The National Fire Protection Association has published a report with the latest performance data for sprinkler systems in the USA. It says that with sprinklers present, the chances of dying in a fire is reduced by between half and three quarters, and the average property loss is cut by between a half and two thirds.
The report also comments on the reliability of sprinkler systems. “Sprinklers failed to operate in 7 per cent of structure fires. Two thirds of those failures were due to the systems being shut down before the fire. Nearly all failures were entirely, or primarily human error,” it says.
Commenting on the findings, the European Fire Sprinkler Network said that while a 93 per cent success rate is excellent, it believes that an inspection regime can further reduce the failure rate by 1 or 2 per cent. In areas where inspection is enforced, such as in Australia or Europe, a lower failure rate is common.
In addition, the survey found that with sprinklers, the death rate is reduced by 60 per cent in manufacturing facilities, 74 per cent in stores and offices, 75 per cent in health care facilities, 91 per cent in hotels and motels and by 74 per cent in homes.
In the US, sprinklers are most prevalent in healthcare facilities, high-rise hotels and high-rise office buildings. But most fires still occur in properties without sprinklers and sprinklers are very rare in homes. Sprinklers are installed in less than 1 per cent of reported fires that occur in family homes. Even in apartments, only 8 per cent of reported fires had sprinklers.
