Smoke Detectors, Sprinklers Increase Chances of Surviving a Fire by 98%
If this were an average fire, it would spread within four minutes and in 10 minutes the entire building would be in flames. But if this fire started in a properly equipped building, it would be controlled or extinguished in two minutes or less, saving lives, injuries and thousands of dollars in property damage. Proper equipment includes fire sprinkler systems that increase chances of surviving a fire by 97%, more than double the survival chances in a building with smoke detectors only.
Last year, North Carolina reported more than 20,000 fires in homes, businesses, and institutions. Fire incidents increase at this time of year as people spend more time indoors using heating systems and fireplaces. During National Fire Prevention Month in October, fire experts want to encourage the installation of fire sprinklers in all residential and commercial buildings.
A recent training exercise conducted by the High Point, NC Fire Department tested the effectiveness of sprinklers in a residential setting. A smoke detector and a fire sprinkler were installed in a typically furnished living room and a fire was started in a wastebasket. In each of the 15 tests, the smoke detector activated in less than 15 seconds and the sprinkler either extinguished or contained the fire completely in less than a minute.
"Our demonstration showed that the combination of smoke detectors and sprinkler systems greatly increases the chance of surviving a fire," says Ron Lewis, training officer for the High Point Fire Department. "The smoke detector helps at home to alert the residents and the sprinkler system keeps the fire from spreading. In our demonstration the fire was actually extinguished by the sprinkler."
According to the National Fire Protection Association, smoke detectors increase chances of surviving a fire by 47% by giving an early warning; with the addition of a fire sprinkler system the survival rate jumps to 9%. "A smoke detector warns you of the fire but it does nothing to stop it. A sprinkler system goes into action fighting the fire right away," says Lewis.
In a commercial building, fire sprinklers can make a critical difference in business operations. Last year when a fire broke out at Electrical South, a computer repair company based in North Carolina, the fire was contained immediately by the fire sprinkler system, enabling the company to continue work.
"Even though the local fire department was very responsive, it was the fire sprinkler system that acted on the spot to save our expensive equipment," says Dennis Reed, Electrical South president. "Because no one was hurt and fire damage was limited, we were able to move ahead with our work schedules to meet the time-critical needs of our customers around the globe."
Although most large commercial buildings have sprinkler systems, the percentage of small businesses that have fire sprinkler systems installed is very low, according to the American Fire Sprinkler Association. "Small business owners need to add fire sprinklers to protect themselves and their employees and to prevent their hard-earned success from going up in flames," says Tom Waller, executive director of the Carolinas Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association.
Residential use of fire sprinklers is on the rise, particularly in new homes. Although fire sprinklers have been protecting lives and property for more than a century, recent advances in technology have made them more affordable and attractive for home installations. Fire sprinkler heads can now be concealed behind ceilings, out of sight until needed to extinguish a fire. Sprinklers are also available in a range of colors and sizes to blend into the background.
Commercial fire sprinkler systems, such as in offices, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, malls, and hotels have also benefited from technological advances. "Some businesses, such as high-tech or biomedical firms, may have inventory or equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in each square foot of their facility. They depend on fire sprinklers to control fires immediately and to greatly reduce injuries and damage," says Steve Hensley, president of the Carolinas chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association and president of Associated Sprinkler.
"Some newly developed sprinkler heads are more precise and can cover three times the area of previous styles," says Hensley. "New pipe materials that simplify installation have further increased efficiency."
Wonder how a fire sprinkler works? Automatic fire sprinkler heads are individually heat-activated and tied into a network of piping with water under pressure. When the heat of a fire raises the sprinkler temperature to its operating point (usually 165°F), a solder link melts or a liquid-filled glass bulb shatters to open that single sprinkler, releasing water in a fine mist directly over the source of the heat. Only the heated sprinkler head activates and the sprinkler heads away from the fire remain inactive. Because sprinkler systems can put the fire out when it's still small, they minimize water damage.
Quick response sprinklers release 8–24 gallons of water per minute compared to 50–200 gallons per minute release by a fire hose. Ninety percent of all fires are controlled with six or fewer sprinkler heads and most are controlled with just one. And don't worry that the sprinklers will go off when no fire is smoldering. The odds are one in 16 million per year that a sprinkler will accidentally discharge.