Residential Fire Sprinklers

Should They Be Mandatory?

Residential Sprinkler Overview

• Millions of Americans have installed smoke alarms in their homes in the past few years, but a smoke alarm can only alert the occupants to a fire in the house—it cannot contain or extinguish a fire. Residential sprinkler systems can!

History: Sprinkler Systems in Industry

• Schools, office buildings, factories, and other commercial buildings have benefited from fire protection sprinkler systems for over a century. To prevent investments in buildings and machinery, the textile mills in New England began using sprinkler systems over 100 years ago following a series of devastating fires which claimed many lives and destroyed entire businesses.

What Are Home Fire Sprinkler Systems?

• Using quick response sprinklers and approved piping, homes can be built or even retrofitted to include low-cost automatic sprinkler systems connected to the domestic water supply.

• Sprinkler systems offer advantages to the homebuilder:

• Trade-offs between sprinklers and code requirements that can result in lower construction costs, more units per area of land, etc.

• For homeowners, the advantages include assurance of a safer environment for their families, protection of their investment and irreplaceable family possessions, and lower insurance rates 5 to 15 percent.

It’s Like Having A Firefighter At Your Home!

Residential Fire Sprinkler Design

• Using quick response sprinklers and approved piping, homes can be built or even retrofitted to include low-cost automatic sprinkler systems connected to the domestic water supply.

Sprinklers — The Solution

• Fires in residences have taken a high toll of life and property. In 2006 there were:

• 412,500 residential fires • 2,620 residential fire

deaths • 12,925 residential fire

injuries • $7.0 billion in residential

property damage

Henry County’s Approach

• April 15, 2002, Henry County Board of Commissioners approved adoption of NFPA R13 into local code.

• Covered multi-family dwellings

2006 Multi-Family Statistics

• 13 Incidents in Multi-Family Dwellings– 6 Extinguished or

Controlled by sprinklers. (Minimal Fire Damage)

– 4 Involved decks or were outside in nature.

– 3 Fires in non-sprinkler multi-family occupancies (Major Fire Damage)

Recommendations

• A focus group should be established to complete a feasibility study.

• The political inanities' in the county should unite in favor of residential fire sprinklers.

• An education drive should be enacted to educate the public and construction community.

In Closing

• “Should residential sprinklers be mandatory?”yes, yes, yes. The data supports this and the numbers tell the story. Sprinklers save lives and reduce fire loss. This can be done for about one percent of the total construction cost. It only makes sense

• IT WILL SAVE LIVES!!!!!