THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 99.99 PERCENT AFFORDABLE SOLUTION TO FIRE

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) was created by the fire insurers during 1896. The insurers feared the fire sprinkler system that had been invented during the 1860s. If all buildings were equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system the numbers of serious fires and fire deaths would approach zero. This would be bad for the insurance industry so the first task of the NFPA was to create a sprinkler design regulation that would prevent the installation of sprinklers in close to 100 percent of all buildings.

The NFPA was able to continue its near 100 percent prevention of installations of a water based automatic fire control system in buildings until the 1970s. It was then that I created the Patton Life Safety System. Although the NFPA and the fire insurance industry attacked me in many ways I was able to gain legal approvals from most of the country for the system I developed. I installed hundreds of these systems, sometimes with cost savings of 90 percent compared to NFPA designed systems.

Thus, after about 75 years of the NFPA prohibitions against practical fire control systems to protect human life, I was able to break down the barriers. For the first time sprinklers became practical for hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, motels, apartment houses, high rise office buildings, schools, dormitories, dance halls, houses of worship, and even the single family home.

Because the LSS was dirt cheap compared to the NFPA system, and far better engineered, finally there was a near perfect solution to serious building fires and fire deaths. However, as I designed and installed these systems the NFPA, the fire insurers and others (that profited from fire) attacked the new technology and harassed me; driving me out of business three times. By doing so, the “Fire Club” confirmed what I had been claiming for years; that the NFPA code system is not oriented to reduce fire, rather it is structured to profit from fire.

Because of my work many of the newly constructed buildings where life is most at risk to fire are finally being built with sprinklers within. I broke the barrier to using sprinklers to protect lives rather than property only. But due to the corruption within the regulatory system, the prices are still much too high which reduces the percentage of buildings being made fire safe. Of course, by having forced the public realization that sprinklers should be included for protecting lives in all buildings, the advancement of better engineered systems is evolving, although very slowly.

When those who profit from fire deliberately rig fire tests, disseminate performance lies, corrupt codes and are willing to burn children to achieve their goals, creating a fire free community is a tough task. If even 5 percent of the fire protection engineers in this country would be real engineers rather that puppets of a corrupt fire code system, many more lives would be saved.

Richard M. PattonEngineer, Researcher, ConsultantRmpatton7@gmail.com