Fire sprinkler fact sheet

Saturday, May 19 is National Home Fire Sprinkler Day. All week long we’re spreading the word about the benefits of installing home fire sprinklers! Join the conversation online using the hashtag #HomeFireSprinklerDay.

Myths about fire sprinklers still pervade our society and deter people from including them in their home building plans or from retrofitting them into an existing home.

Take a few moments to read through common myths about home fire sprinklers and help us spread the facts!

Home fire sprinklers often leak or activate accidentally.
Leaks are very rare, and are no more likely than leaks from a home’s plumbing system. A sprinkler is calibrated to activate when it senses a significant heat change. They don’t operate in response to smoke, cooking vapors, or the sound of a smoke alarm.

When a fire occurs, every sprinkler will activate and everything in the house will be ruined!
In the event of a fire, typically only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire, leaving the rest of the house dry and secure. Roughly 85% of the time, just one sprinkler operates.

Sprinklers are not practical in Wisconsin as the pipes will freeze in the winter and cause water damage.
With proper installation, sprinklers will not freeze. Your local installer follows guidelines on proper insulation set by the NFPA to prevent your pipes from freezing.

Sprinklers are unattractive and will ruin the aesthetics of the home.
New home fire sprinkler models are very unobtrusive, can be mounted flush with walls or ceilings, and can be concealed behind decorative covers.

The water damage caused by sprinklers will be more extensive than fire damage.
In a fire, sprinklers quickly control heat and smoke. Any water damage from the sprinkler will be much less severe than the damage caused by water from firefighting hose lines. Fire departments use up to 10 times as much water to extinguish a home fire as fire sprinklers would use to extinguish the same fire.

Considering fire sprinklers for your home?

Contact MFD Fire Protection Engineer Bill Sullivan at (608) 261-9658 to get started!
 

Info courtesy: firesprinklerinitiative.org

Keep reading! Hiding In Plain Sight: Choosing Concealed Fire Sprinklers

This content is free for use with credit to the City of Madison - Fire and a link back to the original post.

Category: General, Your Safety