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Residential Fire Sprinklers

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.

Sprinklers in Homes

But what about our homes? Although we protect our businesses from fire, what actions do we take to protect our families, our homes, and our possessions from fire? 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!

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

Source: National Fire Protection Association Fire Loss in the U.S. During 2006.

Studies by the U.S. Fire Administration indicate that the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems could have saved thousands of lives; prevented a large portion of those injuries; and eliminated 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 retrofitted 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, 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.

Important

Residential Sprinkler Myths and Facts

Have you ever heard someone say "If one sprinkler head goes off, they all go off." or "The sprinklers may go off accidentally."?

Read the facts behind these myths about residential sprinklers. External Links

Advantages of Newly Designed Home Sprinkler Systems

Fast Response: Residential sprinklers, listed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., are now available. They are designed to respond to a fire much faster than currently available standard commercial and industrial sprinkler systems. The new home sprinklers react automatically to fires more quickly because of their improved sensitivity.
Low Cost: At the present time, cost of a home sprinkler system is targeted at approximately $1.00 to $1.50 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 residential systems, the sprinklers will be smaller than traditional, commercial, and industrial sprinklers, and can be aesthetically coordinated with any room decor.
Minimal Installation Work: When homes are under construction or being remodeled, a home sprinkler system will require minimal extra piping and labor.
Low Water Requirement: These systems will require less water than the systems installed in industrial or commercial establishments and can be connected to the domestic water supply.
Piping Requirements: In addition to metallic pipe, the use of plastic pipe has brought down the cost of installation in new construction and the retrofit of existing structures.

A Growing Number of Communities Promote Home Fire Sprinklers

The fire loss in this country in residential occupancies is alarming. Manual firefighting methods are not the answer. The way to attack the problem is to limit the fire growth where it occurs in dwellings. We have the technology to do that.

According to the Residential Fire Safety Institute (RFSI), over 300 communities have initiated residential sprinkler ordinances. For a comprehensive list of communities, please visit the RFSI’s Web site External Links .

Sprinklers Are a Good Investment for Homebuilders

Through the use of construction trade-offs, homebuilders and developers can achieve reduced construction costs if residential sprinkler systems are installed. Home sprinkler systems offer safety and financial advantages to homebuyers, a rare combination.

Sprinklers Are a Good Investment for the Homebuyer

A fire occurs in a residential structure about every 80 seconds, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. To the homebuilder, this fact means that a large share of potential customers now have knowledge of the terror and destruction caused by fire.
Families with children, senior citizens, and handicapped members have special fire protection needs. Home sprinkler systems provide added protection for these people.
In case of a home fire, firefighters will have less risk of injury or life loss since they will be fighting a fire of less intensity.
Allocation of community resources can be improved with the adoption of home sprinkler technology.
Communities will be able to make better utilization of available land and thereby increase their tax base.

Insurance Discount

Insurance from homeowner underwriters will vary depending on type of coverage. The discounts now range between 5-15%, with a projected increase in available discounts.