Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) promotes the installation of sprinklers into newly built one- and two-family homes. Beyond educating consumers, the coalition seeks to work with prevention/community outreach personnel in the fire service and with authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), which oversee and enforce the requirements for fire safety equipment in their areas.
In a bid to increase the installation of sprinkler systems, HFSC has undertaken a transition away from depending on local building codes to require sprinklers. Instead, the coalition works with AHJs and fire prevention/community outreach personnel at the local level to encourage the installation of sprinklers in new housing. A ‘Developer Incentive program’ provides inducements to construction professionals that enable them to offset the added costs of installing sprinklers.
Street-Width reduction
For example, a developer might be allowed to install fewer fire hydrants in a new subdivision in exchange for installing sprinklers (the deployment of which will lower the need for the hydrants). In the case of a development that requires two roads to provide access in case of fire, one of the roads might be eliminated (thus saving the developer money) because sprinklers are installed in houses to minimize fire risk.
In the case of a development that requires two roads to provide access in case of fire
A denser development (more houses per acre) can also save costs and is more workable if home sprinklers are installed. One developer in Washington state saved $1 million in infrastructure and material cost and avoided eliminating five lots by removed an egress roadway in exchange for installing home fire sprinklers, which cost $1.30 to $1.50 per sprinklered square foot. Other common incentives for developers are reduced basement windows, longer dead-end streets, and street-width reduction.
Minimum safety recommendations
Requirements for fire sprinklers in residential houses vary widely throughout the United States. Some states, such as California and Maryland, require sprinklers in all newly built residential construction, while many states do not. Some 100 local jurisdictions around the Chicago area require residential sprinklers in new construction, for example. Scottsdale, Ariz., and Prince George’s County, Md., also have local requirements. However, many local governments do not require sprinklers.
NFPA standards and the International Residential Code (IRC) specify fire protection needs in buildings, with local governments adopting the requirements into local building codes. Requiring residential sprinklers among the minimum safety recommendations began in 2009.
| Courtesy Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition |
Installing sprinkler systems
However, lobbying by the building industry has managed to eliminate from many local building codes any requirement to install sprinkler systems. Homebuilders have spent millions of dollars lobbying to block requirements to install sprinklers in residential buildings. Although sprinklers can save lives, they add costs – thousands of dollars per home – to newly built residential housing.
The primary mindset remains safety, but HFSC now emphasizes how developers can embrace sprinkler systems and still make money. Fire sprinkler decisions are made early in the development process, and other decisions in the same timeframe can help a project save money. In all cases, use of sprinklers in residential housing results in a safer community, both for home buyers and for first responders. While broadly advocating the use of home sprinklers, HFSC focuses on new construction opportunities, rather than on possible retrofits of existing homes.
Residential sprinkler systems
Sprinklers are often misunderstood as they relate to the residential market
Getting the word out about the developer incentives is a two-pronged process. HFSC seeks to educate AHJs on the strategy; surveys show a high percentage are not aware of the approach. The coalition also seeks to alert developers of available flexibility to offset the costs of residential sprinkler systems. The coalition has targeted materials to various areas and has used virtual presentations to get the word out throughout the country. More conversations with stakeholders raise awareness, and more developers are showing interest.
Nowadays, residential sprinklers are very different than commercial sprinklers that many people are familiar with. Sprinklers are often misunderstood as they relate to the residential market, with visions of sprinklers flooding a living area, triggered by smoke in the kitchen.
| Courtesy Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition |
Fire safety equation
In fact, it takes heat to trigger a sprinkler (a liquid-filled bulb bursts somewhere above 135 degrees F); a plug releases water when the bulb bursts, and a deflector sprays water to cover the area. Only the sprinkler nearest the heat source is deployed, spraying water directly on the fire. When a single sprinkler is activated, residents have about 10 minutes to get out of the home.
Clarifying the misconceptions, and getting the word out in general, is a big challenge, but worth it given the value sprinklers can bring to the fire safety equation. Residential fire sprinklers are an extension of an existing residential water supply and do not require a separate system.