst old world charm and is fully sprinklered. The conference program, still being finalized, will focus on the use of automatic fire suppression systems to address the fire challenges of dwellings, schools, heritage buildings and other occupancies that constitute non-traditional use of sprinklers. 

Plans are being made for a special social event on the evening of 9 Jul at Nelahozeves Castle, owned by Prince William Lobkowicz, including a gala dinner and tour of the art collection which is considered one of the most significant private collections in Europe. 

Attendance will be limited so early registration is urged.  You may print out the registration form in pdf format from the following link.

http://www.sprinklerworld.org/IFSAreg.pdf

The world has joined together in sorrow and support for the many affected in the wake of the horrible terrorist attack on the United States that claimed thousands of lives. 

John A. Viniello Managing Director of IFSA would like to  thank the many members of the IFSA that contacted him expressing their condolences and concern after the WTC disaster.  In his statement he noted, "In the automatic fire sprinkler industry we are dedicated to saving lives and protecting property which makes this horrible act even more senseless."

Despite the disruptions to international air travel as a result of the terrorist attacks on the U.S., the meeting of ISO/TC21/SC5 on sprinkler and water spray system equipment was held as scheduled in Tianjin, China on 18-20 Sept 2001.  Attendance was limited but China, Germany, Israel, Japan and the U.S. had representatives present.

17 Dec 2001 - Four people were killed and 18 injured in a fire at a Paris hotel near the Louvre museum..

Two of the dead were identified as Italian women and one of the injured is in critical condition.  Most of the injuries appear to have resulted from smoke inhalation and the victims choked from fumes trying to escape to the roof.

Arson is suspected and one man is under arrest.

Read the CNN Story