When considering home fire sprinkler requirements for your community, it is important to address key myths often raised by sprinkler opponents.
- the civilian death rate was 81 percent lower in homes with fire sprinklers than in homes without them.
- the average firefighter injury rate was nearly 80 percent lower when fire sprinklers were present during fires.
- when sprinklers were present, fires were kept to the room of origin 97 percent of the time.
- the home fire death rate was 90 percent lower when fire sprinklers and hardwired smoke alarms were present. By comparison, this death rate is only 18 percent lower when battery-powered smoke alarms are present but automatic extinguishing systems weren't.
FACT: Smoke alarms alert occupants to the presence of danger, but do nothing to extinguish the fire. Home fire sprinklers respond quickly to reduce heat, flames, and smoke from a fire, giving residents valuable time to get out safely. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half.
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FACT: Age of housing is a poor predictor of fire death rates. Yes, new construction codes allow for tighter construction and better draft-stopped homes, which help slow the spread of fire. However, these safeguards have not completely mitigated the home fire problem. The majority of home fires are caused by candles, smoking materials, cooking, arcing, and other occupant-based activities.
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FACT: The fact is that home fire sprinklers are affordable. In 2013, the Fire Protection Research Foundation issued its updated Home Fire Sprinkler Cost Assessment report, which revealed that the cost of installing home fire sprinklers averages $1.35 per sprinklered square foot for new construction. That's down from $1.61 per sprinklered square foot that was in the Foundation's 2008 report.
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FACT: Fire sprinklers are a U.S. model building code requirement for all new, one- and two-family homes. If a new home is lacking this safety feature, it is not adhering to national model building codes, and should therefore be considered substandard. Adopting this requirement to sprinkler new homes provides a greater overall level of safety in communities.
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FACT: Leaks from fire sprinklers are very rare. A survey conducted there found that the majority of residents living in sprinklered homes had never experienced a leak or maintenance problem.
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FACT: The standard design for home fire sprinklers is much simpler than the design for more traditional sprinklers used in commercial buildings.
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FACT: In the event of a fire, typically, only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire, leaving the rest of the house dry and secure.