Do I Need Both a Fire Alarm & Fire Sprinkler?

Fire Alarm & Sprinkler Questions 

What is the difference between a fire alarm and a fire sprinkler system?

Fire alarms will alert people in your building of a fire; however, they will do nothing to extinguish the fire. According to the NFPA, working smoke alarms reduce your risk of dying in a fire by 50%! Fire sprinklers, on the other hand, work fast to reduce heat, flames, and smoke from a fire, reducing the risk of dying by as much as 80%.

Most cite the NFPA statistic that fire alarms are 99.45% effective in reducing deaths from fire. This does not count the fact that buildings without working fire alarms still have a 98.87% effectiveness. These statistics are based on “chance of survival,” which is separate from “risk of fire death.”

This does not mean you should only install fire sprinklers and forgo fire alarms completely. Instead, you should install both to work in tandem to keep your building, data, equipment, and occupants completely protected.

Fire Sprinkler Facts & Information

Here are a few more facts about fire sprinkler systems:

• Each sprinkler operates independently of other sprinklers.
• Loss records from FM Research indicate that the probability of a sprinkler accidentally going off, or going off due to a manufacturing defect, is only 1 in about 16 million — you have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting soaked by a fire sprinkler accidentally going off!
• A NIST study reports that fire sprinkler systems can reduce your chance of dying in a building fire by as much as 82%!
• Aside from firefighter and explosion fatalities, there has never been a multiple loss of life (three or more people) recorded in a fully sprinklered building.
• Smoke detectors do not control fires; fire sprinklers control fires and slow or stop the production of lethal smoke and toxic fire gases.
• Sprinklers are affordable, often costing only $1 to $2 per square foot!

Fire Sprinkler Systems Can Save Lives!

In addition, fire sprinklers reduce civilian deaths in certain buildings by:

• 60% for manufacturing properties
• 74% for store and offices
• 75% for nursing homes
• 91% for hotels and motels

If you have any additional questions about your fire sprinkler system in New Jersey, Delaware, or Philadelphia, including how often it needs to be inspected or tested, call Confires or contact us online today!