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Milan, 17 November 2011 Alan Brinson

European Progress with Sprinklers. Milan, 17 November 2011 Alan Brinson. European Fire Sprinkler Network. Open to all who believe that by greater use of sprinklers we can improve fire safety Fire services, laboratories, consultants, insurers sprinkler industry...

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Milan, 17 November 2011 Alan Brinson

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  1. European Progress with Sprinklers Milan, 17 November 2011 Alan Brinson

  2. European Fire Sprinkler Network • Open to all who believe that by greater use of sprinklers we can improve fire safety • Fire services, laboratories, consultants, insurers sprinkler industry... • Started 8 years ago and now has three part-time consultants and one full-time employee • Involved in many campaigns across Europe • For more information: www.eurosprinkler.org

  3. How do Sprinklers work? • Glass bulb contains a liquid with a vapour bubble • Liquid expands with temperature => vapour bubble compressed • At 68˚C (red bulb) vapour bubble has gone, the glass breaks and water begins to spray onto the fire below • Sprinklers fed by pipes and pump or mains

  4. Sprinklers do not: • React to cigarettes or burnt toast • Open all together (usually just 1 or 2 sprinklers open) • Cause large water damage (systems spray much less water than a single fire hose) • Operate without a fire (this is very rare) • 1 in 1,6 million sprinklers for all reasons including damage by end user or installer (FM Global 1977) • 1 in 16 million sprinklers due to manufacturing fault (FM Global 1977)

  5. Reliability of Sprinklers • Sprinklers open when they get hot and spray water onto the fire below to control or extinguish it • Statistics show 98% of fires are controlled or extinguished by a sprinkler system: • Swiss Cantonal Insurance Federation 100% in 2000 • LPC 99% in 2000 • Danish Institute of Fire Technology 98% in 2003 • German Insurers 97.9% in 1971-92 • APSAD France 97% in 2000

  6. Reliability of Sprinklers • In >60% of cases just 1 or 2 sprinklers operate and spray much less water than a single fire hose • Swiss Cantonal Insurance Federation: 87% of fires controlled by 1-2 sprinklers in 2000 • APSAD: 61% controlled by 1-2 sprinklers in 2000 • VdS: 50% controlled by 1-2 sprinklers in 2000 • LPC: 44% controlled by 1-2 sprinklers in 2000 Europe has never had a multiple death fire in a fully-sprinklered building

  7. How Sprinklers Save Lives

  8. Benefits of Sprinklers in room of fire origin • Sprinklers respond quickly to heat, before conditions become life-threatening • Fire is controlled, so less toxic smoke • Temperatures are held at a lower level • Fire is often extinguished

  9. Sprinklers ease Escape • Prevent fire spread so less smoke produced • People can better see the escape routes • Sprinkler system can call the fire brigade

  10. Sprinklers prevent Flashover • A stated aim of residential sprinkler systems, as in their first standards NFPA 13R and 13D • A major contribution to fire-fighter safety

  11. Sprinklers reduce Fire Damage • Operate before the fire brigade arrives • Fire is still small and does not get bigger • Less water needed to put out a small fire • Fire damage reduced on average by 85% • Scottsdale (88% commercial buildings; 96% homes) • Vancouver (92% homes) • NFPA (42% homes; 67% industry) • NIST (32% in houses)

  12. Sprinklers save Lives The Proof • Scottsdale • No deaths in sprinklered buildings 1986-2006 (one death in 2007) • Vancouver • No avoidable deaths in sprinklered buildings 1990- • Worst fire statistics in Canada, now the best • NFPA: 86% reduction in fire deaths of which 78% in homes (1986-1998) and 100% in houses (2002-2005) • NIST: 100% reduction in fire deaths in houses

  13. Scottsdale Sprinkler Legislation 1974 All buildings higher than 3 storeys or larger than 700m2 must be sprinklered 1982 Residential sprinkler fire tests in California 1985 Ordinance that from 1986 all new buildings must be sprinklered

  14. Scottsdale Sprinkler Ordinance Design Freedoms Increased distance between hydrants Smaller bore water mains 360 turning circle waived Narrower roads Longer cul-de-sacs => Housing density increased by 4%

  15. International Residential Code United States • Adopted as State law in 46 of the 50 States • Members are officials and fire officers • For the 2009 version of the IRC they voted for sprinklers in new houses, effective 1 January 2011 • Resistance at State level orchestrated by house-builders • In effect in California and partly in Pennsylvania

  16. Legislative Developments in Europe

  17. Hotels Paris Hotel Opéra – 15 April 2005 24 deaths

  18. Penhallow Hotel, Newquay UK, August 2007 3 Deaths!

  19. Quality Hotel Eskilstuna, Sweden 24 February 2009 200 rooms totally destroyed, 8 people hospitalised

  20. Utne Hotel, Norway 18 February 2008 Single sprinkler saved hotel

  21. Sprinklers in Hotels Sprinklers in all new hotels in Norway!

  22. Sprinklers in High-Rises Windsor Building 12 February 2005 32 storey building collapsed Losses €100 millions

  23. Sprinklers in High-Rises Delft University 13 May 2008 13 storey building collapsed

  24. Sprinklers in High-Rises Sprinklers in all new flats > 3 storeys in Norway! With balcony Barcelona Scotland Half introduced in last 5 years

  25. Sprinklers in Care Homes Melle, Belgium – 5 August 2009 9 deaths from fire in home for elderly Led to forming of Belgian Fire Sprinkler Network!

  26. Sprinklers in Care Homes • Finland – >30% retrofitted with sprinklers • Norway – all new care homes • Sweden – all new care homes • Scotland – all new care homes • England – frequent alternative to fire doors • Netherlands – sometimes for design freedoms • Belgium – working group looking at care homes • Germany – NRW incentives

  27. Sprinklers in Homes • New Norwegian flats >2 storeys must be sprinklered • New timber-frame flats in Finland must be sprinklered • All new housing in Wales!! • Working group in Belgium (+care homes, hospitals) • Design freedoms in Netherlands, Sweden, UK: • Longer escape routes • Less compartmentation • Fire brigade access not optimal

  28. Sprinklers in Homes Inverclyde, UK 14 May 2011 Bergen, Norway 17 May 2006 Gothenburg, Sweden 4 December 2009

  29. Sprinklers in Shopping Centres • Belgium: >2,000m2 • Denmark: >2,000m2 • France: >3,000m2 • Germany: >3,000m2 • Netherlands: typical solution if >1,000m2 • Norway: >1,800m2 • Portugal: >1,600m2 • Spain: >1,500m2 • Sweden: typical fire engineered solution • Switzerland: all shopping centres • UK: Scotland all centres; England >2,000m2

  30. Sprinklers in Warehouses

  31. Sprinklers in Warehouses

  32. Sprinklers in Warehouses • Warehouses are getting bigger • Warehouse fire can become too large for interior attack by fire-fighters = risk of collapse • But what if someone is trapped? • Fire in Sofa Super Store, Charleston USA on 18 June 2007 – 9 fire-fighters killed: NIST investigation => sprinklers could have saved them! • Fire in Ahterstone on Stour vegetable packing warehouse on 2 November 2007 – 4 fire-fighters killed – no sprinklers! (and still no learning)

  33. Sprinklers in Warehouses • Austria: >1,800m2 • Denmark: >5,000m2 or >2,000m2 + high fire load • France: >3,000m2 • Germany: >1,200m2 or >7.5m storage height • Netherlands: typical solution if >1,000m2 • Norway: >800m2 • Portugal: >850 MJ/m2 • Spain: >2,000m2 & >850 MJ/m2 • Sweden: typical fire engineered solution • UK: Scotland >14,000m2; England >20,000m2

  34. Sprinklers in Tunnels • European Directive – alternatives possible • NFPA 502 Tunnel fire safety: extinguishing systems recommended in long/busy tunnels • NFPA 502 influences PIARC => Europe • E, F, I, N, NL, OS, S, SF, UK have at least one tunnel with an extinguishing system • Link to underground car parks

  35. Sprinklers in Hospitals?Fire Loss 26 May 2007 VU Medisch Centrum Amsterdam 8 operating theatres damaged – €50 million

  36. Sprinklers in HospitalsInterruption of Service 2 January 2008 Royal Marsden London 5 operating theatres closed > 6 months

  37. Downtown Chicago

  38. Sprinklers in Operating Theatre

  39. University College Hospital Central London

  40. Sprinklers in Corridors and Wards

  41. How to campaign for sprinklers • Pay someone (part-time) to promote sprinklers • Bring all parties to the table • Offer sprinkler training to fire brigades • Obtain and understand existing regulations • Run burn demonstrations and provide information • Work with allies to meet politicians and officials • => Opportunities will come!

  42. 28-29 June2012 www.eurosprinkler.org

  43. Thank you! Alan Brinson European Fire Sprinkler Network brinson@eurosprinkler.org 020 8877 2600

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