Fire sprinkler systems can save lives and property in combination with smoke detectors.
Honolulu firefighters gave an eye-opening demonstration on the difference they can make.
Firefighters put two rooms side by side, one with and one without a sprinkler system. Heavy smoke filled the place in two minutes. Within three minutes, the room without sprinklers was fully engulfed, what the fire department calls a flash over.
"Fire was everywhere all at once, an untenable space, something that nobody can live, not even a firefighter with their firefighter gear and breathing apparatus," said HFD Batallion Chief, Socrates Bratakos.
HFD points out that it usually takes eight to 10 minutes for firefighters to arrive after a 911 call. So anyone still stuck in the house at this point has little chance of getting out. While the room with the sprinklers, within 23 seconds, the system was activated by the heat, dousing the fire before it spread.
"Not only would the occupants have escaped from that fire, but the damage would have been minimal," said Bratakos.
Six people died from residential fires on Oahu last year. HFD says sprinkler systems in those homes could have made a drastic difference. The problem is the cost, putting one in a single family home can run up to $20,000 . Townhomes and high rises built in the last three years are required to have them. But a state law does not mandate having sprinklers built in single family homes. That’s something Councilman Nestor Garcia wants to change by giving counties the option.
"The counties should be the one to make a decision on whether or not fire sprinkler systems should go into single family homes," said Honolulu City Council member, Nestor Garcia.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
