Sprinklers save lives

Monday 27 January 2014

"Sprinklers are like having a firefighter ready and waiting in every room of your home or business", says Jersey's Fire & Rescue service.

Their message is that sprinklers protect against the cost of fires on people, communities, property, businesses, the environment and the economy. Firefighters hope next month’s national campaign will dispel some of the myths Islanders have over the use of fire sprinklers: that they are expensive, unreliable and can cause flooding.

Station Commander Jason Masterman said: “There is no record of anyone losing their life who lives in a house where there is a working sprinkler system, and there have been no multiple fire deaths in buildings with working sprinkler systems.

“Whilst smoke alarms can warn of a fire they do nothing to actually control the fire itself. This is where residential sprinkler systems can make all the difference by helping control the fire or even extinguish it completely.”

He says many Islanders still believe that fire sprinklers are expensive to maintain and install, that they are unreliable and can flood properties but he says that is not the case. He is hoping the campaign will raise the profile of sprinklers and will encourage residential house builders, property developers, businesses, architects and social housing landlords to consider installing them.

Firefighters will be running demonstrations at Marks and Spencer in King Street on Monday and Thursday next week up until 3 pm every day and answering any questions about sprinkler systems.

 Jersey’s building regulations were amended in January last year and sprinklers are now compulsory in any new basement carpark, any building constructed over 18-metres-high and in any sheltered housing built in the Island for someone who requires assistance in their everyday living.

Firefighters will be doing a presentation for the Association of Architects highlighting the costs and benefits of sprinklers in commercial and domestic premises.