Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR0096

SR0096 LRB104 08214 MST 18264 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Home fires are the biggest element of the U.S. fire problem for civilians and responders; and

WHEREAS, Eighty-six percent of all civilian structure fire deaths are in homes, and home fires cause $8.7 billion in direct property damage each year (NFPA); and

WHEREAS, Residential structure fires accounted for 67 percent of firefighter injuries (USFA), and firefighters are 11 times more likely to be injured fighting structure fires (NFPA); and

WHEREAS, Home fires are deadlier today as a result of unprotected lightweight construction material, open floor plans, abundant synthetic furnishings, and emerging technology such as lithium-ion batteries, which make homes burn faster, becoming deadly in two minutes or less (UL/NIST); and

WHEREAS, The United States Fire Administration (USFA) estimates that home fire sprinklers could save thousands of lives each year if more were installed in homes; and

WHEREAS, Fire sprinklers are a proven and cost-effective means of protecting lives and property from the threat of fire; and

WHEREAS, Fire sprinklers offer the highest degree of fire protection and are critical in saving lives and property; and

WHEREAS, Fire sprinklers can control a fire, and thereby the smoke, while it is still small, as a room can be engulfed in flames in less than two minutes, saving the lives of occupants and first responders; and

WHEREAS, From January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2023, a span of 17 years, there have been 4,031 injuries in one and two-family home fires in Illinois without a fire sprinkler system and 1,072 fatalities; and

WHEREAS, During that same 17-year period, there have been only seven injuries in one and two-family home fires in Illinois with fire sprinkler systems and zero fatalities (NFSA); and

WHEREAS, Including fire sprinklers in local building codes and community risk reduction helps support fire service resources, staffing, and budgets because when new housing stock is sprinklered it becomes safer, improving communities and allowing fire service resources to be directed to those at highest risk; and

WHEREAS, Stronger state and federal support of home fire sprinkler education will help address confusion and anti-code negativity and encourage fire service advocacy of home fire sprinkler installation; and

WHEREAS, More installation of fire sprinklers in new homes will directly and indefinitely protect and improve communities of every size; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare the week of May 11, 2025 through May 17, 2025 as Home Fire Sprinkler Week; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Erik Hoffer, Chicago IP Director for the National Fire Sprinkler Association.