The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) adopted revisions at its annual meeting that were pushed by animal rights activists to its NFPA 150 standard for animal housing facilities. These new fire code revisions require sprinklers in agricultural facilities housing animals and regulated by EPA as medium-sized or larger Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).
“It is the latest development in a long-running process,” the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) said in a statement. “Over a decade ago, animal rights extremists pushed for mandatory fire sprinklers in livestock buildings. NPPC successfully appealed, earning seats on the NFPA technical committee that drafts livestock housing codes.”
NPPC president-elect and Ohio pork producer Duane Stateler, a retired 32-year assistant fire chief, led a broad coalition with NPPC including insurance companies, fire equipment suppliers, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and other agricultural groups, arguing against the proposed fire code changes.
However, NFPA still voted to include the sprinkler requirement in the fire code for buildings housing livestock.
“These new standards will not likely have any immediate impact, no major pork producing states have adopted them,” NPPC explained. “As the pork industry seeks to address continued risks associated with fires, the insurance industry is concerned that the inclusion of the costly and unnecessary sprinkler requirements in the fire standard will take away from other important developments that NPPC has spearheaded to improve barn design and electrical equipment.”
NPPC notes numerous concerns with this standard including:
• Lack of research on the root causes of farm fires
• Uncertainty about the effectiveness of sprinklers in reducing fire risks
• Potential for more impactful alternative measures
• Insufficient rural water supplies for sprinkler systems
• Significant biosecurity risks posed by sprinkler inspectors
• Introduction of non-potable water into barns
If fully implemented, NPPC said the new requirements could impose significant costs on family farms to install sprinkler systems, a mandate not applied to nearby residential homes.
“NPPC is disappointed by NFPA’s vote to include the sprinkler requirement and plans to appeal this decision to the NFPA Standards Council,” the organization said in a statement. “Despite this setback, NPPC has achieved significant improvements in the code, emphasizing fire risk reduction in livestock building design and construction, including separating flammable materials and using fire-resistant, impermeable materials. In addition, NPPC has developed strong partnerships with the insurance industry and is working to improve fire safety in barns, reducing the risk of fires and helping to address increasing insurance rates.”
Despite this setback, NPPC remains committed to fighting this burdensome requirement and noted it will continue to advocate for the pork industry alongside other affected industries.
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