HomeStars connected with Angie Safko, Public Educator with Toronto Fire Services, to learn important life-saving information about automatic fire sprinklers in your home.
Automatic fire sprinklers can be an effective safety device installed in residential buildings, including detached family dwellings. They can be both reliable and cost-effective. Statistics have shown an increase in the chance of survival in a fire in homes where automatic fire sprinklers were installed and operated as intended. Even though automatic fire sprinklers are proven to be life-saving, there are still common myths and misconceptions regarding these devices.
A common myth associated with automatic fire sprinklers is that it will cause severe water damage. The fact is, damage caused by the fire itself will be far more extensive than the water damage. Another misconception of automatic fire sprinklers is that when there is a fire, all sprinkler heads connected to the system will activate at once. This is false. Residential sprinklers activate independently based on a rated temperature setting of approximately 74 degrees Celsius. This means that only the sprinkler heads that are close to the fire will respond. Usually, only one sprinkler head will activate to control and/or extinguish the fire.
Sprinkler heads will also not activate by accident. The chances of a sprinkler head activating by accident is 1 in 16 million per year. And much like the plumbing systems we see in residential buildings, sprinkler systems will not freeze in the winter and cause water damage. Sprinkler systems are installed inside the walls, adjacent to the ceiling and framing and also insulated to entrap the available heat lost from the living area below.
If you are in the process of building a new home, automatic fire sprinklers can be installed for as little as $1.50 per square foot. In most cases, the cost of installing a sprinkler system in a home during initial construction would represent less than 2% of the total cost of construction cost. We rarely hesitate when buying a new couch or the latest entertainment systems. An automatic fire sprinkler in the home can be life-saving and reasonably priced. Automatic fire sprinklers are typically installed on the ceiling and can even be designed to match the décor of your home.
Not to be forgotten are smoke alarms, which are also residential life-saving devices. They are required by law to be installed on every storey of our homes. They provide early warning in the event of a fire emergency and are designed to provide us with adequate time to get outside safely. However, smoke alarms are only an alert device, they do not control and/or extinguish a growing fire. In order for a smoke alarm to operate in a fire emergency, it must be maintained on a regular basis. This includes testing at least once a month, changing the batteries at least once a year and replacing the entire device every ten years.
It is important to remember that working smoke alarms are life-saving devices required by law in residential buildings. Along with smoke alarms, there are also other life safety devices, such as automatic fire sprinklers, that can enhance the safety in our homes and provide additional protection in a fire emergency. For more information on fire safety, please visit Toronto Fire Services online: www.toronto.ca/fire.
