Residential Fire Sprinklers .com

Protecting Your Home & Family

By Zachary McDonald - Bellevue Leader

A small kitchen fire at Harmony Court, an independent living facility off Wall Street, left some elderly residents displaced Monday afternoon after Bellevue volunteer firefighters secured the area.

The fire proved the apartment building’s sprinkler system works, but it created a new problem.

“The sprinklers did their job and put it out,” said Jack Syphers, BVFD spokesman, “but now there’s water damage on the lower floor. I heard the ceiling in apartment 108 collapsed.”

Syphers said three apartments were uninhabitable, two because of water damage and the one where the fire started. He wasn’t sure how many residents were displaced, but he said at least three and at most five.

The American Red Cross was working Monday night to find accommodations for those residents.

The official cause of the fire was unknown as of Monday.

One female resident who was having difficulty breathing was transported to the hospital. Another person was treated at the scene and released.

The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire, which never extended beyond apartment 210. Residents were evacuated from the whole building, but were soon let back into the dining room in the west wing.

Lee Drake, who lives in apartment 206, said it took the residents a while to decide to leave.

“First I heard was there’s a real fire,” Drake said. “I could tell people, including myself, weren’t too sure.”
Julie, Lee’s wife, said she saw Jean Smith, who lives in 210, standing in the hall with smoke pouring out of her apartment.

“She said, ‘My apartment’s on fire,’ and I said, ‘Well come out and shut the door then,’” Julie said. “I was just afraid of the smoke because [Lee's] on oxygen.”

To read the full article click here.

By Michael Gardner - San Diego Union Tribune

SACRAMENTO – When the devastating Witch Creek Fire swept through San Diego County last fall, it took with it more than 1,000 homes and cost insurers $1 billion.

But some homes were left standing, from a solitary house in a burned-out subdivision to an entire development.

Why?

In part, the answer lies with homeowners who adopted fire-safe practices, from screening vents to keep out embers to replacing roofs with noncombustible material.

That was the conclusion reached by the Institute for Business and Home Safety – a research arm of the insurance industry – after a lengthy study of 3,000 homes to determine why certain properties survived the Witch Creek firestorm and what can be done to increase protection.

Julie Rochman, the institute’s executive director, said the goal is to provide state officials with sound research as they explore new policies toward the expansion of homes in wildland areas, which now number about five million statewide.

The report included interviews with homeowners and local officials, comparisons of flame-consumed neighborhoods and an analysis of various conditions, from weather to topography.

Importantly, the institute found that wind-blown embers can spark blazes a mile away. As a defense, the institute encourages homeowners to take steps to seal ember paths to attics, replace windows prone to breaking and store combustible materials far away from structures.

Also, homeowners need to be aware of the many potential torches, including seemingly harmless wood fences, bird nests, palm trees, playground sets and hanging plants.

“Those things ended up burning up the houses,” Rochman said.

Of particular note, no homes were lost in “shelter-in-place” communities that had adopted stringent fire safeguards as part of construction and maintenance codes. Those include residential fire sprinklers, boxed eaves, special roofs and a 100-foot clearing of defensible space.

“Not one, not a single house, in the shelter-in-place communities burned,” Rochman said.

The report included a poll of 400 residents that suggested homeowners shy away from prevention because of the potential price tag.

“Unfortunately, the majority of homeowners in the survey believed the most effective wildfire property protection measures are also the most expensive,” according to the report. “This appears to be the biggest stumbling block for convincing them to take action.”

Armed with the new research, the institute has developed a comprehensive checklist for homeowners to follow to minimize fire losses.

Some of the preventive steps are free or relatively inexpensive, such as moving wood that is stacked against the house, cleaning gutters, relocating trestles farther from the house and cutting back vegetation growing under vents and windows.

More expensive fire-prevention measures include installing a new roof, fire-safe deck, dual-pane windows and fire-resistant siding. Replacing wood fences and removing trees that touch homes also are in the recommendations.

The report revealed little new in terms of the need for homeowners to practice fire safety. But it reinforces those arguments with a thorough analysis of the results from an actual firestorm.

“It’s right on point,” said Dave Hillman, chief of law enforcement and fire prevention for Cal Fire. “It reflected everything our firefighters have known for a number of years.”

To read the full article click here.

According to the Association of British Insurers, every day in the UK 200 homes suffer a fire, and one person dies and 40 are injured as a result of fires in the home. Regrettably, many of us will be involved with a house fire in some way in our lives, and it’s not likely to be much fun. But there are preventative steps that we can take to avoid this undesirable situation, and also steps we can take to limit the damage if we’re unfortunate enough to have a house fire.

BEFORE: Precautions you can take

Document your possessions
For the purposes of potentially claiming on your home insurance, it’s by no means a terrible idea to keep receipts, or take digital photos of individual items around the house that you may have to claim for. Don’t forget that many mobile phones can double-up for this purpose. Obviously, this precaution isn’t fire-specific – you may well thank yourself for having done so if you get burgled, for example.

Forewarned is forearmed
Fitting smoke detectors to each floor of your house is a good way to raise the alarm in the early stages of a fire. If you do this, be sure to regularly check that they work and the batteries are functioning – there is little point in a purely decorative smoke alarm.

Take care in the kitchen
Fires in the home most commonly begin in the kitchen, usually from the heat given off in cooking. To this end, one should never leave things cooking on a flame unattended. It is now becoming more commonplace for households to have a fire extinguisher and fire blanket located in the kitchen, and it’s understandable why.

No smoke without fire
If you do smoke in the house, it will accordingly increase the risk of being involved in a house fire at some point. So be sure that anything you smoke is properly stubbed out when finished. Plus it’s best to avoid smoking when very tired, as it is commonplace for fires to begin when people fall asleep whilst still smoking. Certainly avoid smoking in bed.

Do a bedtime check
Fire presents a greater risk when you’re asleep – so check every room in the house for appliances left on, candles left lit and suchlike before going to bed.

DURING: Get out!

Have a plan, and stick to it
When the fire alarm sounds, workplaces insist that you get straight out without stopping to salvage anything, get you to a safe organised place and take a roll call – and with good reason. If the smoke alarm sounds in your house, then you should gather everyone in the house together, exit via the quickest escape route, and call 999. The biggest mistake you can make in the event of a fire is to go and find out what’s triggered the alarm. It is possible for people in these situations to open the door to a burning room, which may then cause the fire to spread quicker, or trap them from the rest of their family.

Don’t go back!
Too often, people return to the house to try and save pets or possessions. Unless pets cannot escape due to being in a cage or suchlike, then they almost always do without human assistance. And possessions can be covered by your home insurance. None of these things are worth endangering your life for by returning to a blaze.

AFTER: Damage limitation

Safety first
If you suffer from respiratory problems or feel unwell after a fire, go straight to see your GP or the nearest hospital A&E.

Returning to the scene
It is advisable not to re-enter your home after a house fire until you are told by trained professionals that it is safe to do so. Remember even when it has been declared safe, there may still be broken glass and sharp objects exposed.

Who to call
After a fire, it is best not to assume that anybody else is going to contact your home insurance provider. It’s best to do so as soon as you can in order to get the ball rolling in terms of recovery, and ideally do so before you incur any expense. You should also call close family or friends to inform them of what’s happened, but also reassure them that you’re ok.

The clean-up
Do not try to clean up any items until a qualified restoration service has a chance to evaluate the fire damage. If the incorrect equipment is used, then you may end up causing further damage. Your home insurance company are likely to come in handy here, as they will probably be able to put you in touch with specialist cleaners.

By LORRAINE CARLI

The recent fire in Westminster reported to be caused by a flaming candle dramatically makes several key points that should be learning experiences for all of us concerned about the threat of fire to our homes.

First, as illustrated in this case, working smoke alarms save lives. The family was alerted to the fire and able safely to escape the blaze that severely damaged its home. Everyone should ensure that they have and maintain enough smoke alarms to provide an early warning to fires.

Second, you need water to put out fires. The 30,000-gallon cistern installed in this development provided firefighters with enough water to extinguish the fire when they arrived. However, there is another option that should be considered in new developments—– home residential sprinklers. Home residential sprinklers, growing in usage all across the country, can often extinguish a home fire before the firefighters arrive, significantly reducing the loss of life and property. In fact when sprinklers are present, the chances of dying in a fire are reduced by one-half to three-fourths and the average property loss per fire is cut by one-half to two-thirds, compared to fires where sprinklers are not present. Sprinklers typically reduce the chances of dying in a home fire by one-half to two-thirds in any kind of property where they are used.

Together with smoke alarms, sprinklers cut the risk of dying in a home fire 82 percent, relative to having neither.

To read the full article click here.

By Jeff Mores - Northwest Arkansas’ News

BENTONVILLE - Normally, firefighters are the only people who get excited about indoor sprinkler systems. As Aug. 1 - the day the updated Arkansas Fire Prevention Code goes into effect - approaches, sprinklers are grabbing the attention of plenty of city planners, potential developers and investors.

Among the long list of code requirements, there’s quite a bit of ink dedicated to changes concerning sprinkler systems in both commercial and residential buildings. For instance, when the new Chick-fil-A on South Walton Boulevard in Bentonville opened earlier this year, it was not required to have an indoor sprinkler system because its dining area seated fewer than 300 customers. On Aug. 1, however, new restaurants and other businesses will be required to install a fireprotection sprinkler system if they seat 100 or more customers or employees.

While that’s a significant change and could translate into added expense for projects that have not yet rolled through the planning process, the issue has been attracting even more attention from those interested in renovating and adding to historic downtown areas, such as those in Bentonville, Rogers and Siloam Springs.

“What surprises me is how quickly the code changed,” said Troy Galloway, Bentonville director of community development. “In my opinion, it went from one end of the spectrum to the other. In downtown areas, where you might be looking at offices and businesses on the bottom and turning the space above into loft apartments, you’re probably going to run into a big hurdle now. I think these changes could prohibit some people from developing or redeveloping in downtown areas. This is significant, in my opinion.”

In the Bentonville downtown fire district, which extends several blocks in every direction from the Bentonville Square, the new fire code would require any new residential structure or unit - apartments to single-family homes - to have indoor sprinkler systems. Existing homes and apartments within the district would be grandfathered in. But if the use of any existing structure changes or the building undergo significant renovations, it will, in most cases, be required to install a sprinkler system.

And it could get even stickier if there are multiple uses or owners within the same building.

“Say someone is interested in purchasing the upper level of a downtown building and wants to turn one of the spaces into an apartment,” Lt. James Birchfield of the Bentonville Fire Department explained to the Bentonville Committee of the Whole on Monday night. “You wouldn’t just need to sprinkle the one apartment. You’d have to sprinkle anything in the building, from the bottom up. We’re talking about whatever business or businesses are below - anything inside that building.”

City officials, firefighters and those with a stake in downtown agree that the upcoming building-code changes will undoubtedly establish safer buildings, particularly in densely developed areas. But there’s a cost associated with that safety. Some believe there are more cost-effective steps that could be taken.

But on Aug. 1, these will be the rules.

“The core of all these codes is for public safety,” Bentonville Mayor Bob Mc-Caslin said. “There are some changes - and ‘changes’ is an underlined word. But I don’t think this should be construed as a bad thing. On Monday, we tried to get the word out there about these upcoming changes. I think this is terribly important, and I wish more people would have been there, but the city of Bentonville is doing everything it can to make sure no one is surprised by what’s happening.”

City Hall sent out approximately 100 invitations to property owners, developers and others with a stake in its downtown area prior to the Building Code Forum, held Monday. According to city officials, only three individuals attended the forum, during which Fire Department officials outlined the code changes.

Rustin Chrisco, whose company Main Street Builders focuses on renovation and construction work in historic districts, was among the few attendees.

“I’m not at all opposed to reasonable changes to the code that increase the level of safety,” Chrisco said. “But I do think this situation will cause some economic problems in the downtown development district. For some, this will drive the cost up to an unsustainable level, in a time when the industry and the economy are already depressed.

“You really don’t know what the impact will be until it happens. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t have a significant impact on cost of construction. You’re probably talking about driving the cost up 5 percent or so to build or renovate a home. I’m going to have to adjust my budget to counter that, but I think there’s a lot of people who won’t be able to make that adjustment.”

Several developers and investors interviewed for this story suggested that indoor sprinkler systems would add from $ 2 to $ 10 per square foot to construction or renovation costs. Ken Dunk, owner of Dunk Fire and Security in Springdale, said those estimates would be accurate in some circumstances. But several factors, ranging from whether the structure is existing or new construction, to the water system and pressure available in the area, drive the cost up or down.

“One thing to consider here is that there may be some tradeoff in going to a sprinkler system that works to a developer’s advantage,” Dunk said. “If you have a sprinkler system, you may not be required to have as much fire separation. You may be able to change some of the materials you use in other areas. Fire doors and other items may not be required. There are a lot of schools that have done the studies and learned they actually save on construction costs by installing sprinkler systems.”

It’s a matter of striking a balance.

“Fire code is constantly a balance between safety and cost,” Bentonville Fire Chief Dan White said. “How much needs to go into the cost of safety ? Sprinklers are proven to save lives and property. The new fire code is making some pretty big steps in extending the requirement for some occupancies to be sprinklered, and we want to work with developers to help in any way we can.”

To read the full article click here.

Charleston Gazette

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A privately owned fraternity house at West Virginia University has been condemned for unsafe living conditions by the Morgantown Fire Department.

The Tau Kappa Epsilon house was shut down last week after inspectors found live wires sticking out of ceilings and black mold in some bedrooms. Nor was there a sprinkler system.

Vice President Patrick Smith says the violations aren’t a surprise and the brothers aren’t, in his words, totally devastated.

WVU says it will help house any student who need accommodations.

Last year, fire officials condemned three other fraternity houses on campus.

The TKE house may be demolished after the start of the fall semester.

To read the full article click here.

By CURT HILLS - Villages Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — Stephen and Mary Jayne Wrobel made the right decision when their house went dark and a smoke smell emerged during a thunderstorm Friday evening.

The Village of Sunset Ridge at Sunset Pointe couple exited their home before fire destroyed it right before their eyes and those of concerned neighbors.

“As long as nobody got hurt, that’s the main thing,” Wrobel said as he watched firefighters douse water on the shell of his home on Blenheim Trail. “We can replace a house.”

The home was deemed a total loss with house and vehicle damages possibly reaching $400,000, according to District Public Safety Department Deputy Chief Edmund Cain. The fire is being investigated as a possible lightning strike, he said.

The house fire erupted during heavy thunderstorm activity that rolled across the community as firefighters were responding to two possible structure fires at the same time. Another possible lightning strike in the 1400 block of Blueberry Way caused electrical damage to a water sprinkler system. Fifty-three seconds later, the 911 call came in for the Wrobels’ residence around 8:30 p.m.

Firefighters knew early on they were dealing with an aggressive blaze at the Wrobels. Lt. Bob Davis said he noticed it from a few miles away.

“I was down at Buena Vista (Boulevard) and St. Charles Place and could see the flames shooting up in the air,” Davis said. “When I got here, the garage was totally engulfed.”

Cain said the structure was 40-percent involved when firefighters first arrived.

Wrobel said he and his wife had just entered their home when they heard a loud noise, and then witnessed the power go off — first on one half of the house, then the other half.

“Then I smelled smoke and I told my wife we better get out,” he said.

As they were exiting, a neighbor who had been driving by, was present at their door, also encouraging them to get out, Cain said.

Cain praised the Wrobels for doing the right thing.

“It was a smart move on their part; they got out of the house after they heard a noise,” Cain said. “We knew very quickly that we didn’t have people trapped inside, which made it much safer for everyone involved in battling this unfortunate blaze.”

“You never think it can happen to you,” Wrobel said, shaking his head.

But despite losing his house, his heart ached for his friend, Larry Thompson.

Thompson was storing his 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, with 31,000 original miles on it, inside the Wrobels’ garage. Thompson said he had just completed 13 years of restoration work on his pride and joy — a vehicle featured in many car shows and trade publications.

“That’s my 401(k) there,” Thompson said, gesturing to where his collector’s car was stored. “What are the odds? At least a million to one.”

Firefighters from both the District Public Safety Department and Lake County battled the stubborn flames for 70 minutes. At one point, the roof of the structure caved in, leaving firefighters to douse only the remains with water.

Despite the total loss, Wrobel praised firefighters.

“They’ve done a terrific job,” he said.

Besides Lake County, firefighters from Fruitland Park and Leesburg provided assistance in covering The Villages. Besides the two fire calls, a golf cart rollover was reported near Cane Garden Country Club and two cardiac arrest calls came in — all within 20 minutes of the fire on Blenheim Trail.

Neighbor Bob Csaszar said the circuit breakers inside his home began popping shortly after he heard a large burst of thunder.

“I said ‘I’m going to the roof,’” he told his wife, suspecting his own house might have been hit. “When I looked this way, I saw the smoke and flames. The greatest fear I had is fire spreading.”

But firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the single structure. Cain said other homes were not damaged.

To read the full article click here.

Residential fire sprinklers are proven life safety devices with a little dose of eco-friendliness to go along with it. My grandmother use to say, “An ounce of prevention, out weighs a pound of cure.” Still to this day, I hate cough medicine, so those daily vitamins go down much easier.

Not only are residential sprinklers a head above the rest in improving fire and life safety in the homes and not to mention property liability but it is (in my mind) a real chance to make a conscience decision to improve our already depleted natural resource…water. Do I have your attention Nader’s Raiders?

Here in the west the cries of water conservation are heard everywhere. For those not familiar with the Wild West, a vast part of our lands are deserts and dry climates. Reports of record dry conditions in the forest and high desert areas are causing hundreds and thousands of wild fires a year. Let’s make no mistake that these fires have and will continue to be a natural disaster that simply can not be avoided. As our population grows and so our consumption, we as caretakers of this country and earth need to make provisions for our safety and survival. Our lakes, streams and watersheds are at record lows and those who are nature lovers can vouch for that. Even in the wake of massive floods in some areas and returning water levels, it is still imperative that we continue to conserve. This is not a cry of a bleeding heart, but just a suggestion that the fire protection industry, which has little to do with the environmental movement, can make a serious contribution to our planet’s future.

A lot of statistics are thrown out on the life safety issues, but I wanted to take a look at a different benefit in having residential sprinklers. So, I’ll get down to the nuts and bolts…or dare I say pipes and couplings. With a growing population and increasing water demand, is it not our responsibility to respond to the need to cut water usage as an industry? According to the NFPA, their studies show that when fire sprinklers are present in the home, 91% of the time the sprinklers will control the fire at or near the point of origin. So, it would be safe to say that it is probable that 9 out of 10 times only one fire sprinkler head discharges during a home fire. Let’s do the numbers, the average fire sprinkler discharges 10 to 26 gallons of water per minute. Let’s say it takes this one fire sprinkler 5 minutes to control and then ultimately extinguish the fire in most cases. By this time the average emergency response team is on site and clears the residence of any additional danger from the fire hazard and proceeds to shut the water off. We’ll assume that the fire sprinkler has been spraying water in upwards to 20 minutes. 20 minutes multiplied by 10 to 26 gallons of water per minute comes to 200 to 520 gallons of water used to contain and extinguish the home fire.

Let’s say the same home does not have fire sprinklers and the emergency response team arrives to fight the blaze. Let’s take into consideration that the fire has been ablaze and unabated for 5 to 7 minutes before response teams can arrive. We now have a fire that is probably in the range of 1200° within the home. Given these circumstances fire fighters are more than likely fighting the flames with 2 to 3 hoses. But for comparison purposes we’ll say only one hose is needed to contain the fire, to just the one home and extinguish it entirely within 20 minutes. The average interior hose used by a fire fighter discharges 125 to 200 gallons of water per minute, yes a minute. It would take you 36 to 57 weeks to drink that amount of water if you drank the recommended amount of 64 ounces a day. One minute of water flow from a hose could equal the amount of water you would need to drink in a year. So, for those from the field services end (like myself) and you’re not an engineer, that comes to 2,500 to 4,000 gallons of water in a 20 minute span from one hose. Remember that a home that has been engulfed by flames is probably not going to be fought with just one hose or for just 20 minutes for that matter.

USFA reported that there were 396,000 reported fires in 2006. Based on that data and the use of just one fire hose per house fire, the water usage is staggering. That’s almost 1.6 billion gallons of water used every 20 minutes. That’s the equivalent of a person flushing a standard toilet 100,000,000 times. Anyone want to give that a shot? I’ve heard of stranger Guinness world records.

What if the home was located in a rural area with wild brush or forest? The dangers that await a rural family intensify due to the longer traveling distance for emergency response, prolonged reporting time of fire due to lower population density, water availability issues and open areas that are more affected by winds that can spread the fire. What type of environmental danger are we placing in the surrounding areas and other rural homeowners?

In closing, I think we do ourselves just when we can use less and waste less. In this case less really becomes more. With the improvements in residential fire protection and with the use of fire sprinklers, the extra water we’ll be saving can be put to good use…towards those lives that are saved.

Jason Williams has been in the fire industry for almost a decade now, serving as a Field Lead, in project/program management and in fabrication. Currently, Jason manages field service crews and many projects for a number of big box retailers nationally. Prior to accidently finding himself in the fire industry, Jason worked for his family’s small plumbing and electrical company in Arizona as a technician. There he started his unexpected journey into the fire industry by working with residential and commercial above/underground electrical and water systems. His background in plumbing, electrical and building construction eventually landed him in the fire protection industry and working for one of the “industry giants”. Jason hopes to continue and contribute for many more years in the industry that he has found a real passion for.

The National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), the longest-tenured fire sprinkler advocacy organization in the U.S., has released an emotional video, titled, “Empty Shoes, No Longer Filled with Dreams.” The 5-minute video, which premiered at NFSA’s recent Annual Seminar, highlights the tragic human toll of lives lost due to fire and the absence of fire sprinklers.

Created by Karen Alexander of the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy with statistic additions by NFSA, “Empty Shoes” depicts the importance of fire sprinklers throughout the nation. The moving video shows empty shoes as a representation of the lives that were lost in fires where fire sprinklers were not in place.