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Study Shows Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Save Lives and Property
(ARA) - After 15 years of requiring all new homes built in Scottsdale, Ariz. to
have a residential fire sprinkler system, data collected by the local fire
department indicates that 13 lives were saved and more than $20 million in
property loss was prevented.
According to Jim Ford, fire marshal, Scottsdale Rural/Metro Fire Department,
41,408 homes, more than 50 percent of the homes in Scottsdale, are protected
with fire sprinkler systems. During the last three years, the average fire loss
in the homes with sprinklers was $2,166, compared to $45,019 in homes without
sprinklers.
"Without a doubt, our data proves residential fire sprinklers save lives and
property," Ford said.
While fire sprinklers have protected public buildings for more than 100 years,
most deaths caused by fire occur in homes. According to the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) more than 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in
homes. Yet, with more than 1.2 million homes built annually nationwide, less
than 1 percent will have fire sprinkler systems installed.
"The problem is many people building homes are not aware that fire sprinklers
are an option," said Gary Keith, chair of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC).
To increase awareness, the nonprofit group launched an advertising campaign on
the cable network Home and Garden TV (HGTV).
Two 30-second ads feature home improvement expert Ron Hazelton in the kitchen of
a new home with a fire sprinkler system. Hazelton informs viewers that fire
sprinklers are the next generation in home fire safety because they control and
usually extinguish the fire before the fire department arrives on the scene. One
spot informs viewers that only the sprinkler closest to the fire activates.
"Our biggest challenge is dispelling the myths that the entire system
activates," Keith said. "When you look at the Scottsdale data, 90 percent of the
fires were contained with one sprinkler."
According to the HFSC, nationally on average, the cost to install a fire
sprinkler system is between 1 and 1.5 percent of the total building cost. In
Scottsdale, the cost is about half the national average. Ford said that because
fire sprinklers are required in all new homes, there is more competition between
installers, which drives the cost down.
"Slowly, more people are beginning to realize that sprinklers are an accessible,
cost-effective option for their families," Keith said. "As more people become
educated about sprinklers, we anticipate that they will eventually be a
commonplace feature in most homes."
With Scottsdale's 15-year history, Ford said residential fire sprinklers are in
fact becoming commonplace. "It seems like people either don't notice the
sprinklers or notice when a home doesn't have them. Our community has plenty of
children growing up in homes with fire sprinklers," Ford said.
With the majority of U.S. fire deaths occurring in homes, Keith said that
widespread use of residential fire sprinklers is the key to making society safer
from fire.
For more information about residential sprinklers, call HFSC toll-free (888)
635-7222 or visit the group's Web site at www.homefiresprinkler.org.
Courtesy of ARA Content |
