Demo sounds the alarm about importance of home fire sprinklers

WARREN — The National Fire Sprinkler Association partnered with the Warren Fire Department for a live demonstration of two identically decorated rooms catching on fire on Dec. 9 and gave fire safety tips for the holiday season and year-round.

Several fire department officials from other municipalities across the state as well as other states were in attendance at the demo held at Halmich Park in Warren.

Both rooms had an artificial Christmas tree, ornaments, wrapped presents, furniture and a newspaper crossword puzzle. One room had a residential fire sprinkler system installed and the other room did not.

The room with the sprinklers was set on fire first. The smoke alarm sounded, the fire spread, and the sprinklers engaged and released water for several minutes. That quickly stopped the fire and cleared the smoke. Such sprinkler systems are installed throughout a residential home but unlike commercial sprinkler systems, they are only activated in the room where there is a fire.

“It takes a significant flame to get the sprinkler to operate,” said Shane Ray, president of the National Fire Sprinkler Association. “You’re not going to burn the bacon or the toast and set a sprinkler off.”

To continue the demonstration, the room without the sprinkler system was then set on fire. The smoke alarm sounded and the fire burned for several minutes, filling the room with black smoke to the point where nothing in the room could be seen. The furniture and everything in the room was burned and destroyed.

Firefighters fully extinguished both fires and turned off the sprinklers in the room with the system.

Ray said deaths by residential fires are on the rise. He attributes this to the synthetic materials used in furniture, the volume of things in the home, and lithium batteries used in a variety of things including computers and electric bikes. When the lithium batteries reach high temperatures, they can explode.

These factors and others contribute to today’s fires being six-times faster, Ray said. He compared that to 30 years ago when wool, cotton, leather, and wood were used in furniture.

“You still have to have firefighters. Sprinklers in your house, they are only designed to give you time to get out,” Ray said. “They are not really designed to save the property like in a commercial building. Commercial building sprinklers are there to keep the property from burning down.”

The price of residential fire sprinklers in a house that is currently being built is less than 2% of the total price of the house, Ray said.

“Most homes could probably be sprinkled for what would be the upgrade in your counter tops or cabinets,” Michigan’s State Fire Marshal Kevin Sehlmeyer said.

“Get out. Stay Out. And close the door on the way out,” was the phrase frequently used by Ray. That means exit the burning house quickly. Do not return inside the burning home. Close the door so the fire will not grow or spread.

During the holiday season when family and friends are gathered, Warren Fire Commissioner Wilburt “Skip” McAdams suggested taking a few minutes to discuss fire safety, fire prevention and in the event of a fire, having an escape route from your home and a meeting place for everyone to go.

It is most important to save lives, while things are insured and replaceable.

McAdams talked about how he recently took an inventory of the things in his home and how most of which could be replaced.

“I can’t replace my wife, kids and dog,” McAdams said.

The fire tips he gave included:

Select a real tree with green needles that don’t fall off easily.

Keep the tree hydrated. Add water to the tree daily. Using ice cubes can help avoid spills and ease refilling.

Keep the tree at least 3 feet away from the heat source: fireplaces, heating vents, space heaters and candles.

Use lights safely. Ensure indoor and outdoor lights are used accordingly. Do not use outdoor lights inside and indoor lights outside. Make sure the lights are laboratory tested and replace worn-out strings.

Avoid overloading outlets and use flame-retardant decorations.

Avoid open flames. Use battery-operated candles instead of candles with an actual flame especially in areas around children.

Ensure exits are clear and decorations do not obstruct the pathways.

California, Maryland and the District of Columbia require sprinklers in the home. An additional 500 jurisdictions throughout the United States require residential sprinklers.

Of course, because not everyone is building a new home or is in the market to retrofit their current home with sprinklers, firefighters agree that smoke alarms save lives. To request an installation of a smoke detector email smokedetector@warrenfiredept.org or call (586) 759-9320.