Home Fire Sprinklers

Protect what you value most. Home fire sprinklers save lives.

A home fire can become deadly in less than three minutes. Young children, older adults and people with disabilities are at greatest risk. Only the sprinkler closest to the fire activates, controlling or extinguishing the fire so everyone can escape.

Residential home sprinklers can be installed when new homes are under construction.
Sprinkers may be retrofitted into your existing home, depending on existing water service size.

Home Fire Activation
If a fire occurs, the sprinkler closest to it activates automatically in response to the high heat from a fire. This controls and often extinguishes the flames, reduces the spread of toxic and damaging smoke, and provides time for occupants to escape. When sprinklers are present, fire is kept to the room of origin, 96% of the time (NFPA).

In most home fires, only one or two sprinklers will control the blaze. In fires in unsprinklered homes, the toxic smoke spreads widely and more area is exposed to heat, smoke and fire. This requires more water to be used for suppression with powerful fire department hoses. This greatly increases water and fire damage to the structure and contents.

Fire sprinklers save lives
Fire sprinklers save lives and protect property, family heirlooms and other valuables.

With fire sprinklers

The sprinkler closest to the fire activates

Water contains or extinguishes fire

Residents have time to safely escape

Surrounding rooms are protected from fire wand water damage

Your best protection against fire

Without fire sprinklers

Flames grow and spread

Heat and toxic gases spread room to room

In as few as three minutes, the fire becomes deadly

Flashover occurs and the gases and combustible materials burst into flames

Eight out of ten fire deaths occur in homes

It typically takes fire departments nine to twelve minutes after a fire has started to arrive. By then, firefighters will have to use high-pressure hoses, applying water up to 250 gallons per minute. The home may be lost and the family displaced. Fire sprinklers work fast; often a fire is put out before the fire department arrives.

For more information on home fire sprinklers, visit NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Initiative site, FireSprinklerInitiative.org.

Home Fire Sprinkler - SAFETY TIPS