Fire sprinklers are the most effective fire safety devices and provide powerful protection from fire. They are designed for a quick response to fires, meaning they are designed to save lives. Because they control fires so quickly, they also reduce damage to the property and other valuables.
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Additional Tips
- Having both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers installed in a home reduces the risk of dying in a home by about 80%.
- Fire sprinklers work automatically and immediately to control or extinguish a fire before it spreads and often before the fire department arrives on scene.
- Fire sprinklers prevent deadly smoke and flashover, the point at which the extreme temperature causes everything in a room to ignite into flames.
- Since sprinklers control fires so quickly, they also reduce damage to the property and other valuables.
Home Sprinkler Myths
- “All Sprinklers Activate at Once” – Only heat from a fire will activate the sprinkler closest to the fire. In the vast majority of fires, only one fire sprinkler is needed to control or extinguish the fire.
- “Smoke can Activate Sprinklers” – Smoke, cooking vapors, or steam cannot cause fire sprinklers to activate. Only the high temperature of a fire will activate a sprinkler.
- “Water will Create more Damage than the Fire” – A fire sprinkler activates during the early stages of a fire before it grows and spreads. If a sprinkler is not present, a fire typically grows exponentially larger until firefighters arrive, causing more property damage and requiring a greater amount of water from firefighters’ hoses to extinguish the fire. Fire sprinklers control or extinguish a fire with only a tiny fraction of the water.
- “Sprinklers are Ugly” – Sprinkler pipes are hidden behind walls and ceilings. Home fire sprinklers can be concealed behind special plates that are flush with the walls or ceilings. The sprinkler manufacturer can even custom pain the plates to match a home’s decor.
- “Sprinklers are too Expensive” – Fire sprinklers add about 1.5% to the cost of a new home – about the same cost as an upgrade to the carpeting. But carpeting is often replaced every 10 years, while fire sprinklers last for the life of the home. Compared to the cost of carpeting, fire sprinklers give you peace of mind for a bargain price.