Home fires claim the lives of seven people each day, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which is conducting a week-long initiative to raise national awareness of a fire sprinkler’s life-saving ability.
A project of the NFPA, working with the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), Home Fire Sprinkler Week runs through May 25. This project tasks safety advocates across the U.S. with hosting events promoting home fire sprinklers.
While no events are planned in Chatham County to coincide with the initiative, Chatham County Fire Marshal Tom Bender says sprinklers are a proven fire-safety tool.
Bender noted that fire sprinklers are a building code issue and not something his department is directly involved in.
But he recognizes their value in saving lives.
“They’re very good to have,” Bender said. “In new homes, it’s something people should consider. They’re not that expensive.”
Bender said their value in saving lives and property is that sprinklers are an “eye in the sky” 24 hours a day.
“There’s no substitute for a sprinkler system,” Bender said. “They work. They’re proven.”
According to data from the NFPA, the risk of dying in a home fire decreases by approximately 85 percent if sprinklers are present.
When sprinklers were present, NFPA data shows, fires were kept to the room of origin 97 percent of the time.
In the event of a fire, typically only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire, leaving the rest of the house dry and secure, the NFPA reports. Approximately 89 percent of the time just one sprinkler operates.
“The alarming number of home fire deaths and injuries each year should be on the radar of every decision maker and member of the media,” says NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy, and HFSC’s president, Lorraine Carli.
Through their promotion, NFPA Hopes “to illuminate the fire problem and its solution on a national scale,” Carli said. “Fire sprinklers have been a U.S. model building code requirement since 2009, yet challenges to its adoption still exist. Taking action collectively will send a powerful message that fire sprinklers are widely accepted and must be embraced in every state.”
Randall Rigsbee can be reached at rigsbee@chathamnr.com.