FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2018
Contact: Brian Sloat,
Fire Marshal
Fayetteville Fire Department
479.718.7636
bsloat@fayetteville-ar.gov
Fire Department Presents Live Home Fire Simulation
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —The Fayetteville Fire Department will present a live home fire simulation event tomorrow, May 19 at the intersection of Church Avenue and Center Street. Two rooms will burn at once – one with and one without fire sprinklers. The simulation begins at 10 a.m. Fires burn quickly, so the simulation will be over in minutes; firefighters recommend arriving early.
The event is being held in conjunction with others as part of Home Fire Sprinkler Day on May: A Simultaneous Day of Action Across North America.
“Every year, the majority of fire deaths in North America happen at home,” says Brian Sloat, Fire Marshal. “Simply put, that’s unacceptable. There is a solution and it starts with local action.”
The Fayetteville Fire Department is taking part in a North America-wide campaign May 19th initiated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) to raise awareness of the growing dangers of home fires and the life-saving benefits of installing fire sprinklers in new homes.
“The purpose is to organize a unified day of action on May 19 with a focus on the tough problem of home fires and the equally tough protection of home fire sprinkler technology,” says Lorraine Carli, Vice President at NFPA and President of HFSC. “By joining forces coast to coast, communities like Fayetteville are debunking persistent myths, helping consumers learn the facts before they build or buy a new home, and urging their local officials to support sprinkler codes.”
“Many people lose sight of the fact that home fires are dangerous not just to residents but also to firefighters,” says Fire Marshal Sloat. “Today’s new houses are built with lightweight construction and big open designs and they’re filled with synthetic furnishings. When they burn, they fail fast, and that environment places firefighters at risk from fire as well as toxins that lead to disease.”
Home Fire Sprinkler Day is an opportunity for everyone in Fayetteville to learn about new-home dangers, get the facts about lifesaving sprinkler technology and make progress against the home fire problem.
Facts about home fire sprinklers
- Since 2009, the installation of fire sprinklers has been required for new construction of homes by all U.S. model building codes. California, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and hundreds of U.S. communities have adopted this requirement. Challenges to adoption exist in many other states.
- Fire sprinkler installation in homes lags behind installation in other properties with lower fire death rates, such as schools, hospitals, and hotels. They lag in part due to myths, confusion, and opposition by some groups.
- Modern home fire sprinklers are inexpensive to install ($1.35 per sprinklered sq. ft., nationally – NFPA).
- Fire sprinklers reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by 80 percent, and reduce the risk of property damage by 70 percent (NFPA).
- Because the sprinkler responds to the fire automatically and while it is still small, it controls the fire until the fire department arrives, slowing the spread of heat and poisonous smoke.
- Home fire sprinklers give residents more time to escape a fire safely. That prevents injuries and saves lives.
- The sprinkler controls fire damage and confines it. That protects lives as well as surrounding rooms, limiting property damage.
- Responding firefighters work in far less dangerous conditions when a home fire is controlled by a fire sprinkler.
- Fire sprinklers are usually supplied by the household water main. A tank and pump can be used where needed. They can be used in any climate. As with other plumbing, the piping is hidden behind walls and ceilings. Sprinkler covers can be used to conceal sprinklers.
- Home fire sprinklers operate individually. In a fire, the sprinkler closest to it activates. In the vast majority of home fires just one sprinkler is needed to control the flames.
- Sprinklers are activated by the high temperature of a fire – typically between 135-165°F. Cooking fumes or signaling smoke alarms cannot activate sprinklers.
- Home fire sprinklers are designed to flow between 10-25 gallons of water per minute, 10-15 times less water flow than fire department hoses, with far less pressure.
You can find information about the Fayetteville Fire Department at www.fayetteville-ar.gov/fire.
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