The plans are computer generated using AutoCAD software for residential plumbing and sprinkler systems. The plumber submits the water supply information and list of desired fixtures, and the designer does the rest. Small plumbing businesses will find that this arrangement saves time an money. Larger business can purchase the software and do the designs in-house if they wish. The plumbing fixtures are hydraulically calculated along with the sprinklers, so plumbers can now verify that the water supply will be adequate for fixtures that require specific flows and pressures to operate (e. g., low-flow shower heads).

I suggest that Mr. Berg looks to plumbing-based sprinklers as a way to protect homes for one half the cost of stand-alone or multipurpose sprinklers.

Thanks for your comments. The seminar in MN has not been held yet. It is scheduled for February 6th in Chaska at the ICC Region III Institute. Pat

Robby asks how do we develop data similar to a pitcher's ERA? We can do it in the future, but need to develop other measures first. ERA's are good data because each pitcher can be compared to other pitchers. We cannot compare fire departments like that right now. If we had a way to classify fire departments according to their level of risk exposure, we could rank departments as A, B, C or what have you. If two Class A fire departments have different levels of fire frequencies, we could reasonably attribute the difference to prevention. RHAVE is one way to do that, but I am working on a simpler approach using GSI mapping.

Steve S. asked about what statistics to use for measuring successes v. losses. I suggest two, pre- v. post-flashover fires and life loss. Dollar loss statistics are unreliable because they are as much a function of a building owner's tenacity in dealing with his insurer than they are a reflection of the actual value. As for who had the most to do with a success, operations or prevention, an analysis of the incident will show what went right and what did not, and will point to why the fire was stopped before flashover. Did a smoke alarm contribute to early discovery? Credit codes and code enforcement.