Some property owners may be wary of the potential water damage that may result from sprinkler activation in the event of a fire situation.
However, sprinklers have proven to be an effective way to save lives and significantly reduce fire damage. The fact is that sprinkler systems activate only at a very high level of heat – often 155 degrees or more.
Reliable fire protection system
Sprinklers may be the most reliable fire protection system known
How reliable are fire sprinklers? Sprinklers may be the most reliable fire protection system known – 90% of the time, just one sprinkler is enough to contain a fire.
Other fire safety measures are less resilient in fire situations. Exit doors can be blocked or locked, while smoke detectors only provide an early warning to smoke or fire, but can do nothing to extinguish a fire or protect those unable to escape.
Fire-fighting hose lines
The benefits of installing sprinkler systems:
- Water damage from a sprinkler system is much less severe than that of water from fire-fighting hose lines or smoke and fire damage.
- Sprinklers release 8-24 gallons of water per minute compared to a fire-hose discharge of 80-125 gallons per minute.
- Sprinkler heads are individually activated by fire temperatures in excess of 155° – restricting the potential water damage to the proximity of that sprinkler head.
- Sprinklers save lives. Statistics reveal that there has never been multiple loss of life in a building fully equipped with sprinklers.
- Property losses are 85% less in properties with fire sprinklers compared to those without.
- Insurance premiums may be reduced – fire sprinklers are an important safety feature and will often result in premium discounts.
Automatic sprinklers and early warning systems in buildings could reduce injuries, property damage and loss of life by at least 50%. Without them, is it worth the risk?
