Changes in Welsh building legislation are set to bring in more work for plumbers. Newly built residential properties including houses, blocks of flats, care homes and university halls of residence will all be required to have sprinklers fitted. The law received unanimous support from the Welsh assembly and from three fire and rescue services as a life-saving measure. Unlike smoke alarms, which can be over-sensitive, sprinkler systems don’t activate if someone burns their toast. They only respond to the high temperature caused by fire. Blane Judd of The CIPHE commented, “The legislation is good news for members of the public. Due to the increase in demand some plumbers will need to retrain so that they can work with the sprinkler systems but it will be worth it to save so many lives. The National House Building Council has queried whether the process will be cost effective and whether existing water pressures would enable the sprinklers to work in many homes. CIPHE Registered plumbers will be in the best position to address these issues and find a way of ensuring that the new sprinklers are effective no matter what the type of property and location.” Wales is the first country to require sprinklers to be fitted in residential properties. If Welsh plumbers can make the scheme cost effective as well as life-saving it may set a precedent for the rest of the UK and beyond. Blane added, “It will be interesting to monitor the results of the new sprinkler legislation and see how many lives are saved. Even though it’s not a legal requirement in England or Scotland, there’s no reason why plumbers can’t offer sprinklers for new and older properties for additional safety.