Home Fire Sprinkler Facts

Five Common Fire Sprinkler Myths

 

 

1. Myth: Every time I burn the bacon, I'll set off a sprinkler

 

Fact

Home sprinklers are activated by temperature, not smoke. You may set off a smoke alarm, but you won’t trigger a sprinkler—unless the burned bacon becomes a sufficiently large fire.

 

 

2. Myth: I have smoke alarms so I don't need fire sprinklers

 

Fact

Smoke alarms are essential in every home. But they can only detect smoke from a fire. Fire sprinklers detect the fire and automatically control it, saving lives and property.

 

 

3. Myth: During a fire, every sprinkler will activate and everything in my house will be ruined by water damage.

 

Fact

Because home sprinklers are triggered by a rise in temperature, typically only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate. Water is sprayed directly on the fire, leaving the rest of the house dry and secure. Roughly 85 percent of the time, when there’s a fire, just one sprinkler operates.

 

 

4. Myth: Smoke alarms will give my family enough time to safely exit if there's a fire.

 

Fact

Maybe. While smoke alarms are a critical first step in home fire safety, studies have shown that fires in modern homes can grow quickly and reach flashover in as little as two to three minutes—conditions that can be avoided with home fire sprinklers, providing you and your family with valuable time to escape. Also, in the 9 to 12 minutes it typically takes a fire department to respond, an uncontrolled fire will grow and spread through the home, causing tremendous smoke and fire damage. In a fire, sprinklers can control and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive.

 

 

5. Myth: Home fire sprinkers are too expensive.

 

Fact

The national average for installing automatic fire sprinklers in new homes is $1.35 per sprinklered square foot. Putting that figure into perspective, people pay similar amounts for carpet upgrades, laminate flooring or granite countertops. Installing home fire sprinklers could cut homeowner insurance premiums and significantly reduce property loss in the event of a fire. New home fire sprinkler models are unobtrusive, can be mounted flush with walls or ceilings and can be concealed behind decorative covers

 

 

 

 

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Marysville Fire District
1635 Grove Street
Marysville, WA 98270

(360) 363-8500 

 

Email: fire@mfdrfa.org

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Marysville Fire District
1635 Grove Street
Marysville, WA 98270
(360) 363-8500
© Marysville Fire District