Fire Sprinklers

Fire sprinklers provide a level of protection that no other fire protection technology can offer. Like smoke alarms, sprinklers detect a fire; but they do even more. They automatically respond to a fire while it is still small, controlling the spread of deadly heat, flames, and toxic smoke. Fire sprinklers are effective whether or not the residents or employees have responded to the smoke alarm, and they can make up for human error. In short, sprinklers provide a life-saving cushion for a time-consuming escape.

Residential Fire Sprinkler Facts

• According to the U.S. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), almost 3,500 people die in residential fires each year, most in homes without working smoke alarms or fire sprinklers.
• In 2010, residential fires loss totalled more than $6.6 billion, according to FEMA's U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).
• When both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers are present in a home, the risk of dying in a fire is reduced by 82 percent, when compared to a residence without either.
• Smoke alarms and sprinklers provide residents the time it takes to get everyone out of the house, before firefighters have to come in.
• In a fire, only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire. Ninety percent of fires are contained by the operation of just one sprinkler.
• The Fire Protection Research Foundation (2008) determined home fire sprinkler systems cost, on average, $1.61 per square foot of sprinklered space in new construction.
• Home fire sprinkler systems are as reliable as home plumbing systems.
• Modern residential and commercial sprinklers are inconspicuous and can be mounted flush with walls or ceilings. Please take a moment to watch the video demonstrations of fires in sprinklered versus unsprinklered spaces.