LANSDALE, PA. — Tyco Fire & Building Products said in mid-February that it will offer free residential fire sprinkler training to home builders and developers, groups that have long opposed residential sprinklers.
Tyco Fire & Building Products will offer training seminars in the installation, use and application of its newly introduced Rapid Response home fire sprinkler system. Open to any residential builder or developer, the seminars will educate participants about new home sprinkler requirements, installation standards and Rapid Response design features, a Tyco spokesman said.
Two training seminars will take place at the TFBP's Research & Development Center in Cranston, R.I. The first session is scheduled for April 24-25 and the second for June 26-27. The seminars are free to builders and developers, and food and lodging are provided. The only cost to participants is travel to and from Cranston.
Tyco's R&D Center is considered one of the fire sprinkler industry's premier testing centers. Seminar attendees will be able to see how fire sprinklers suppress fires and how new sprinkler technologies are tested.
The seminars will help builders become more familiar with sprinkler technology, providing information and hands-on instruction in a variety of home fire sprinkler-related issues. Topics include:
- The evolution and development of the industry's residential sprinkler and residential installation standards, and the areas of the country that are moving most rapidly to adopt the new standards;
- Advantages of residential sprinkler systems to the builder and the home-buyer; and
- Fire sprinkler system components, design, installation, maintenance and testing requirements.
"We developed our training seminars to educate builders, recognizing the powerful role they play in building safety into new homes," said Darren Palmieri, TFBP's residential product manager. "Rapid Response was designed to address the needs of the home builder, as well as the homeowner, in a cooperative effort to save lives and protect property."
The average new home can be sprinklered for about 1%-1.5% of the total cost to build a home, or less than $2 per sq. ft., he said. In most homes, adding a sprinkler system costs less than many decorating upgrades. Additionally, property insurance savings enable residential fire sprinkler systems to pay for themselves over time.
"Home fire safety awareness is on the rise, and consumers are demanding the latest safety features for their homes," Palmieri said. "Alarm systems, smoke detectors and now sprinkler systems will ultimately become the norm in fully secured homes.
"Builders must demonstrate a top-line commitment to customer safety, and there is no better way than becoming educated about the benefits of home fire sprinkler systems."
Those interested in the training seminar should contact the TFBP R&D training coordinator at 401/781-8220, ext. 500. More information is available at www.tyco-rapidresponse.com
Tyco Fire & Building Products is a leading manufacturer of water-based fire-suppression system components and ancillary building construction products, distributing more than 28 million sprinklers worldwide every year, serving customers in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional building projects.