Fire sprinkler system

A fire sprinkler system is an active method of fire protection consisting of a water supply system providing sufficient pressure and flow to a water distribution piping system to which a fire sprinkler system is connected.While initially used only in factories and large commercial buildings, systems for homes and smaller buildings are now available at cost-effective prices.Fire sprinkler systems are used worldwide with over 40 million sprinkler heads installed each year.Fire sprinkler systems are usually designed as life-saving systems, but not necessarily designed to protect buildings.In buildings fully protected by fire sprinkler systems, if a fire does occur, it is controlled by the fire sprinklers only in 96% of cases.

Usage 

Sprinklers have been used in the United States since 1874 and are installed into factory applications, and during turn-of-the-century fires, sprinklers were often disastrous in terms of loss of life and property. In the United States, all new high-rise and underground structures today require sprinklers, typically 75 feet (23 m) above or below fire department access, where firefighters have limited ability to provide sufficient hose flow to respond to fires.Building codes may require sprinklers to be installed, or they may be recommended by insurance companies to reduce potential property damage or business interruption.U.S.building codes for gathering places (often more than 100 people) and overnight lodging establishments, such as hotels, nursing homes, dormitories, and hospitals, often require the use of sprinklers in accordance with local building codes as a condition of receiving state and federal funding, or as part of certification requirements (essential for institutions wishing to train medical personnel).

Regulations

United States

The primary fire code writing organization is the private National Fire Protection Association, or NFPA. NFPA sets standards for sprinkler technology installed in the United States.Building codes specifying which buildings require sprinklers are usually left to local jurisdictions.However, there are some exceptions:In 1990, the United States passed PL-101-391, the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990.The law requires that any hotel,conference hall, or similar establishment that accepts federal funds (i.e., overnight lodging or conferences, etc.) must meet fire and other safety requirements.The most obvious of these conditions is the implementation of sprinkler installations.As more hotels and other public spaces upgrade their facilities to conduct business with government visitors, this type of construction becomes the de facto industry norm even if not directly mandated by local building codes.If building codes do not explicitly mandate the use of fire sprinklers, the code often makes it highly advantageous to install them as an optional system. Most US building codes allow for less-expensive construction materials, larger floor area limitations, longer egress paths, and fewer requirements for fire-rated construction in structures which are protected by fire sprinklers.Consequently, the total building cost is often decreased by installing a sprinkler system and saving money in the other aspects of the project, as compared to building a non-sprinklered structure.In 2011, Pennsylvania and California became the first US states to require sprinkler systems in all new residential construction. However, Pennsylvania repealed the law later that same year.Many municipalities now require residential sprinklers, even if they are not required at the state level.

Europe

In Norway, as of July 2010, all new dwellings of more than two floors, all new hotels, nursing homes and hospitals must be sprinkled. Other Nordic countries require or will soon require sprinklers in new nursing homes,[citation needed], while in Finland, as of 2010, one-third of nursing homes had sprinklers installed.On October 27, 2005, a fire at an illegal immigration detention center at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands killed 11 detainees and led to retrofitting sprinklers in all similarly designed prisons in the Netherlands. The April 11, 1996, fire at Dusseldorf Airport, which killed 17 people, led to the retrofitting of sprinkler systems at all major airports in Germany.Most European countries also require sprinklers to be installed in shopping centers, large warehouses and high-rise buildings.

Renewed interest in and support for sprinkler systems in the UK has resulted in sprinkler systems being more widely installed. In schools, for example, the government has issued recommendations through Building Bulletin 100, a design guide for fire safety in schools, that most new schools, except for a few low risk schools, should be constructed with sprinkler protection.In 2011, Wales became the first country in the world where sprinklers are compulsory in all new homes.The law applies to newly built houses and blocks of flats, as well as care homes and university halls of residence. In Scotland, all new schools are sprinklered, as are new care homes, sheltered housing and high rise flats.In the UK, since the 1990s sprinklers have gained recognition within the Building Regulations (England and Wales) and Scottish Building Standards and under certain circumstances, the presence of sprinkler systems is deemed to provide a form of alternative compliance to some parts of the codes.For example, the presence of a sprinkler system will usually permit doubling of compartment sizes and increases in travel distances (to fire exits) as well as allowing a reduction in the fire rating of internal compartment walls.