Residential Fire Sprinklers

1. Residential Fire Sprinklers A Little Bit of History and The What, Where, Who, When and How Questions Richard J. Prospal – American Society of Sanitary Engineering – 14 April 2010

2. Where did fire protection begin • London had fire laws on the books as early as the 1600’s – candlemakers and thatched roofs • The first fire pumps – 1700’s – hand powered later steam driven • The Chicago fire of 1870 – over 600 killed • Why is it that “Change is fueled by disaster” • Fire Sprinkler Head invented in late 1800’s by Henry Parmalee – for the textile industry • Fire Sprinkler Systems – 1860’s to 1870’s – to control fire spread • NFPA Standards introduced in 1896

3. When did RFS Systems come about • Grinnell Co. promoted a “junior” fire sprinkler system for basements of apartments in the 1930’s • Evolved from the industrial technology • NFPA in the 1950’s began development on Standard 13-D for single family dwellings and mobile homes • Based on scaled down water supply requirements – a ten minute water supply • Studies by many communities, laboratories and manufacturers finally developed the Residential Quick Response Sprinkler • Radical new designs resulted • January 1, 2011 all new homes constructed under the guidelines of the IRC are mandated to have a fire sprinkler system

4. Residential Fire Statistics • In 2008, NFPA latest statistics, a total of 403,000 residential fires resulted in $8.5 billion in damages. • From the same data, 90% of all injuries and 84% of all deaths were in residential structures • 2780 civilian deaths as well as a number of firefighters • More fire fighters are hurt and killed in residential fires than any other • Why are these numbers so out of sync with the numbers from non-residential fires? • During the period of 2002-2005, in more than 2000 residential fire incidents, no fire related deaths were reported.

5. Fire Sprinkler Codes • NFPA 13 – Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems (Very involved covers all possibilities) • NFPA13D – Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One and Two Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes ( Surprisingly simple – only 21 total pages) • NFPA 13R – Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Residential Occupancies up to and including Four Stories in Height (Somewhat more than 13D)

6. Types of Residential Systems • Stand Alone – As the name implies, this is a separate piping system much like the traditional fire sprinkler systems in commercial and industrial buildings serving just on purpose. • Multi-Purpose – This type of system supplies water to the fire sprinkler system and to the domestic plumbing fixtures. • Network System – A type of Multi-Purpose system where each sprinkler is supplied by a minimum of three separate paths.

7. Residential Installation Guidelines • Significantly different from commercial systems – Quick response heads & Discharge patterns • Need to understand the philosophical differences between RFP and Commercial Systems • RFP Systems designed to get the people out of the building - 10 to 15 minutes • By provide wall wetting and air cooling • Commercial Systems – While being designed for Life Safety they are also very concerned with control of property damage • Hundreds of heads – need to find the right head for the right application • Use the manufacturers data • Some things you need to know: Is the ceiling flat or sloped and what pitch; any soffits, pockets, trays, ceiling fans that could affect the spray pattern • In cold climates, piping above ceilings in unheated spaces require protection from freezing

8. Guidelines continued • RFP head layout is quite an art • The idea is to layout the heads, draw in the piping to the heads then feed the plumbing fixtures • Water Demand is 15 to 20 gpm - Minimum pressure of 7 psi • Network systems will need the assistance of the manufacturer of the equipment

9. Who can install RFP Systems • Multi-Purpose Systems are part of the plumbing system requiring the materials to be compatible with the standards for drinking water • This tells me that it is the work of the Plumbing contractor • But, just because it’s pipe and fittings that carry and dispense water doesn’t mean that all plumbers are qualified • Training and Education • ASSE Series 7000 Professional Qualification Standard for Plumbing-Based Residential Fire Protection Systems Installers & Inspectors

10. The Important Question of $$$$$ • The cost is totally dependant on the style and size of the residence • Simple ranch style homes with a bathroom near one end and a kitchen and/or half bath near the other have been completed for about $ .50/sq. ft. • The published data ranges from $ .50 to $1.75 /sq.ft. • The average is $1.35

11. Some of the MYTHS • All of the heads go off at the same time creating an awful lot of damage. Insurance will go up due to the potential for water damage. We all know that is not true. • Smoke Alarms are enough-look at the statistics-they have cut down on residential fires. True, but smoke alarms alone have not cut down on fire deaths! Fire sprinklers do! Are more than 2500 deaths acceptable. • Homeowners feel safe w/o sprinklers –It won’t happen to me syndrome • Annual maintenance & inspection costs are too high. Not True!