Sprinklers save lives
It’s not news that newer homes tend to be consumed by fire more quickly than older houses. Fire-prevention advocates globally have warned for years that modern homes pose a greater risk for occupants — and firefighters — in the event of a structural fire.
That’s because new homes are often built with lightweight, synthetic substances that burn faster than traditional materials. They are also designed as open concept, allowing flames to spread through a building in a flash, and are furnished with highlyflammable furniture.
Where occupants once had a quarter hour to safely evacuate a burning house, today they might have less than three minutes.
The memory of the tragic house fire in Spryfield, N.S., that claimed the lives of seven children is still painfully fresh. An investigation into its causes is ongoing, but witnesses said they saw a few flames roar into an inferno inside the relatively new home in mere minutes.
More must be done to prevent such tragedies. That includes using more fire-resistant building materials and furnishings. It also means looking at a proven lifesaver: automatic sprinkler systems in new home construction.
The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs has long advocated for mandatory sprinkler systems in new residential family homes. South of the border, the National Fire Protection Association has similarly called on governments to make sprinklers a standard part of new home construction.
The statistics are clear. Home sprinklers save lives.
The NFPA’s September 2017 report showed an 81 per cent drop in civilian deaths per 1,000 reported fires when automatic extinguishing equipment was present. Sprinklers also substantially reduce firefighter and civilian injuries and property damage. Studies in Canada show similar benefits. Proponents say automatic sprinklers are like having a firefighter standing by in each room in case of fire. A number of North American jurisdictions — including 30 municipalities in B.C. and the states of California and Maryland — now make it mandatory to install automatic sprinkler systems in new residential construction.
P.E.I., and other provinces, should strongly consider doing the same.
Critics say adding sprinklers would affect home affordability. But such systems would only be a tiny fraction of the overall cost of building a home. People might spend $10,000 or more over a decade on home insurance, for example, to protect their financial investment. It would cost less to install sprinklers to protect their lives and those of their loved ones.
The price of installing slightly wider water supply laterals — from three-quarters of an inch, to a range of one to one-and-a-quarter inches — from the street to homes would be negligible per unit. The automobile industry once argued installing seatbelts would makes vehicles unaffordable. In the end, safety and common sense won out.
If other jurisdictions can do it, so can we.