[Greenbuilding] Fire Sprinkler Exemption?

[Frank Staub]

FIRE SPRINKLER EXEMPTION? A neighbor's fire sprinkler accidentally discharged causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. He couldn't turn it off because the fire department doesn't allow a shutoff. I was resigned to installing a sprinkler system in the strawbale house I'm building with mud plastered interior walls because I thought it wasn't possible for sprinklers to go off accidentally. Now I know that's false. So I'm going to oppose our Fire Department's requirement to install sprinklers. As many of you know, water is the big enemy of  straw/mudplaster walls. A sprinkler discharge, accidental or not, could be catastrophic.  In a load-bearing strawbale building it could mean demolishing the entire structure and rebuilding. In my case, a sprinkler discharge in the room containing the batteries, etc for my stand-alone solar electric system would be a tremendous tragedy. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm interested in arguments against the requirement and contact info for people who have applied for exemptions even if they weren't successful. 
 If I succeed it could be a great benefit to future builders using mud and straw. 
Frank Staub 

 


 		 	   		  
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