Residential Fire Sprinklers
A Little Bit of History
and
The What, Where, Who, When and How Questions
Richard J. Prospal – American Society of Sanitary Engineering – 14 April 2010
Where did fire protection begin
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London had fire laws on the books as early as
the 1600’s – candlemakers and thatched roofs
The first fire pumps – 1700’s – hand powered
later steam driven
The Chicago fire of 1870 – over 600 killed
Why is it that “Change is fueled by disaster”
Fire Sprinkler Head invented in late 1800’s by
Henry Parmalee – for the textile industry
Fire Sprinkler Systems – 1860’s to 1870’s – to
control fire spread
NFPA Standards introduced in 1896
When did RFS Systems come about
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Grinnell Co. promoted a “junior” fire sprinkler system for
basements of apartments in the 1930’s
Evolved from the industrial technology
NFPA in the 1950’s began development on Standard 13-D for
single family dwellings and mobile homes
Based on scaled down water supply requirements – a ten minute
water supply
Studies by many communities, laboratories and manufacturers
finally developed the Residential Quick Response Sprinkler
Radical new designs resulted
January 1, 2011 all new homes constructed under the guidelines
of the IRC are mandated to have a fire sprinkler system
Residential Fire Statistics
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In 2008, NFPA latest statistics, a total of 403,000 residential fires
resulted in $8.5 billion in damages.
From the same data, 90% of all injuries and 84% of all deaths
were in residential structures
2780 civilian deaths as well as a number of firefighters
More fire fighters are hurt and killed in residential fires than any
other
Why are these numbers so out of sync with the numbers from
non-residential fires?
During the period of 2002-2005, in more than 2000 residential fire
incidents, no fire related deaths were reported.
Fire Sprinkler Codes
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NFPA 13 – Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler
Systems (Very involved covers all possibilities)
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NFPA13D – Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler
Systems in One and Two Family Dwellings and
Manufactured Homes ( Surprisingly simple – only 21
total pages)
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NFPA 13R – Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler
Systems in Residential Occupancies up to and
including Four Stories in Height (Somewhat more than
13D)
Types of Residential Systems
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Stand Alone – As the name implies, this is a separate
piping system much like the traditional fire sprinkler
systems in commercial and industrial buildings serving
just on purpose.
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Multi-Purpose – This type of system supplies water to
the fire sprinkler system and to the domestic plumbing
fixtures.
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Network System – A type of Multi-Purpose system
where each sprinkler is supplied by a minimum of
three separate paths.
Residential Installation Guidelines
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Significantly different from commercial systems – Quick response heads
& Discharge patterns
Need to understand the philosophical differences between RFP and
Commercial Systems
RFP Systems designed to get the people out of the building - 10 to 15
minutes
By provide wall wetting and air cooling
Commercial Systems – While being designed for Life Safety they are
also very concerned with control of property damage
Hundreds of heads – need to find the right head for the right application
Use the manufacturers data
Some things you need to know: Is the ceiling flat or sloped and what
pitch; any soffits, pockets, trays, ceiling fans that could affect the spray
pattern
In cold climates, piping above ceilings in unheated spaces require
protection from freezing
Guidelines continued
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RFP head layout is quite an art
The idea is to layout the heads, draw in the piping to
the heads then feed the plumbing fixtures
Water Demand is 15 to 20 gpm - Minimum pressure of
7 psi
Network systems will need the assistance of the
manufacturer of the equipment
Who can install RFP Systems
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Multi-Purpose Systems are part of the plumbing
system requiring the materials to be compatible with
the standards for drinking water
 This tells me that it is the work of the Plumbing
contractor
 But, just because it’s pipe and fittings that carry and
dispense water doesn’t mean that all plumbers are
qualified
 Training and Education
 ASSE Series 7000 Professional Qualification Standard
for Plumbing-Based Residential Fire Protection
Systems Installers & Inspectors
The Important Question of $$$$$
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The cost is totally dependant on the style and size of
the residence
Simple ranch style homes with a bathroom near one
end and a kitchen and/or half bath near the other have
been completed for about $ .50/sq. ft.
The published data ranges from $ .50 to $1.75 /sq.ft.
The average is $1.35
Some of the MYTHS
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All of the heads go off at the same time creating an
awful lot of damage. Insurance will go up due to the
potential for water damage. We all know that is not
true.
Smoke Alarms are enough-look at the statistics-they
have cut down on residential fires. True, but smoke
alarms alone have not cut down on fire deaths! Fire
sprinklers do! Are more than 2500 deaths acceptable.
Homeowners feel safe w/o sprinklers –It won’t happen
to me syndrome
Annual maintenance & inspection costs are too high.
Not True!