(Photo courtesy of Ron Jeffers)
By Jack Murphy
The new pedestal lightweight construction being erected in New Jersey is being built to exceed the state code requirements; read the article from The Record, ‘Teaneck Planning Board approves AvalonBay housing complex.’
Many have seen this happen in our state before, ‘Local Fire (Edgewater, NJ), a Tarnished State Image and Voluntary Upgrades’. The life safety mission before the lightweight residential construction and investor communities is that if you are willing to voluntary upgrade fire protection both to an active NPFA-13 full sprinkler system) and erect passive (masonry fire walls) systems beyond the current code requirements in one state, why not step up and do the same for the greater good across the nation?
The Firefighters Code Voice needs to be heard in each state and nationally on this life safety matter. As in past code development processes, the fire service is willing to work with the industry to augment life safety measures as well as safe guard our working environment.
Be safe out there.
Jack J. Murphy, MA, is a fire marshal (ret.)/fmr. deputy chief and has served as a deputy fire coordinator for the N.J. Div. of Fire Safety (Bergen Region). He is the Chairman of the New York City High-Rise Fire Safety Directors Assoc., a member of the NFPA High-Rise Building Safety Advisory and 1620-Pre-Incident Planning Committees. He has published various fire service articles and authored: RICS; Rapid Incident Command System Field Handbooks; the “Pre-Incident Planning” Chapter-29 of the Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I & II; and co-authored, “Bridging the Gap: Fire Safety and Green Buildings.” Jack is a PennWell Fire Group Executive Board member, a Fire Engineering contributing editor, co-hosts Taming the Fire Environment on the Fire Engineering website and he has received the 2012 Fire Engineering Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award.