Residential%20Fire%20Sprinklers

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Residential Fire Sprinklers
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What is the leading cause of fire?

• Men
• Women
• Children

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Will we stop responding to incidents?

• Not likely!

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Do you know these children?

• Jordan Tinsley Age 9
• John Tinsley Age 7
• Benjamin Tinsley Age 6

• Died early morning June 25, 2007, from a house
  fire near Texarkana, Texas.

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2007 Year-to-Date Multiple Fatality Fire Deaths

• Fires 113
• Deaths 431
• Adults 197
• Children 234

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Fire Death and Injuries in One- Two-family
Dwellings (Percentage of Residential)

• Fire deaths 83
• Fire injuries 74
• Fire property damage 83
• Fireground firefighter deaths 70
• 2004 NFPA

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More Fire Facts

• Young children, older adults, and physically and
  
• mentally challenged people face the highest
  risk of
• injury or death in residential fires.
• Too often, people fail to respond appropriately
  to
• the sound of a smoke detector, because they
  
• assume it is a false alarm. Rather that
  exiting the
• building, they search to confirm the existence
  of a
• fire, wasting the few precious minutes they
  may
• have to escape.

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Unlike what TV and movies show, only when
sufficient heat is present will a sprinkler
discharge water.
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How safe are you?

• 80 of all fires start in the home. While most
  start during the day, most fatal fires occur at
  night
• Americans suffer an unwanted fire every 10
  seconds
• Every 74 seconds a fire is of enough magnitude to
  call the Fire Dept.
• More than 3,000 people died in fires in 2005.
• 19,300 people are injured in home fires each year
• There is a 1 in 200 chance of fire in your home
  during your lifetime

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How does time affect the Fire Departments
ability to deliver service?
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(No Transcript)
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How does a home fire sprinklers discharge
compare to a fire hose attack line discharge?

• A residential low flow pendant sprinkler head
  delivers approximately 13 to 18 gallons per
  minute of water
• A fire hose attack line delivers 200 gallons per
  minute (this does not include a backup line which
  would double the flow of water)

• Sprinkler systems represent a choice, a little
  water when the fire starts or a lot of water when
  the fire department arrives

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NFPA 13D Sprinkler systems One / Two Family
Dwellings

• Average water usage for sprinklered home - 341
  gallons
• Average water usage for unsprinklered home 2935
  gallons
• Average repair costs for sprinklered home 2,166
  dollars
• Average repair costs for unsprinklered home
  45,019 dollars
• With both smoke detection and sprinklers,
• death, injury by fire is reduced by 82

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NFPA 13 Systems

• NFPA 13 systems are for commercial occupancies
• Designed primarily for property conservation
• The average sprinkler head discharges 25 to 35
  gallons per minute
• Sprinkler heads are located everywhere
  attics, basements, crawl spaces, closets and
  concealed spaces
• Systems are designed for the flow of multiple
  heads (12-15 on average)
• Life safety is a byproduct of the system

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NFPA 13D systems

• Are designed for 1 and 2 family dwellings
• Designed primarily for life safety only but will
  contain or frequently extinguish the fire
• The average sprinkler head discharges 13 to 18
  gallons per minute
• Sprinkler heads are located in paths of egress
  only bedrooms, hallways, kitchens, dining rooms
  and laundry rooms - none in attics, crawl spaces,
  closets (size dependent) or bathrooms (size
  dependent)
• This coverage provides fire protection from 83
  of all areas fire originates
• Systems are designed for the flow of 1 to 2
  sprinkler heads

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Types of Sprinklers
Residential
Commercial
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Where is the sprinkler?
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Multipurpose Systems

• Part of the cold water loop in the house.
• Reduces the chance of freezing.
• Placing back into service after activation
  ensures repair.
• No additional backflow prevention.

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Are Sprinkler Systems Effective?
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Green Effect

• Reduces the amount of water needed to extinguish
  a fire.
• Smoke production is minimal
• Natural resources such as lumber is not needed to
  rebuild the home

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Myths Facts

• Myth Sprinkler heads activate accidentally
• Fact 1 in 16,000,000 chance of accidental
  activation
• Myth All sprinklers go off
• Fact Sprinklers react to heat, only those
  exposed will activate
• Myth Sprinkler heads will leak
• Fact Operate at the same water pressure as
  your plumbing but tested 2-3 times higher at
  installation
• Myth Sprinklers are unsightly
• Fact Sprinklers can be recessed into the
  ceiling

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Myths Facts

• Myth Too expensive
• Fact Approx. 1-2 of the homes cost
• Myth They cause water damage
• Fact Damage is substantially less than damage
  caused by the fire department if sprinklers are
  not present.
• Myth Residential fire sprinklers dont save
  lives
• Fact There has not been a fatality in a home
  with residential fire sprinklers in Napa, CA or
  Cobb County, GA. Scottsdale, AZ credits
  sprinklers for saving 52 lives since 1985 when an
  ordinance was enacted.

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Update

• Residential Sprinkler Committee
• NC Fire Marshals Assoc
• NC State Firemens Association
• NC Association of Fire Chiefs
• NC County Fire Marshals Association
• NC IAAI
• NC Building Inspectors Association
• NC Home Sprinkler Alliance Educational
  Component
• Working to create a new limited license for
  plumbers to install and design residential
  systems.

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Questions?