NYACS Laments Gas Pump Safety Equipment Campaign

New York Association of Convenience Stores dismissed a new online campaign from the fire equipment industry.

January 21, 2016

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York’s convenience store operators dismissed the fire equipment industry's new “Safe at the Pump” campaign as misinformation.

The New York State Association of Fire Equipment Companies (NYSAFEC) announced it launched a drive that would seek to educate all New Yorkers about a recent recommendation to eliminate the requirement of fire suppression systems above pumps at all gas stations.

“That's misleading, and they know it,” said Jim Calvin, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS). “The Code Council proposed lifting the mandate only for those gas stations that are newly built or extensively renovated to meet the new standards in the 2015 International Fire Code.” The Code Council is a state entity housed within the New York Department of State that opted in August 2015 to do away with the regulation as part of an overhaul of the state’s new fire code.

“The fire suppression requirement would still apply to all remaining stations, including the Long Island location [where a January 1 blaze occurred],” Calvin said. “So why claim we're all gonna die?”

“Let's be frank," said Calvin. “Selling, servicing, inspecting and recharging gas station fire suppression systems is a lucrative business for the equipment dealers. That's what this fuss is all about. Improvements in gas pump safety are threatening their gravy train, and rather than adapt, they're trying to reverse the policy by scaring the public.”

NYSAFEC's “histrionics notwithstanding, the state Code Council didn't go rogue here,” Calvin added. “After years of due deliberation, they adopted the provisions of the 2015 International Fire Code, which had been developed by America's top engineers and safety professionals based on science, rather than self-interest.”

Calvin said convenience stores care about the safety of their customers and employees, "but the truth is the greater danger is from malfunctioning fire suppression systems. Reputable retailers in all corners of the state told the state Code Council they can never recall their fire suppression systems activating for the purpose of quelling a gas-pump fire, yet every single year, multiple times, these systems discharge accidentally and without notice.”

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