HOW THE NFPA OPERATES

For many years I personally tried to gain recognition for economical, fully engineered sprinkler systems, to protect high rise buildings. The National Fire Protection Association code No. 13 made it extremely costly and difficult to install sprinklers in high rises. Of course, on occasion fires occurred that brought much attention to the high rise problem. Then NFPA would then belatedly promote sprinklers for life safety (with a wink) because it was expedient to do so. But the reality was the sprinkler code and other NFPA codes made it near impossible to get high rises and other life-at-risk type properties sprinklered. It was only after I developed the Life Safety Sprinkler System and began to install these systems at an up to a 90 percent reduction in costs that the NFPA began to modify the NFPA 13 code. There is no doubt in my mind that the intent was to take steps to kill the LSS code. It was as a defensive measure to prevent the ongoing sales of a better system. When the MGM Grand Hotel was under construction in Las Vegas, the State Fire Marshal, Dan Quinan, attempted to require sprinklers in the MGM. He also recommended sprinklers for another older hotel, being restored to use. It had inadequate exits. First, Quinan was ordered to stay out of Las Vegas, meaning do not interfere with the hotel fire protection. Then he was legislated out of office for wanting to sprinkler the high rise casinos. This illustrated the anti-sprinkler mentality at the time. When the MGM hotel burned finally the Nevada officials wised up and began to sprinkler high rises. The story following that I wrote was published in the California Fire Journal. It explains how the NFPA capitalizes on fires with large loss of life. Rather than taking blame for its antisprinkler policies, the NFPA finds ways to exploit the major fires to actually improve its public relations. I am inserting part of the California Fire Journal below and the story follows on page two. R.M. Patton