CUMBRIA Fire and Rescue Service are supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) National Sprinkler Week campaign.
The campaign will run from May 17 to May 23 and will raise awareness of the benefits of sprinkler systems in keeping people and buildings safer from fire as we encourage people to #ThinkSprinkler.
Fire sprinklers are widely recognised as the single most effective method for fighting the spread of fires in their early stages.
Research by the NFCC and the National Fire Sprinkler Network (NFSN) found that sprinkler systems operate on 94 per cent of occasions and when they do, they extinguish or contain the fire on 99 per cent of occasions.
Sprinkler
The result is sprinklers reduce injuries by at least 80 per cent, reduce property damage by 90 per cent and substantially reduce damage to the environment from fire. This also means that sprinkler systems help to protect the lives of firefighters and that is another reason why they are fully supported by fire services.
Fire protection group manager, Stuart Hook said: “Working smoke alarms save lives by warning of smoke caused by fire and that is important, but they can't put fires out. A sprinkler system will detect the fire and extinguish or control it and that's even better.
“We want people to ‘Think Sprinkler’ because they save lives and buildings, which lessens the economic, environmental, emotional and community impact of fire.
“We’re supporting this national week to remind businesses to check that their sprinkler system is fit for purpose and in working order and those that haven’t installed one to consider the benefits of getting one put in.”
There are some common misconceptions about sprinklers that might put people off:
• If one sprinkler goes off, so do the rest, causing water damage in the whole building. False - Only the sprinklers in the area of the fire will go off, preventing the fire from spreading to other rooms.
• They go off when there isn’t a fire. The chances of this are rare, modern sprinklers will not go off unless they’re exposed to the kind of extreme temperatures generated by a fire, burning your toast won’t do it.
• Sprinklers are unsightly and so unsuitable for the home. Wrong again - modern sprinklers can be made to blend with your walls and ceiling.
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