RESOLUTION #08-01

RESOLUTION OF THE BROWARD COUNTY BOARD OF RULES AND APPEALS URGING THE ADOPTION OF THE 2008 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE (NPFA 70) AND THE 2008 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE FOR ONE-AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS (NFPA 70A) BY THE FLORIDA BUILDING COMMISSION

WHEREAS, the life, health, safety and welfare of the residents of Broward County, and of the State of Florida is the top priority of the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals and the Florida Building Commission, and

WHEREAS, The National Electrical Code is the Country’s most universally adopted construction code, with more than a 100 year track record of providing electrical safety for millions of Americans through regular and thorough revisions that incorporate the latest in safety technology, and

WHEREAS, The 2008 edition of the NEC includes many updates, one of which is an expanded requirement for Arc Fault Circuit interrupters (AFCI’s) an innovative home safety device designed to prevent home electrical fires, and

WHEREAS, Each year in the United States electrical fires take the lives of 485 people, injure 2,300 others, and destroy more than $868 million in property damage, accordingly to data from the United States Fire Administration (USFA), and,

WHEREAS, The combination of two safety enhancements in the 2008 NEC, AFCI Protection and Tamper Resistant Receptacles, are of only modest cost and reliably estimated to be as follows:

Example A -900 sq ft house $160.18 or 900 sq ft dwelling unit Or $.18/sq ft

Example B -2,100 sq ft house $241.36 or 2,100 sq ft dwelling unit or $.11 sq ft, and

WHEREAS, The adopting of the 2008 NEC is supported by the Electrical Safety Foundation International, the National Electrical Contractors Association, the National Association of State Fire Marshalls, and the United States Product Safety Commission (CPSC), among others, and

WHEREAS, The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission believes that the AFCI form of circuit breakers, if installed in all homes, could prevent more than 50 percent of electrical fires from occurring , and