Tuesday, March 13, 2012

LETTER: The Case for Sprinklers


Send your letters to jake.odonnell@patch.com.
(Editor's note: The following is a letter to the editor submitted to Salem NH Patch. If you'd like to see your letter published here, submit it to Local Editor Jake O'Donnell at jake.odonnell@patch.com.)
On March 13, 2012 the voters will be asked to consider four warrant articles each affecting the way that the Town of Salem adopts and enforces nationally recognized building and fire codes. The following is information explaining the benefits to our residents and community by maintaining modern, up-to-date codes in the new homes we build.
In 2009, only 20 percent of reported fires occurred in one- and two-family homes, but these fires caused 70 percent (2,107) of all civilian fire deaths. Homes also account for the largest share of civilian fire injuries and direct property damage. 
Despite the fact that these figures represent improvement over the last 30 years, they continue to be appalling. Such losses are unacceptable.
Two fires which have occurred in New Hampshire within the past 45 days illustrating both the need and benefit of residential fire sprinklers.
January 28, 2012, Laconia, N.H. “ Sprinklers Saved life of Laconia man smoking while on Oxygen”
January 31, 2012 Portsmouth, N.H. “Port City fire leaves woman dead, neighbor injured”
Two long term studies show the effectiveness of residential fire sprinklers.
Prince Georges County, Maryland: 15-year study 1992-2007: 89 percent  of all fire deaths occurred in residential dwellings, 101 fire deaths and 328 injuries in unprotected single family homes, zero fire deaths in homes with sprinklers.
Bucks County, Pennsylvania: 22-year study 1988-2010: 88 percent of all fire deaths occurred in residential dwellings 90, fire deaths in unprotected single family homes, zero fire deaths inhomes with sprinklers.

The Building and Fire Research Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has studied the impact of both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers in residential occupancies and estimates that:
1. When fire sprinklers alone are installed, the chances of dying in a fire are reduced by 69 percent, when compared to a home without sprinklers.
2. When smoke alarms alone are installed, a reduction in the death rate of 63 percent can be expected, when compared to a home without smoke alarms.
3. When both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers are present, the risk of dying in a fire is reducedby 82 percent, when compared to a home without either.
The Benefits of Residential Fire Sprinklers
While smoke alarms can alert residents to a home fire, they cannot extinguish a fire. Fire sprinklersystems can! What are the benefits?
• Safer Fire Service: The risk for firefighters decreases when residential fire sprinklers are in use because sprinklers reduce the intensity of the fire by dousing the flame earlier. Modern building materials although structurally strong will fail in as little as 10 minutes.
This creates asignificant hazard for our firefighters. Taking into account the ideal response time to a fire is four minutes, and factor in the notification time of the occupant of two to three minutes. Suppression personnel are arriving on scene with an average of three to four minutes or less of time before potential collapse!
• Fast Response: Modern residential fire sprinklers are designed to respond to the fire faster than commercial or industrial sprinkler systems because they are most sensitive to heat.
• Aesthetically Pleasing: Residential fire sprinklers are smaller and less conspicuous than commercial or industrial types. Color variations are available and some can be installed flush with the ceiling.
• Reliable: Fire sprinkler systems exceed a 95 percent "fail safe" status in laboratory testing. Sprinklers individually activate only if there is a fire in which the heat escalates past thes prinkler's trigger point.
• Investment Protection: Fire sprinklers can prevent devastating home damage by extinguishing flames quickly. Sprinklers can limit the damage caused by smoke and fire and are less damaging than water damage caused by firefighting hose lines.
• Simple Installation: Installing a fire sprinkler system in a home that is under construction or being remodeled requires minimal extra piping and labor and greatly increases the safety of the residents.
• Low Water Requirement: Residential fire sprinklers can be connected to the domestic water supply and require less water than commercial and industrial systems.
• Low Cost: Residential fire sprinklers cost about $1.95 per square foot. The cost is about thesame as upgraded cabinets or carpet. Average monthly cost for a $300,000 home with a 30-year mortgage is $20 per month built into a $1,350 monthly principle and interest payment or 1.4 percent of the overall payment.
• Lower Insurance: Installing a fire sprinkler system has the potential to lower insurance rates 5 to 15 percent by meeting code requirements.
Please contact the Salem Fire Prevention Bureau with any questions or concerns.
Yours in Fire Safety,
Jeffrey S. Emanuelson, CFI
Fire Marshal
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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Fire Sprinkler and Club Staff Person Help Put Out Fire at Rolling Hills Club


The fire started in the large industrial heating unit in the equipment room but a fire sprinkler directly above the unit helped it from spreading, said a fire official.
A fire sprinkler system helped prevent the spread of a fire that began in an equipment room at theRolling Hills Club in Novato this morning, according to Battalion Chief Gerald McCarthy of the Novato Fire department in a news release.
Shortly before 9 a.m., the Novato Fire District responded to a structure fire at the Rolling Hills Club in the 300 block of San Andreas Drive. 
En route to the fire, firefighters were updated that dark smoke was coming out from an equipment room by a community swimming pool.  The equipment room is a detached outbuilding that has a fire sprinkler system.
On site, a club staff person saw dark smoke coming from the equipment room and quickly used a fire extinguisher to help put out the fire in the wood ceiling above the heating unit.
“A facility person was in the area and used a fire extinguisher to help put out the fire along with the sprinker,” McCarthy said.
Novato Fire personnel arrived on scene to find the main building evacuated.  Firefighters found that the fire started in the large industrial heating unit in the equipment room.  The fire charred the exposed rafters above the heating unit.  One fire sprinkler located directly above the heating unit activated and controlled the fire, preventing further spread of heat and flames.
Rolling Hills Club General Manager Jim Gerber said the damage was minimal. "We were really lucky and the sprinklers did their job," Gerber said.
Firefighters secured the main water supply and shut down natural gas to the structure.  They also replaced the fire sprinkler head and turned the pool heater off.
Battalion Chief Gerald McCarthy said, “This is a great reminder about the importance of fire sprinklers because it enabled the business to remain open and unaffected with little damage.”
Since 1985, the Novato Fire District has required fire sprinklers in all new construction and when substantial remodels are performed to existing residential and commercial buildings. 
On January 1, 2011, the State of California adopted legislation requiring residential fire sprinklers in all new residential construction.
Related Topics: Fire and Rolling Hills Club
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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Morton Grove demonstration shows value of sprinklers in fire suppression


By Cathryn Gran cgran@pioneerlocal.com March 7, 2012 6:48PM
Story Image
A room is destroyed in less that 2 minutes during a demonstration March 7 in Morton Grove for firefighters from across the area. | Cathryn Gran~Sun-Times Media
Fire started by a burning candle destroyed a room in a minute-and-a-half during a demonstration March 7 in Morton Grove.
The purpose of the presentation, watched by firefighters from Morton Grove and surrounding communities, was to show the value of fire-suppression sprinkler systems.
The demonstration, held in the parking lot of Xylem at 8200 Austin Ave., consisted of two trailers similarly furnished to represent a typical room with curtains, couches and tables with candles.
The flame from the candle in the first room ignited the curtains, explained Tom Lia, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and a former fighter.
“From there it spread to the rest of the furnishings,” he said. “The temperature (in the demonstration room) reached in excess of 1,500 degrees.
He further explained: “Once the flames reached the couch, that was it. People don’t realize that it’s the furnishings that burn.”
Morton Grove Fire Chief Tom Friel echoed that sentiment.
“Look around (any) room,” he said. “Just about everything is combustible.”
The demonstration showed how effect in-home sprinkler units could be in suppressing fires, he added.
A single sprinkler used 40 gallons of water to extinguish in 30 to 40 seconds a fire similar to the blaze not combatted with such a system, Lia said.
Friel said he lessons learned apply not only to single-family homes but also to such structures as condominium buildings and parking garages.
“A condo may be built with concrete walls and metal studs, but the unit essentially becomes like an oven,” he explained. “The heat rises exponentially. If there’s sufficient oxygen in the room, there’s a chance for a flashover.”
In a flashover, a fire spreads quickly due to intense heat.
Anything one can do to intervene to drop the temperature and limit the growth of the fire reduces the chance of a flashover, Friel said.
“Sprinklers give occupants more time to evacuate,” he said. “And usually the sprinklers are part of an integrated system that ties the building’s alarm system to the fire department.”
District Deputy Chief Frank Rodgers said the use of smoke detectors in conjunction with sprinklers is becoming more common across Illinois.
“This demonstration showed how worthwhile sprinklers can be,” he noted.
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