Preventing Tragedy

It seems that not a lot of time goes by these days without the news of a potentially disastrous fire being halted in its tracks by an automatic fire sprinkler system. Most recently, these include:

• A fire set by a disturbed patient at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on 4^th May 2016
• A kitchen fire in a house in Corby, Northamptonshire on 27^th May 2016

In both cases, the blaze was quickly and effectively contained by the respective properties’ sprinkler systems, preventing potential injury, loss of life, and catastrophic property damage. In the case of Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, it has been reported that the fire in question was in fact extinguished so quickly that it only managed to cause around £1,000 worth of smoke damage to the 2m² room in which it occurred.

But what could the cost have been if the hospital hadn’t been fitted with sprinkler protection? As an NHS spokeswoman reported following the incident, “No other patients or staff were injured thanks to the swift and well-rehearsed actions of staff.” Of course, preventing injury and loss of life should always take priority over preventing property damage, but, human casualties aside, this case does go to show just how much money sprinkler protection can save you in the long run.

Money in the Bank

In fact, automatic fire sprinkler systems are a far cheaper form of fire suppression than alternative passive protection measures enforced by building control. Although it is widely believed that fire sprinklers could potentially incur unnecessary water damage by going off accidentally, the chances of this occurring are a staggering 16,000,000 to 1 (slightly longer odds than winning the lottery). And when you take into account the fact that Fire and Rescue Services attended 212,500 fires in the UK over the years 2013-2014, the remote prospect of an accidental sprinkler discharge becomes far less of a cause concern. In addition, the costs of maintaining an automatic fire sprinkler system are extremely low, and some insurance companies may even offer discounts for properties with sprinkler protection, so not only will they save you money from the get-go, they will keep saving you money well after they’ve been installed in your home.

If you’re less worried about how much an automatic fire sprinkler system could save you personally, and more about their environmental impact, there’s good news in that department, too! Typically, the Fire Service uses as much as 100 – 1,000 times more water to put out a fire than a sprinkler head uses. Residential sprinklers typically use only around 50 litres of water per minute, with a single sprinkler head controlling the entire fire. Sprinklered fires will also on average emit 7.8% to 21.6% less carbon dioxide, in comparison to un-sprinklered fires, and it is estimated that, over a 30-year period, buildings with sprinkler protection will prevent emissions of more than 5,000 – 10,000m2 of carbon dioxide.

So, to summarise, automatic fire sprinkler systems, not only help to protect you, your loved ones and property, but also your wallet and the environment too. But the information contained in this blog is just the tip of the iceberg, and our expert fire safety team would love to tell you more about their many other benefits. So get in touch today and arrange a free consultation or demonstration at our head office in Ipswich, Suffolk: 01473 320 350 | info@aesnational.co.ukn