By Ronny J. Coleman
President of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition
Many of the religions have established sacred sites where they expect the devout followers to visit to demonstrate their beliefs. In the context of religion, there are those who obey that journey who are classified as pilgrims. And there are those who stayed at home and continued following the beliefs of the religious doctrine. As the author Eric Hoffer once stated, “The true believer is the backbone of any movement.”
While the fire profession certainly does not qualify as a religion, it possesses similar concepts, especially with regard to fire prevention. In that setting, the sites that require a visit are defined as code development hearings. Those that make a pilgrimage to support code development are evidence of the true believer. Two events of recent times demonstrate this phenomenon. I am referring, of course, to the efforts that were made in Minneapolis Minnesota to put residential sprinklers into the IRC, accompanied by an immediate requirement to go to Baltimore and prevent them from being removed from that same code.
The fire service should be immensely proud of both events. But, just as importantly we should be reminded that in order to sustain our beliefs, the pilgrimage will have to be made over and over again as the code development process continues. The way this could be characterized is that in order to sustain any significant change we must continue to be eternally committed to the idea that an ounce of prevention is still worth more than a pound of cure.
Those that participated in Minneapolis may recall a point in time when it was determined by electronic vote, that the sprinkler movement had prevailed. At one level, that is personally satisfying. But at another level, it is professionally significant. Individuals do make a difference when they operate with similar goals in mind.
As President of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition, these two events have left a lasting impression upon me. They clearly demonstrate that “the sleeping giant” who is often referred to by former Congressman Kurt Weldon is beginning to awaken.
Again referring to the events that have just transpired, one could not have been present in Baltimore and witness to the forest of hands that were thrust skyward to retain the residential sprinkler requirement without experiencing a sense of personal accomplishment.
Thomas Kuhn, writing about the shift in paradigm in science, noted that when major change occurs all previous belief in the past truth dissolves. The vote in Baltimore was a paradigm shift in the fire service. It took countless individuals and organizational support of every element in our profession to make it happen.
If you are a true believer and were there, it is unlikely you will ever forget it. If you are a true believer and had to stay home but were there in spirit we must remember that continuing in this direction is going to require future pilgrimage. I look forward to seeing you on the pathway to the future.