South Yorkshire’s fire service is seeking to remind people that sprinklers save lives, as part of a national ‘Think Sprinkler’ awareness campaign.
The message comes after a retrofitted system stopped a chip pan fire, which could otherwise have seriously hurt two sleeping occupants and destroyed their Doncaster flat, in its tracks earlier in 2020.
£1million sprinkler fund
It also comes only months after the service revealed that a £1million sprinkler fund, put aside by the South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority, has part-funded 20 installations over the last five years.
These installations have seen around 650 flats, which are home to some of the country’s most vulnerable people, be fitted with life-saving devices.
sprinklers are cost-effective
These devices do save lives and we were keen to support the Think Sprinkler to remind people"
“I’ve said before that sprinklers are a reliable and cost-effective way of stopping fires from growing and spreading, this incident proved that,” said Roger Brason, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s sprinkler advocate.
He adds, “These devices do save lives and we were keen to support the Think Sprinkler to remind people how effective they are, offer some insight into how they work, and dispel any myths starting with the fact that the chance of a sprinkler malfunction is 16 million to one!"
Sprinkler installation
Roger Brason continues, “We’ve done a lot of work in the last five years to make these installations happen and are proud to have built a reputation as a fire and rescue service when it comes to advocating sprinklers, but there’s always more to do."
He stated, “We want to see more sprinkler systems in more buildings across South Yorkshire particularly in residential settings. I’d encourage any building owners that want to know more about the benefits that sprinklers bring to get in touch.”
Sprinkler Week
The incident earlier in 2020 took place at Hatfield House, which is managed by St Leger Homes who with the support of Doncaster Council and SYFR have had sprinklers fitted in all nine of their high-rise buildings across the borough.
Other part-funded projects include Churchfield Sheltered Housing in Barnsley and the St Wilfrid’s Centre in Sheffield, the latter seeing a system installed in a new, 20-bed residence that houses adults with complex needs. Sprinkler Week is led by the National Fire Chiefs Council, supported by fire services across the country, and runs from Monday 18 to Sunday 24 May.