Sprinklers in Dwellings

Introduction

While sprinklers have been used for the protection of property such as mills, factories, warehouses and department stores for well over 130 years there is now a growing recognition of their effectiveness in improving levels of life safety in other types of buildings. The latest version of Approved Document B in support of the Building Regulations incorporates clear recognition of the value of sprinklers in improving levels of safety for occupants as well as in preventing the spread of fire. Other developments have demonstrated the value of sprinklers in providing additional levels of safety for fire fighters in large, complex structures or in buildings where the fire load is excessive. With the incorporation of the latest fast-response sprinkler heads there is clear evidence that, even in the compartment of origin of a fire, occupants of sprinklered buildings enjoy a significant additional measure of life safety.

Sprinklers for Life Safety

There also appears to be a growing consensus that sprinklers offer a highly cost-effective way of reducing the UK's appalling fire death toll. It seems generally acknowledged that, while smoke detectors probably save around 80 - 100 lives each year, this figure is unlikely to improve. It is also clear that when its is the most vulnerable members of our society who die - the very young, the very old, the disabled, the infirm and those who use drugs and alcohol unwisely - only sprinklers can actually prevent fire deaths.

In the case of social housing, care premises, homes in multiple occupation, hostels and similar properties there now clear arguments that sprinklers offer the best chance of preventing deaths should afire occur.

Just What is the Extent of the Problem ?

In the UK each year there are around 45,000 fires in dwellings and while many of these involve damage which is little more serious than the need to repaint the kitchen it must be remembered that more than 500 people have died in fires in their home in the UK almost every year since 1945.

The introduction of smoke alarms in the late 1970s has, it is true, helped to reduce some of this appalling death toll but even the best estimates suggest that only around 30 lives are saved by early warning.

No Place Like Home ?

It is only when one examines the details of these tragic fires that one can begin to understand why it is that only active systems like sprinklers can prevent domestic tragedies. A disproportionate number of the very young, the very old, the disabled and - it has to be said, those affected by drugs and alcohol - are the people whose deaths feature in this grim annual tally.

One other group also features in the list of the most vulnerable and that is those who live in shared accommodation - sometimes known as 'homes in multiple occupation' or HMO's. One calculation suggests that someone living in an HMO is eight times more likely to die in a fire than someone living in a single family dwelling. Some local authorities are now suggesting the landlords who let rooms in HMO's which are three or more storeys in height should fit sprinklers. In Scotland, legislation introduced in 2005 now requires all new care and residential homes to be fitted with sprinkler protection and in some areas, sheltered housing is also being so protected.

So sprinklers, unlike smoke detectors which can only warn of the need for evacuation, can actually save those who cannot help themselves.

Benefits for Designers and Builders

One of the most often ignored benefits of sprinklers is the additional flexibility which this equipment provide to designers and builders. In unconventional or unusual buildings including sprinklers in a specification will often enable Building Regulations compliance to be achieved in a very cost- effective manner. Where changes of use are being anticipated, utilising sprinklers is often the only way in which means of escape requirements can be provided. In other situations, the freedom architects seek to implement a stylish or unorthodox design can only be accomplished using sprinklers.

Sprinklers have also been used as a compensating feature in developments where the Building Regulations cannot be complied with in respect of means of escape or access for the fire brigade. Some projects have even reported that providing sprinklers has resulted in a cost saving where the building authority has permitted trade-offs in respect of means of escape facilities.

Standards for Installation

Sprinklers can be installed using any one of a number of accepted standards. The longest established design and installation standard is BS 5306 Part 2: 1990 (Fire extinguishing installations and equipment on premises Part 2 Specification for sprinkler systems). This standard will be withdrawn in 2007 and replaced by BS EN 12845 2004 which is now running in parallel with the 1990 standard. While these standard can be used for any installation it will usually be simpler and more cost-effective to refer to BS 9251:2005 Sprinkler systems for residential and domestic occupancies. Code of practice. It is the view of the members of the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association that BS 9251 should only be used for sprinkler installations in single family dwellings, small blocks of flats and residential buildings up to three storeys in height.

Types of Systems

While there are a range of different types of sprinkler systems used in a range of premises it is considered that only wet systems should be specified in domestic premises. These systems are the simplest, easiest to maintain and are also the most cost effective. Pipework can be in copper, steel or in cpvc (chlorinated polyvinyl chloride) which is approved for the purpose. If water pressure and flow are adequate then it is possible that the sprinkler system can be connected (subject the approval of the water authority) directly to the cold water main where it enters the dwelling. Where tanks and pumps are demanded because the flow or pressure are inadequate these can be sourced from a range of companies who manufacture approved and certificated equipment.

System Design and Installation

While there is nothing mysterious about sprinkler systems the high reliability and effectiveness of these systems has come about over the years by strict adherence to the sprinkler rules and design standards. It would be wise to select a contractor who is not only capable and competent but who also has an established track record and who can offer proof of compliance with an established quality assurance system.

For example, all Installer members of the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association can provide documentary proof of compliance with international quality assurance standards and all also hold an approval (Registration or Certification) from a third party certification service which itself is accredited by a Government-approved body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Most BAFSA members have been in business for more than ten years and some for more than thirty - all can provide objective proof of their competence. BAFSA itself was founded in 1974.

Conclusions

Finally a few facts:

1. There have been no multiple fire deaths in the UK as a result of a fire in a dwelling with a working sprinkler system.
2. US experience shows than 98% of all fires in sprinklered dwellings are extinguished with only one sprinkler head operating. The same data suggests there is a 57% reduction in the likelihood of death for those in the room of origin.
3. Only the sprinkler heads in the immediate vicinity of the fire actually operate.
4. Sprinkler heads can be completely concealed.
5. Sprinkler systems do not need pumps or tanks if mains pressure is adequate.
6. Sprinklered buildings prevent fire fighter deaths.
7. Sprinklers do not 'false alarm' they will only operate if there is an actual fire.
8. For a small additional cost an alarm switch can be built-in to the system to call the fire brigade automatically should the sprinklers operate.
9. Maintenance costs for sprinklers are very low.
10. Sprinklers save lives - and property - and are the only devices which can detect a fire, sound the alarm, call the fire brigade and extinguish or control the fire.
11. Finally, despite many preconceptions and misinformation, sprinklers are not difficult, unsightly or expensive to install in homes or dwellings of any size."
12. Since the UK started to take the idea of sprinklered homes seriously in the late 1990's, it has been estimated that 21 lives have already been saved by the systems.