Fire sprinkler system saves Downtown apartment building

from live5news.com

Posted: Oct 09, 2013 8:17 PM PDTUpdated: Oct 09, 2013 8:17 PM PDT

By Live 5 News Web Staff - email

 

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CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) -

Firefighters from Charleston and North Charleston were called out to a fire Wednesday evening at an apartment building on Rutledge Avenue in Downtown Charleston.

Fire officials say it happened around 5:51 p.m. when a tenant in the building reported smoke on the second floor.

When crews arrived on the scene, they found a small fire in one of the apartments that was contained by a two head sprinkler system in the building. Officials say the fire and water damage was limited as firefighters quickly deactivated the sprinkler system as soon as the situation was under control.

According to officials, crews used less than five gallons of water to extinguish the remaining fire due to the effectiveness of the fire sprinkler system.

 "Fire sprinklers are an invaluable tool to improve life safety and have the potential to reduce property damage," said Fire Marshal Mike Julazadeh. "Two fire sprinklers activated and controlled the fire until the fire department arrived. These systems are designed to control the fire or reduce the growth of the fire until the fire department can intervene. The sprinkler system in this case preserved the building and limited damages. One tenant will likely be displaced while minor damages are repaired. The fire sprinkler system was restored and seven additional tenants returned to their apartments this evening."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Copyright WCSC 2013. All rights reserved.

Grease fire at Hilbert College extinguished by sprinklers

from buffalonews.com

A grease fire Sunday evening in an apartment building at Hilbert College drew firefighters from five Hamburg fire departments, but the building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames before their arrival, town police reported.

Firefighters from the Big Tree Volunteer Fire Company were dispatched at 6:56 p.m. to the school’s Leo House, police said. Firefighters from Armor, Lake Shore, Scranton and Woodlawn Volunteer Fire Companies also responded, police said.

One occupant of the apartment was treated at the scene for minor burns. The 17 occupants of the building’s four apartments were housed in a hotel Sunday night while water from the sprinklers was cleaned up, according to a school spokesman.

During Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12, Consider Residential Fire Sprinklers

from urbanville.patch.com

The ost of installing residential fire sprinklers averages $1.35 per square foot, according to a new Fire Protection Research Foundation report that reassesses costs.

Posted by Beth Dalbey (Editor) , October 05, 2013 at 05:13 PM

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A news release:

The cost to install home fire sprinklers in 51 homes in 17 communities averaged $1.35 per sprinklered square foot, down from the $1.61 average in 2008, according to a report conducted by Newport Partners and released by the Fire Protection Research Foundation (the Foundation) an affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association.

The new report, Home Fire Sprinkler Cost Assessment – 5 Year Update, provides a national perspective on the cost of installing home fire sprinklers.

The primary purpose of the 2013 study was to review current home fire sprinkler costs against a 2008 benchmark study, Home Fire Sprinkler Cost Assessment, also commissioned by the Foundation and conducted by Newport, to better understand the relationship between adoptions, various elements of cost such as installation and materials, how efficiency in design or installation may be introduced and more.

In 2008, sprinklers were becoming more common in one- and two-family homes but adoption was not widespread. Fire sprinklers in homes have steadily increased in recent years, driven in large part by building codes, outreach and education. 

Two states - California and Maryland - have sprinkler requirements in place for all new one- and two-family homes with numerous other jurisdictions in the process of partial or full adoption of the provision.

The current study examines 51 homes in 17 communities throughout the U.S. selected on the basis of geography, regulations, housing types, sprinkler systems and materials, and water supply situations. The 2008 study examined 30 homes in 10 U.S. communities.

“There is concrete data that shows home fire sprinklers save lives and reduce losses from fire,” said Kathleen Almand, executive director of the Fire Protection Research Foundation. “However, objective cost information is difficult to find. Our latest research project provides these costs based on actual data.”

About the Fire Protection Research Foundation
The Fire Protection Research Foundation plans, manages, and communicates research on a broad range of fire safety issues in collaboration with scientists and laboratories around the world. The Foundation is an affiliate of NFPA.

About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building, and life safety. The mission of the international nonprofit organization founded in 1896 is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. NFPA develops more than 300 codes and standards to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other hazards. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed at no cost at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.