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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 1996 findings are 5,000 deaths, over 25,000 injured and $9 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
Below is a list of some of the communities that have adopted Residential Sprinkler Ordinance's
| Livermore, California |
Sarasota, Florida |
| Long Grove, Illinois |
Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Germantown, Tennessee |
Cobb County, Georgia |
| Scottsdale, Arizona |
Altamonte Springs, Florida |
Test You 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.
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fire prevention and life safety