Letter to Editor: 'Life Saving Bylaw' At Town Meeting

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you in response to article “Fire Chief Urges Selectmen To Adopt 'Life Saving' Bylaw,” posted on April 12.

I am a member of the Northeast Chapter of the Structural Building Components Association – the trade association representing manufacturers of structural building components such as trusses and wall panels. The Northeast Chapter does business all throughout New England, including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Currently, there is increasing pressure to treat trusses, engineered wood products and cold formed steel products in a special manner with regard to building and fire codes. We believe that if the Town adopts a labeling bylaw, universal labeling of ALL buildings is the safest approach, as it will allow the fire ground crew to immediately assess the building, no matter what building products were used to construct the building. Recent UL testing shows how unpredictable all fires can be, and having a consistent approach to labeling the building no matter how it was constructed can only help the fire fighters on the ground assess the situation more holistically with respect to their approach to fighting the fire.

I would  welcome an opportunity to speak at the upcoming Town of Danvers Meeting on May 21 to discuss the building labeling bylaw (addressed in the article) put forth for vote by official Town Meeting Members. Since only Town Meeting Members are allowed to speak at the meeting, I will be present in case a  Town Meeting Member wishes to cede their speaking time to me so that I may respectfully deliver our message.

Feel free to contact me directly if you are a Town of Danvers Meeting Member and would be willing to give me a few minutes to speak on behalf of my industry.

Sincerely,

Gunnar Isaacson – MiTek Industries

GIsaacson@mii.com