Fire Sprinklers, The Silent Hero

By Fire Chief Steve Pollio

In the past several months I have read more fire service publications that dedicated space to the subject of fire sprinkler systems, than in my entire fire service career. Fire sprinkler systems have been around for many years and have been credited with saving numerous  lives and saving billions of dollars worth of property. So why is there so much recent attention on this topic?

The reason may be that fire service personnel believe that the time has come for fire sprinklers to be a required part of all newly constructed residential housing units. In Florida, fire sprinklers are currently required in all new construction of buildings three stories or more, except for single family homes, and certain types of parking structures. In Coconut Creek, this code resulted in many apartment buildings being protected by fire sprinkler systems. Last month in our City, an unoccupied apartment unit caught fire and was extinguished by one fire sprinkler head, minimizing fire damage. In addition, the fire sprinkler system activated the fire alarm, notifying the adjoining residents of the danger, and triggered an automatic alarm to the fire department.

Historically, most fire sprinkler systems have been required in large commercial and high rise buildings. With that in mind, you may be surprised to learn that approximately 81% of fire deaths occur in homes. Statistically, one in four persons will be involved in a fire in their lifetime. During the past twenty years, the only fire safety improvements added to single family homes have been the addition of smoke detectors and egress windows. Smoke detectors have been extremely successful and have reduced home fire deaths by almost 50%. In 2006, fires accounted for 3,245 civilian fire deaths in the United States. Ironically, new methods of lightweight construction and modern interior furnishings have contributed to the rapidity of structural failure and fire growth. Simultaneously, numerous other modifications to the building code were made. Fire service personnel believes it is time to further reduce the lives lost in residential fires with the installation of fire sprinklers in new residential construction.

 So how does a fire sprinkler system work? Fire sprinkler piping is tied into the municipal water lines which provide a continuous flow of water. Fire sprinkler heads are installed in each room or area, as needed to provide uniform coverage. When a fire occurs, the heat, smoke, and fire gases rise to the ceiling, and activate the temperature sensitive fire sprinkler heads. Each head activates individually when that particular head reaches it predesigned temperature. Statistically, most fires are extinguished by one to three heads flowing an average of twelve to twenty gallons per minute. These systems typically activate within 90 seconds. Because the fire is contained and reduced so quickly, damage from fire, smoke, and water are reduced, as are the risk to lives.