The Fast Track campaign was intended to reach directly to, or otherwise contact, specific individuals who are thought-leaders at ICC – either through their chapters or in one-to-one meetings. FSNA submitted 24 code change proposals to the 2006 Edition of the International Building Code. During the Fast Track campaign, the FSNA sent out packages of information to 275 ICC Chapters, and communicated directly with specific Building and Fire Officials Associations in FL, CA, UT, IN, AZ and NY after First Hearing and before Final Action. Out of the code changes that FSNA either proposed or targeted for the 2006 IBC Final Action hearings, we reported 15 wins and 9 losses in the 2006 IBC. Of the 9 losses, 5 were only short a handful of votes, which means that at least 50% of the audience was in support of our proposals. At least three jurisdictions (NYC, Florida, and California) captured some of the 2006 FSNA proposals in their local amendments.
FSNA commissioned William Koffel of Koffel Associates to investigate the NFPA data on sprinkler reliability. The report challenged and clarified traditional thinking on sprinkler performance. The report, which was validated by NFPA’s statistician Dr. John Hall, supported a 1 in 6 failure rate of automatic sprinkler systems rather than the previously touted 99 out of 100.
FSNA received approval through ICC for a 90-minute presentation: “Preventing Catastrophic Fires Through Balanced Design and Maintenance Inspections” plus three 20-minute presentations, cracker barrel style on same subject at the ICC Final Action Hearings and Annual Conference.
In 1991, FSNA collected over 150 letters to petition ICC to form a special committee to study balanced fire protection in the IBC. That committee was formed by the ICC Board of Directors in 1992 and numerous changes related to safety layers have been investigated. Studying balanced fire is part of their scope and areas of investigation. The ICC Board of Directors established the Code Technology Committee and directed them to study balanced fire protection requirements in IBC. Shortly after 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, the ICC Board also established another committee, the Terrorism Resistant Buildings Committee. Both committees were directed to review the NIST report on the WTC collapse and draft code change proposals to the 2009 IBC that reflect those recommendations. FSNA participated on both Committees, and FSNA is now a voting member on the Code Technology Committee.