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Residential Sprinklers
Residential Fire Sprinklers Save Lives
Fires in American homes have taken a high toll of life and
property. Preliminary 2003 findings are 3,928 deaths, over 25,000 injured and
$12
billion plus in property destroyed.
Studies by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's U.S.
Fire Administration indicate that the installation of residential fire
sprinklers could have saved thousands of lives, prevented a large amount of
injuries, and saved hundreds of millions of dollars in property losses.
What Are Home Fire Sprinkler Systems?
Using quick response sprinklers and approved piping, homes
can be built, or even remodeled, to include low-cost automatic sprinkler systems
connected to the domestic water supply. Sprinkler systems offer advantages to
the homebuilder:
- A low-cost reliable safety option that would attract many buyers.
- Trade-offs between sprinklers and code requirements that can result in
lower construction costs.
For homeowners, the advantages include assurance of a safer
environment for your family, protection of your investment and irreplaceable
family possessions, and lower insurance rates.
Advantages of Newly Designed Home Sprinkler Systems
- Fast Response - Residential sprinklers, listed by Underwriters
Labs, are now available. They are designed to respond to a fire much faster
than the currently available standard commercial and industrial sprinkler
systems.
- Low Cost - At the present time, cost of a home sprinkler system is
targeted at approximately $1.00 per square foot in new construction. It is
hoped that the cost will decrease as the use of home fire protection grows.
It is also possible to retrofit existing homes with sprinkler systems.
- Small Size - For home systems, the sprinklers will be smaller than
the traditional, commercial, and industrial sprinklers, and can be
aesthetically coordinated with any room decor.
- Low Water Requirement - These systems will require less water than
the systems installed in industry or commercial establishments.
*A Growing Number of Communities Promote Home Fire
Sprinklers
Test Your Sprinkler
Knowledge
- When one sprinkler goes off, all
sprinklers go off. FALSE
-Only the sprinkler over the fire will activate. The
sprinkler heads are temperature controlled.
- A sprinkler can go off, causing
severe water damage. FALSE
-Records, which have been compiled for well over 50 years,
prove the likelihood of this occurring is very remote.
- Water damage from a sprinkler
system will be more extensive than fire damage.
FALSE- The sprinkler system will
severely limit a fire's growth. Therefore, damage from a home sprinkler
system will be much less severe than the smoke and fire damage, if the fire
had gone unabated, or even the water damage caused by water from
firefighting hose lines.
- Home sprinklers are expensive.
FALSE -Current estimates suggest
that when a home is under construction, a home sprinkler system could cost
less than 1% of the total building price.
- Residential sprinklers systems are
ugly. FALSE -The
traditional, commercial-type sprinklers as well as sprinklers for home use
are now being designed to fit in with most any decor.
Insurance Discount
Insurance from homeowner underwriters will vary depending on
the type of coverage. The discounts now range between 5 - 15%, with a projected
increase in available discounts.
If you would like further information, please contact
the Bainbridge Township Fire Department.
This site is provided by the
Bainbridge Township Fire Department for the community that we faithfully serve.
Please contact Asst.
Chief Bill Lovell with any bugs, comments or suggestions for
improvement so that we can make this site more beneficial.
Last
Revision: 11/05/04 
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