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Facts On Fire
• 3140 civilian fire deaths in residential
occupancies, 80 in non-residential.
• 84% of all fire deaths occur in the home.
• 81% of fire deaths occur in single-family
dwellings.
• 103 Firefighters died in the line of duty (this does
not include the 343 who died in the WTC Terrorist
attack.
• The South has the highest fire death rate percapita with 17.8 civilian deaths per million
population compared to the average of 13.4.
• Direct property loss annually to fire is estimated
at $10.6 billion.
2004
U.S. Fire Statistics
Source NFPA Fire Journal Sept -Oct - 2005

Over 1.55 Million Fires

More Than 3,900 Civilian Deaths

17,785 Thousand Civilian Injuries

Over 8.3 Billion Dollars in Property Loss

Total Cost of Fire Exceeds 88 Billion
Dollars
Additional Fire Facts

Every 82 seconds fire occurs in a U.S. residence.

Every 31 minutes a civilian is injured by fire.

Eight out of ten fire deaths occur in the home.
Fire Death and Injuries in
One- & Two-family Dwellings*
(Percentage of Residential)
• Fire deaths:
83%
• Fire injuries:
74%
• Fire property damage:
83%
• Fireground firefighter deaths: 70%
*2004 NFPA
More Fire Facts

Young children, older adults, and physically and
mentally challenged people face the highest risk of
injury or death in residential fires.
Too
often, people fail to respond appropriately to
the sound of a smoke detector, because they
assume it is a false alarm. Rather that exiting the
building, they search to confirm the existence of a
fire, wasting the few precious minutes they may
have to escape.
Fire sprinkler facts
• Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate,
spraying water directly on the fire.
• Each sprinkler is individually activated by heat.
• 90% of all home fires are contained with a single
sprinkler.
• The odds of accidental activation are 1 in 16
million.
How does a home fire sprinklers’ discharge
compare to a fire hose attack line discharge?
•A residential low flow pendant sprinkler head delivers
approximately 13 to 18 gallons per minute of water
•A fire hose attack line delivers 200 gallons per minute (this
does not include a backup line which would double the flow
of water)
Sprinkler systems
represent a choice, a little
water when the fire starts
or a lot of water when the
fire department arrives
But what about Water Damage?
•Average water usage for sprinklered home - 341 gallons
•Average water usage for unsprinklered home 2935 gallons
•Average repair costs for sprinklered home $2,166 dollars
•Average repair costs for unsprinklered home $45,019 dollars
With both smoke detection and sprinklers,
death, injury by fire is reduced by 82%
Sprinklers also have a “green value”. Since less
water is applied to the fire, less contaminated
runoff is produced, additionally water mains are
not disturbed creating water clarity issues.
Consideration of Home Fire Sprinkler
System Installation
•
Respondents indicating they thought home fire sprinkler systems were
either very effective or somewhat effective were asked if they would
consider installing a sprinkler system if they were building a new home.
No, Would
Not Consider
32%
Reasons for Not Considering
50%
43%
40%
30%
21%
20%
19%
13%
16%
10%
Yes, Would
Consider
64%
Base: 457
5%
0%
Don’t
Know
5%
Too
Water
Not
Alarms
Expensive Damage/ Needed/ Adequate
Accidental
Fire
Release Unlikely
All
Others
Don’t
Know
Base: 146
Degree of Trust Concerning Information
about Home Fire Sprinkler Systems
Respondents were asked how much they would trust the following individuals or
organization to give them reliable information about home fire sprinkler systems.
Firefighters garnered far and away the greatest amount of trust.
48%
50%
A lot
45%
43%
Somewhat
40%
37%
32%
35%
33%
Not at all
30%
24%
22%
20%
A little
18%
24%
20%
14%
10%
10%
25%
14%
12%
15%
12% 12%
6%
3%
1%
0%
Fire
fighter
Friend/
Relative
Home
Builder
Home
Building
Building Supply
Media
Store
Realtor
Base: 500
It is time to realize that firefighting involves
fighting time, not fire.
2 minutes
4 minutes.
7 minutes.
The standard time-temperature curve shows that
temperatures can reach over 1,000°F in five minutes and
flashover can begin as early as 7½ minutes after ignition.
How does time affect the Fire
Department’s ability to deliver service?
Detection
Inception
of
Emergency
Report
of
Alarm
Receipt of
Alarm and
Dispatch
Not Directly Manageable by the
Fire Department
Reaction
and
Response
Time
Set Up
Manageable by
Fire Department
Application
of
Extinguishing
Agent
Home Fire Sprinklers and
Firefighter Safety
Firefighter Injuries / Deaths by
Occupancy
• More injuries to firefighters occur in one
and two family dwellings than any other
occupancy
• 44% of all Line of Duty deaths occur in
one and two family dwellings
• One and two family dwellings are a greater
danger to firefighters than all other
occupancies combined
Effects of Injury / Death
• The costs to the community to
rehabilitate a firefighter from injuries
sustained in the line of duty are 10
times greater than that of a death
• This does not factor in the emotional
issues to the family, friends, loved ones
and fire department
But what about Smoke
Detectors?
• Smoke detectors have a 10 year life
expectancy
• It is stated that there are more non
functioning / aged out smoke detectors in
homes than there are homes without any
smoke detectors.
• When is the last time you personally
checked your smoke detectors and what is
the age of your device(s)?
But what about Smoke
Detectors (cont.)
• Smoke detection is a “passive” device that
only warns of impending danger
• Dependent on the type of fire and the
specific smoke detection device, response
to the condition could provide little time to
initiate escape
How well does smoke detectors
work?
• From 1989 to 1999, a fatality occurred in 1
of every 5 residential fires with working
smoke detectors
• From 1999 to 2001, a fatality occurred in 1
of every 3 residential fires with working
smoke detectors
How well does smoke detection
work (cont.)
• Only 58% of children ages 6 to 12 was
awakened by the sound of a smoke
detector activation
• Of this 58%, only 38% of those awakened
successfully evacuated the residence
What about Residential
Sprinklers?
• The purpose is to prevent Flashover,
control / contain the fire, but will often
extinguish same
• Keeps smoke, heat and products of
combustion at a survivable level for
occupant egress
• Temp. at eye level
• Temp. at ceiling level
• Maximum CO level
200 degrees
500 degrees
1500 ppm
How does NFPA 13
systems compare with
NFPA 13 D systems?
NFPA 13 Systems
• NFPA 13 systems are designed for commercial occupancies
• The average sprinkler head (SSP, SSU) discharges 25 to 35
gallons per minute.
• Sprinkler heads are located “everywhere” – attics, basements,
crawl spaces, closets and concealed spaces
• Systems are designed for the flow of multiple heads (12-15 on
average)
• Required FDC and hydrostatic test of 200 psi
• Designed primarily for property conservation
• Life safety is a byproduct of the system
NFPA 13D systems
•
Are designed for 1 and 2 family dwellings
•
The average sprinkler head discharges 13 to 18 gallons per minute
•
Required Sprinkler heads are located in paths of function / egress only – bedrooms,
hallways, kitchens, dining rooms and laundry rooms - none in attics, crawl spaces closets (size dependent, does not exceed 24 square ft. & least dimension does not
exceed 3 ft.) or bathrooms (size dependent, 55 square ft. or less )
•
This coverage provides fire protection from 83% of all areas fire originates – (Living
room 41%, Bedroom 27%, Kitchen 15%)
•
Systems are designed for the flow of 1 to 2 sprinkler heads – (typical k-factor 4.5 to
4.9). This represents a density of .05 gpm per square foot
•
Typically, no required FDC and hydrostatic test done at normal system operating
pressures
•
Designed primarily for life safety only but will contain or frequently extinguish the fire
How are Residential
Sprinklers Different ?
 Respond
Approx. 5 Times Faster
 Less Water Needed
 Different Water Application
 Lower Cost to Install
 More Aesthetically Pleasing
High Wall Wetting
Capability
Residential
Standard Spray
Sprinkler
Sprinkler
High Wall Wetting
Capability
Standard
Residential
Spray
Sprinkler
Sprinkler
30”
36”
Sprinkler
Activations Per Fire
400
350
365
326
300
Total
1 Sprinkler
2 Sprinklers
More Than 2
250
200
150
100
50
0
32
7
What do Residential
Sprinklers Cost ?
Average cost of 1% - 1.5% of new construction
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
1
1
ONE
1
ONE DOLLAR
1
NFPA 13D Sprinkler system costs
• Typical cost for new construction in a single family home with a
good municipal water supply – between $.50 and $2.00 per
square foot
• Auxiliary water supply is not needed due the domestic water
supplying the sprinkler system**
• With the sprinkler system supplying the cold water distribution,
additional cost is negligible**
• ** multi-purpose system (sprinkler system is designed with a 5
gpm background demand for domestic water use)
What if I am on a Well?
• While a municipal water supply is the best
water supply source, a stored water
source is also permitted. A 10 minute
water supply is needed for a 2 head
activation (generally 300 to 400 gals.) The
addition of a storage tank and pump
assembly adds approximately $1,500 to
2,000 to the system cost.
Typical connection to municipal
water
1” feed or greater
Additional Bonuses for MultiPurpose systems
• Sprinkler system cannot be shut off independent of the
domestic water use
• With domestic water service being supplied by sprinkler
system, the chance of system freezing is greatly reduced
• With the domestic system supplying the sprinklers,
additional swing check or backflow prevention valves are
not necessary. This gives addition pressure and volume to
the sprinklers and saves money on the installation of the
system
Typical Layout of
an NFPA 13D
Compliant multipurpose home
fire sprinkler
system
Cold water
domestic feed
Sprinkler
Heads
Point of
attachment of
sprinkler
system to
domestic water
entry
To sprinkler system
loop and all cold
water domestic
uses
To water heater
Feed from water meter
Manifold
assembly –
point of
attachment of
cold water
domestic
supply
Cold water feed off
sprinkler loop
providing supply to
water closet,
shower and sink
How Are We Going to Reduce
Costs?
Reduce the number of sprinklers in the design to
two(We know over 90% of the time only two go
off, so only design for two)
This results in less water required
This results in less pressure required to push it
This results in smaller (less expensive) pipe
How Else Are We Going to
Reduce Costs?
Reduce the cost of materials and installation
•
Lower schedules of steel pipe
•
CPVC or PEX plastic pipe
Use non listed components where not critical to
life safety
•Tanks pumps, hangers, waterflow detection
devices & waterflow valves
How Else Are We Going to
Reduce Costs?
Omit sprinklers in certain locations
•
Areas not critical to life safety
How do we know where to omit them?
•
We need to know, not just where fires start,
but where fires start that KILL people
Where Fires Start That KILL
People in 1 & 2 Family
Dwellings & Mfg. Housing
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Living Room
Bedroom
Kitchen
Storage Area
Heating Equipment Room
Structural Area
Other Areas
41%
25.6%
15%
4%
3%
2%
8%
Here’s What’s At the
Bottom of the List(other)
Sprinklers shall be installed in all areas Except:
• Bathrooms less than 55 ft.2
• Clothes closets, linen closets and pantries
less than 24 ft.2 least dimension 3 ft.
• Garages, carports & open attached porches
• Attics, crawl spaces and concealed spaces
• Entrance foyers (if a second exit is provided)
How Else Are We Going to
Reduce Costs?
Reduce the water supply requirements
We’ve already reduced the number of heads in our
design to two
•
Lower the flow requirements from .10 to
.05gpm/ft2
•
Lower the duration requirement to 10
minutes (7 mins. if it is a single story home <
2000 ft.2)
How Else Are We Going to
Reduce Costs?
Regardless of what we do with the water
supply,
SPRINKLER SYSTEMS ARE ALWAYS
DESIGNED TO MEET THE ABILITIES
OF THE WATER SUPPLY, NOT VICE
VERSA
Improve Aesthetics
• Make them smaller
• Make them concealed, recessed
• Offer them in various colors / shades
From this
To
These
Within this project
firefighters and
homeowners learn
about sprinklers.
Homes with 13D Sprinklers
Chief Dan Jones – Chapel Hill FD
Habitat Home – Southern
Pines
Lee Home - Mocksville
Pictures of
sprinklers
Can you spot the sprinkler?
Do we want this?
OR……
Do we
continue
to
protect
our
citizens
like
this?
Questions?
Promoting Home Fire
Sprinklers by Education
Who needs to be educated?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fire Service
Code officials
Homeowners
Elected officials
Insurance agents/agencies
Homebuilders
Technical and Community colleges
All Stakeholders
Promoting Sprinklers
• Educate yourself and firefighters in your
dept
• Advertise
• Mention sprinklers to press every
opportunity
Resources
• Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
– Free Educational Kit for public educators
– Built for Life Builder Kit
– Brochures
HomeFireSprinkler.org
• Marble Mountain DVD Orange Co Fire
Authority
Resources
• Fire Team USA www.fireteamusa.com
–
–
–
–
–
Radio psa’s
Scottsdale report
Flyers- all reproducable
Ordinances
Power point presentations
•
•
•
•
Motivating Fire Chiefs
A New Perspective
Community Fire Protection
Residential Sprinklers-Not Rocket Science
– NAHB Point/Counterpoint