Home Fire Sprinkler Mythbusters Overcoming Barriers Oregon Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Myth Smoke Alarms Alone are Enough While Smoke Alarms are a proven life-saving fire protection device, they serve as a notification of smoke, and can do nothing to remove or reduce the heat or smoke.

Smoke Alarm Trends in Fatal Fires Smoke Alarm Trends in Fatal Fires Sources: NFPA; UFSA; Public/Private Fire Safety Council 40% of fire deaths in homes each year occur in homes with working smoke alarms. This is trending in the wrong direction!

Vulnerable Populations Source: NFPA Children Children under the age of 5 are 1 times more likely to die in a home fire as the general public Babies cannot self-evacuate Young children often hide during fires or need assistance Children may sleep through a sounding smoke alarm Children have reduced reaction times

Vulnerable Populations Source: NFPA Older Adults The elderly are nearly 3 times more likely to die in a home fire as the general public Older adults may suffer from reduced sensory abilities such as smell, touch, vision, and hearing Inability to smell smoke Inability to feel if something is hot Inability to see fires or notice fire causes Inability to hear smoke alarms or fire sounds Older adults may suffer from disabilities Older adults have reduced reaction times

Myth If My Smoke Alarm has a false activation, the Sprinklers will Activate Fire sprinklers and Smoke alarms have different operating principles Smoke Alarms respond to particles in the air Sprinklers rely on heat to activate Cigars, cigarettes, etc will not activate sprinklers!

Myth If My Smoke Alarm has a false activation, the Sprinklers will Activate Fire sprinklers and smoke alarms are not connected operationaly, except in rare, specialty system types Pre-action Deluge

Myth - New Homes are Safer Modern homes have two things that older homes dont have: Lightweight Construction Modern fuel loads

Myth - New Homes are Safer The Facts Lightweight Construction Myth - New Homes are Safer The Facts Lightweight Construction Firefighter Safety Hazards Lightweight Construction Began to appear 25 years ago Vulnerable to fire conditions Times to reach structural failure 35-60 percent shorter Sources: UL Tests, NFPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative

Myth - New Homes are Safer Furnishings & Fuel Loads Heat Release Rates (HRR) (Btu/sec) Small wastebasket 4-142 TV set 114-275 Cotton mattress 38-921 Polyurethane mattress 768-2495 (+271-2025%) Cotton easy chair 275-351 Polyurethane easy chair 1281-1888 (+466-538%) Polyurethane sofa 2960 Armchair (modern) 332-711 Recliner(synthetic padding/covering) 474-949 Christmas tree, dry 474-617 Pool of gasoline (2 quarts on concrete) 949 Living room or bedroom fully involved 2846-9487 Source: NFPA 921; Kirks Fire Investigation

1970s vs. Current Fuel Loads 1970s vs. Current Fuel Loads Source: UL

Myth - New Homes are Safer Most residential fire deaths result from fire caused directly or indirectly by people, and arent related to the homes age While older homes (+40 years) are more vulnerable to fire due to older wiring, there are new risks: Modern fuels and lightweight construction. Smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths Cooking is the leading cause of residential fires Source: USFA / NFPA

Myth If fire deaths have declined over the years in the US, we have less of a need to have active protection. Home fire deaths have declined since 1977, but a 2500 per year average has been occurring consistently since the late 1990s Source: NFPA Annual fire Loss Report 2013 / USFA

Myth Home Fire Sprinklers Leak A residential sprinkler system is not any more likely to leak than fixtures in a plumbing system Source: NFPA US Experience with Sprinklers 2013 Andmost contractors warranty their work!

Myth When One Head Activates, They All Activate This is a myth that is sometimes perpetuated by Hollywood Sprinklers are each independently heat- sensitive. They activate separately! Commonly, only a single sprinkler will activate in a home fire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXUuHF0Olno&feature=youtu.be

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Require A Lot of Maintenance The Maintenance Standard, NFPA 25, excludes One & Two Family Dwellings 13D maintenance requirements are simple: Walk the sprinklers periodically (no specific time requirement) to look for: Obstructions to discharge (storage, etc) Painted or damaged heads Source: NFPA

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Require A Lot of Maintenance Industry-standard insulation installation and pipe routing techniques can eliminate freeze protection issues. Source: NFPA

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Require A Lot of Maintenance Seasonal Home? Vacation home? Unheated Home? Dry System Source: NFPA

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Use A Lot of Water The Scottsdale Report revealed that a typical sprinkler activation in a home uses an average of 341 gallons of water, compared to an average fire department suppression amount of 2,935 gallons. Source: HFSC

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Use A Lot of Water -13D allows for a design using the same water demand of the domestic system The fire sprinkler demand and the domestic system demand do not need to be added together; they can be concurrent Source: NFPA 13D

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Activations Result in Extensive Water Damage Sprinklers vs. Firefighting Water usage was reduced between 50% and 92% in a 2010 FM global Study Source: FM Global

Myth Sprinklers Can Activate Accidentally Factory Mutual loss records indicate that only One in 16,000,000 sprinklers will accidentally discharge due to a manufacturer malfunction Source: FM Global

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Water Supplies Require Expensive Meter Upgrades Water Meters 5/8 Rated for 20 gpm max. Recommend staying within rating, but tests have shown meter will not fail with excess flow 3/4 Rated at 35 gpm Should work for most systems Requirement for Fire Protection Listing? No Source: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Water Supplies Require Expensive Meter Upgrades A typical system can be designed using a Meter (35 GPM) Some systems can use a single sprinkler design, with 18 GPM flowing Source: NFPA 13D

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Water Supplies Require Expensive Meter Upgrades Residential Fire Sprinklers only require 7 PSI to operate Plumbing fixture typically require 8 PSI minimum. Source: ICC / UPC

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Require a Backflow Preventer Is not required by National plumbing codes and OPSC 603.4.16 unless: Materials are used that are not approved for potable water systems There is a fire department connection Chemicals are added to the fire protection system (i.e.: antifreeze, corrosion inhibitors, etc.) Sources: OPSC; NFPA 13D; ORSC; ORS Unnecessary mechanical devices require costly maintenance and have the potential to fail

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Require a Backflow Preventer Is not required by NFPA 13D Is not required by ORSC AT2904 Is not required by ORS 333-061- 0071 (4) on multi-purpose fire suppression systems constructed of potable water piping and materials Sources: OPSC; NFPA 13D; ORSC; ORS Unnecessary mechanical devices require costly maintenance and have the potential to fail

Myth Home Fire Sprinkler Systems Require a Backflow Preventer Where requested by local AHJ, there may be other options -Flow-through (passive purge) An example: Sources: NFPA 13D, PNW-AWWA Unnecessary mechanical devices require costly maintenance and have the potential to fail

Myth Residential Fire Sprinklers are Unattractive There are many cutting-edge, flush type heads that blend into the ceiling. Some manufacturers offer as many as 300 custom paint colors.

Myth Sprinklers are Too Expensive Nationally - $1.35 per sq. ft. of living area Lowest $0.74 in San Clemente CA Locally - $1.70 per sq. ft. of living area Source: NFPA

Myth Sprinklers are Too Expensive Solutions to Reducing Cost Example - Partnership with Medford Water Commission water meters at standard 5/8 meter SDCs Encourage Design to Eliminate Backflow Multipurpose or flow through systems Insurance Companies Typical 5-15% reduction in homeowners insurance Source: NFPA

Myth Sprinklers are Too Expensive Conclusion 1 : Basically, for the price of a Happy Meal or a Starbucks coffee (a month), your family can be protected by a residential sprinkler system, Fred Benn, President of Advanced Automatic Sprinkler Company in Hayward, CA Source: 1. Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Expected Increase in 30-year Mortgage $5-10 month after interest deduction and insurance savings Comparable Costs Many people pay similar costs for such amenities as: Upgrading carpet Upgrading cabinets Upgrading countertops Upgrading driveways

Myth Sprinklers are Too Expensive Potential cost savings for developers. Tradeoffs Access Structure proximity to Fire Dep. Apparatus Road width options / limitations Increase road grade Fire Department turnarounds Additional access roads Water Supply Structure proximity to Fire Hydrants Firefighting water supply Rural fire fighting water supply Source: NFPA

Myth Sprinkler Requirements Will Slow Down a Housing Market Sources: NFPA; NAHB Impact on Housing Supply and Costs A 2009 study found no evidence that the enactment of of sprinkler ordinances caused any detrimental effects on housing supply and costs Statistics on the website of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) show single-family home building permits increased on average by 28 percent in the United States between April 2012 and April 2013, but California experienced a 55 percent increase in permits in the same period

Myth My Insurance Rates Will Increase If I Have Sprinklers Nationally, on average, you not only dont get penalized, you get rewarded. Most insurance companies offer a premium discount for having a fire sprinkler system in the home. Sources: 2008 FPRF

Myth My Insurance Rates Will Increase If I Have Sprinklers ISO, an advisory organization that serves the property/casualty insurance industry, recommends an 8% credit for the installation of a residential sprinkler system Sources: 2008 FPRF / NFPA

Myth My Insurance Rates Will Increase If I Have Sprinklers ISO also advises leak protection (FPRF 2008) This means you receive a discount, as well as coverage for any accidental water discharge, and; Coverage for damage due to fire-related system activation Sources: 2008 FPRF / NFPA

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Home Fire Sprinkler Mythbusters Overcoming Barriers Oregon Fire Sprinkler Coalition