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Starting January 1, 2010, Pennsylvania will require all newly constructed townhouses to contain a residential fire sprinkler system and effective January 1, 2011 all newly constructed one and two family homes will require the system.

By approving regulation #12-89, Pennsylvania adopts the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC), which is the country’s primary building code. This regulation adopting the IRC and its residential fire sprinkler requirements was approved by the Pennsylvania Independent Review Commission in a vote on December 10, 2009. This adoption of the IRC updates the Uniform Construction Code in the state.

The inclusion of residential fire sprinkler requirements in the 2009 International Code Council’s (ICC) IRC is a response to the growing fire problem in the U.S. About 85 percent of all fires occur in the home and many are fueled by new “lightweight” construction and more flammable home contents. Smoke detectors are no longer enough in residential fire protection, as the time to escape a house fire has dwindled from 17 minutes 20 years ago, to three minutes today. This poses a severe risk to firefighters as they now have less time to do their job and save residents’ lives and property.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) President Jim Shannon recently praised the work of fire officials and fire safety advocates after California, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania adopted the 2009 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC) which requires home fire sprinklers in all new one and two-family homes.

"The nation's fire service and other fire safety advocates deserve tremendous recognition for their efforts to bring safety home by working to get sprinklers in every community," Shannon said.

"These are significant steps forward in our efforts to eradicate the home fire death problem by requiring home fire sprinklers in new homes," said Shannon. "We are hopeful their actions will lead to more states doing the same in order to save lives from fire."

Approximately 3,000 people a year die in home fires, according to the NFPA. When fire sprinklers are present, the chances of dying in a home fire decrease by about 80 percent. Home fire sprinklers control heat, smoke, and flames allowing occupants time to escape and giving firefighters a safer environment.

In 2009, NFPA launched the Fire Sprinkler Initiative, a nationwide effort to mandate the use of home fire sprinklers. The site provides research, facts, an interactive blog, and other resources for individuals interested in passing similar sprinkler requirements in their communities