National Home Fire Sprinkler Week 2024 runs from May 12–18

Wake County Fire Services is raising awareness about the value of installing fire sprinklers in new homes during the seventh annual Home Fire Sprinkler Week.

Home fires are a threat to every community. When fire sprinklers are installed, the threat is automatically diminished, preventing injuries, saving lives and preserving property. Every new home built is an opportunity for community risk reduction, and the first step to making this change is education.

“It’s essential for the safety of our community that everyone in Wake County has the facts about fire safety,” said Wake County Commissioner Matt Calabria. “This Home Fire Sprinkler Week, we want to emphasize the difference that action and awareness can make in protecting our homes, our families and our first responders.”

Today, home fires can become deadly in just two minutes or less. New homes are often built with unprotected lightweight wood construction and designed with large, open spaces. Homes are filled with synthetic furnishings that burn hotter and faster than natural materials. Emerging technologies like lithium-ion batteries also cause fires to burn fast.

On average, firefighters respond to the scene of a fire within 10 minutes of its detection. However, the unrestricted fire growth that happens within those 10 minutes can be catastrophic to your home, your property and your safety. Home fire sprinklers can make a life-saving difference by controlling and extinguishing a blaze before firefighters even arrive.

Fire Sprinkler Flash Facts

According to the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition:

• In a home with installed sprinklers, the sprinkler closest to the fire will automatically activate when the temperature reaches about 165°F.
• The sprinkler will spray water directly on the fire, controlling flames and smoke, often putting it out. In most home fires, just one sprinkler activates.
• By working fast to extinguish fire and smoke, fire sprinklers can reduce fire damage by up to 97%.
• Home fire sprinklers reduce water usage to fight a home fire by up to 91%.
   

“Home fire sprinklers are a fast, effective and green solution to fighting home fires,” said Braxton Tanner, fire marshal for Wake County Fire Services. “Installing fire sprinklers in new homes is a simple way to keep residents, as well as our firefighters, safer.”

For more information about home fire sprinklers, you can contact Wake County Fire Services at 919-856-5519 or visit homefiresprinkler.org.