Some believe that flooding and false activations are an issue. Fire sprinklers are activated by heat. Each head would need to be activated individually by temperatures of over 155 degrees. These temperatures are only reached in fire conditions. Also, despite the misinformation that exists on residential fire sprinklers and flooding, most home insurance companies will offer discounts of up to 10 percent for homes with a fire sprinkler system. Fire sprinkler pipes are the same as any other pipe in your home and will often limit water damage in the event of a fire, due to the significantly less amount of water used to control a fire as compared to a fire hose.
Another common misconception is that new homes are safer than ever in the event of fire. Homes built today are less likely to catch fire, due to increased fire safety laws, but what happens once the fire has started in modern homes is frightening. Coupled with modern construction methods, home furnishings that are often synthetic and petroleum-based burn rapidly, reducing the time to flashover and expelling toxic smoke. A residential fire sprinkler system has been proven to counteract some of the dangers these materials pose.
Lastly, the misconception that a residential fire sprinkler system is too expensive must be addressed. Nationally, the cost for installing a residential fire sprinkler system in new construction is $1.35 per square foot. In New Jersey it is closer to $2 per square foot. This averages out to around 1 percent of the total cost of construction and is typically the equivalent to installing granite countertops or new carpeting in the home.
Gov. Chris Christie now has an opportunity to protect New Jersey residents and first responders by making a decision on this bill.
New Jersey Fire Sprinkler
Advisory Board
This story was taken from the news source stated above. It is not necessarily the opinion of The Elwood Vol. Fire Company or it's members.