Frequently Asked Questions
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Why are sprinklers important for life safety?
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How can we be sure sprinklers will work in a fire?
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What about water damage?
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What about smoke?
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What is the life safety record for sprinklers?
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Aren’t sprinklers unsightly?
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Don’t all the heads go off at once? I’m sure I’ve seen this happening on tv!
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Surely sprinklers create more water damage than the fire and rescue service?
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If sprinklers false alarm, won’t they create a lot of damage?
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How do sprinkler heads work?
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I want to install sprinklers in a new building but I have been advised that the water supply from the local mains is inadequate. Can I still install a sprinkler system?
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What standards do I need to comply with when designing or installing sprinkler systems?
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Does the installation of sprinklers permit ‘tradeoffs’ in respect of requirements regarding escape routes and passive fire protection measures?
What about water damage?
Reports of water damage from fires in buildings with a sprinkler system are often exaggerated. Only the sprinkler heads in the area of the fire activate. A sprinkler head operating by accident is almost unheard of. Sprinkler heads cannot be activated by smoke or burning toast!
The Fire & Rescue Service fire hose will deliver considerably more water than four sprinkler heads which have controlled 60% of fires in commercial buildings.
A valuable item sprayed with water from a sprinkler system that extinguishes a fire can usually be recovered or restored. One that is burnt to a cinder and flushed down the drain by a fire hose is another matter, a small price to pay for saving a complete building, its contents or even a life.