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Not many people would think of installing
domestic fire sprinklers for life safety, even though it is claimed that
where they are installed by law, such as Scottsdale, Arizona, and many other
parts of the world, no-one has died in a fire, and property damage is
reduced by over 80%.
In premises such as residential care and
nursing homes, fire sprinklers are an excellent way of protecting residents,
a fact that has been recognised in Scotland, where, following the disastrous
Rose Park Care Home fire, it is now mandatory to fit sprinklers in high risk
residential homes.
One of the main reasons this side of the
border for installing sprinklers is to satisfy building and planning
regulations, where proposals would otherwise be rejected. These situations
include open plan design, loft conversions, flats & maisonettes with inner
rooms or a lack of alternative escape routes etc.
Marsden Fire Safety Ltd has been very
successful in achieving building regulations approvals under such
circumstances, although even we had to draw the line when a client recently
wanted to park his high performance sports car in an open plan garage within
his living room (but we did come up with an acceptable alternative!).
Sprinklers - The Myths:
There are many common myths
about Sprinklers, such as:
They cause water damage.
They might accidentally go
off.
They are ugly and unsightly.
Here are a few facts:
Sprinklers are the most
efficient and effective safety device know to man, they have over a 99%
success rate in service world wide. It is claimed that, to date, no
one has died in a building in which sprinklers have activated.
Sprinklers use only a
fraction of water compared with a fire hose. Sprinklers operate very
early in the development of a fire, and consequently only require a
relatively small quantity of water to extinguish the fire.
Sprinklers are very reliable,
the chances of a sprinkler going off accidentally are 1 in 16 million.
You have far more chance of winning the lottery!
Sprinklers can be recessed so
they are flush with the ceiling, the only visible indication is a circular
disc about 10 cm in diameter. This is much smaller and thinner than a
smoke alarm, and can be coloured to suit your decor!
If you would like more
information on domestic and residential sprinklers, this pdf file published
by BASA should be useful.
NB! In order to
view or print pdf files, Adobe Reader is required, which can be
downloaded free by clicking the link below.
If you are interested in
Residential Sprinklers, please e-mail
info@marsden-fire-safety.co.uk (UK ONLY).
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