An Introduction to Fire Sprinkler System Maintenance

Fire sprinkler systems are a great way to keep your structure and the people inside it safe from harm. However, the system requires maintenance to work correctly. Fortunately, a lot of the process is something anyone can handle with just a little instruction. If you need help, though, call an expert immediately.

If your building is outfitted with a sprinkler system, you’re right to feel a bit safer. You can rest easy knowing that, should a fire break out, your system will immediately react to keep everyone safe by containing the outbreak until the fire department arrives. However, this will only happen if you’ve been practicing sound fire sprinkler system maintenance. Systems that aren’t properly maintained may not work as they’re supposed to and that could end up costing you the ultimate price. So let’s take a look at what goes into fire sprinkler system maintenance and then take action to ensure you’re doing what’s necessary.

How Sprinklers Work
First, however, let’s take a quick look at how your fire sprinklers actually work. In the movies, at the first hint of fire, every sprinkler on the building’s floor goes off, covering the entire area in water.
That’s not how it actually works though. Each sprinkler head is designed to only go off when the area around it is hot enough to melt the fusible link blocking the flow of water. So a fire could actually only activate one or two heads, which then work to contain the flames until the authorities make it to the scene.

Why is this important? We’ll elaborate shortly, but the takeaway is that each head needs its own maintenance. It’s not like they all run on a single activation system and if one isn’t working correctly, the others will just pick up the slack.

The Control Valve
Any discussion on fire sprinkler system maintenance needs to touch on the control valve. It’s an essential part of any fire sprinkler system, and also an easy one to inspect. Essentially, there’s a valve in your building that must remain open in order for the water supply to flow. If this valve is off, your sprinklers will get no water and be useless in the case of a fire. Unfortunately, closed valves are the leading cause of widespread fire damage.

The good news is that checking the valve is probably the easiest component of fire sprinkler system maintenance. Just take a look once a week to ensure it’s still locked in the open position.

Also, sometimes the valve needs to be shut off to conduct maintenance or handle repairs on your system. When this is the case, be sure water is only shut off to the one area where the work is being done and only for as long as completely necessary. There’s no reason to take unnecessary risks.

Inspecting Sprinklers
When you want to inspect the actual sprinklers, you need to turn off the valve, as we just mentioned. It’s a good idea to put a brightly colored tag or ribbon on the valve when you do this as a visual reminder to you or anyone else who passes by that the valve needs to be turned back on later.

Also, alert the local authorities that you’re conducting fire sprinkler system maintenance. Your alarm company should know too in case you need to set yours off for a drill or as part of repairs. It’s also not a bad idea to tell your insurance company. Sometimes this is mandatory if it means keeping yourself covered by conducting regular fire sprinkler system maintenance.

Like we already said, keep your inspection to only as many sprinklers as necessary and allow the rest to operate as normal. You also want to make sure that you keep any ignition sources out of the area for the duration of the inspection.

In terms of how often you should conduct maintenance on your sprinklers, check NFPA 25: Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems. Depending on your municipality, you may need a certified contractor to handle your inspections and testing for you.

General Understanding
When it comes to your fire sprinkler system maintenance, no matter what rules you’re bound to by local powers and your insurance company, make sure your staff has a general understanding of the system. This should include:
•    Where the valve is and what it looks like when it’s open and closed
•    What a sprinkler looks like if anything’s wrong
•    Ensuring sprinklers are never blocked

Maintaining your fire sprinklers doesn’t need to be demanding, but it does need to get done. The simple steps above could be enough to save lives someday.

Having specialized in the fire sprinkler system maintenance signs trade for over 25 years, USAFP now works tirelessly to promote affordable fire safety for home and for business.

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Protecting Your Warehouse: Fire Safety

Warehouses pose a unique challenge when protecting commercial buildings from fire.  They often are overstuffed with machinery, paper, and other materials that can catch ablaze easily.  While protecting your warehouse with a fire sprinkler system is common practice, there are many other things to consider when discussing the subject.  If you are a warehouse manager or run a small business, take note of the ways listed below to protect your place of business by using warehouse fire sprinkler system. The list is a mix of traditional approaches like a quality fire sprinkler system along with a few tips you may not have thought of.

Below are some ways to integrate fire safety practices into the warehouse:

Don’t Be Fooled – Just because you own a warehouse fire sprinkler system or passed an OSHA inspection; do not be fooled into thinking your business is protected from fires starting in the building.  There are many other potential dangers that could be hidden within your structure along with poor practices by your employees or contractors.

Protect Against Arson – While the majority of fires are set accidentally, some warehouse fires are caused by arson at the hands of other people.  To protect the warehouse from arson and break-ins, protect it with a quality alarm system.  These systems can offer motion detection or perimeter protection depending on the physical structure of the building and personal preference.

Store Pallets the Right Way – Wooden pallets are a huge help to carry loads and cargo in and out of the building.  They speed up processes and keep the plant moving.  These wooden carriers also pose a fire danger because of the material they are constructed of and the large amount of units that can be stored together.  Wooden pallets should be kept at least 3 inches apart when stored side-by-side.   When storing back to back, leave a 6 inch gap between the pallets. Vertically, your warehouse workers should also leave a 1 ½ to 2 foot gap between your pallet stacks and the fire sprinkler system.

Smoking Rules–Lit ambers from cigarettes are a huge threat to combustible materials and those items prone to catching fire such as paper and wood.  Employ reasonable smoking policies for your employees keeping their cigarettes away from these threats.  Regardless of your personal choices, no employees should smoke within the warehouse building.  One can also develop guidelines on how far employees must be away from the building to light a cigarette.  Another suggestion is to establish a designated smoking area away from potential fire hazards.

You could take the initiative one step further and make your business a non-smoking campus. With this rule, employees would not be able to smoke anywhere on business property and would have to leave during breaks to keep up their habit.

Taking your warehouse’s fire safety practices from the minimal warehouse fire sprinkler system to an all-encompassing protective program will keep your workers, products, and equipment safe from deadly fires.  By employing these tips, you are taking a pro-active approach sure to set your company apart from the rest.  If you are unsure of where to begin or don’t have the time to implement these tips, you may want to consider contacting a local professional for help.  They will have the resources and expertise to take your business to the next level in fire safety.

If you are eager to know about warehouse fire sprinkler system, then you can contact us for assistance. We have experience in installation, repairing and maintenance of fire sprinkler contractor and are always ready to serve you again and again.

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7 Tips for Fire Safety in the Workplace

Back in a previous life, I worked in retail. You could hear the serious gulps from my manager anytime he saw a certain person walk in the door – a firefighter.  He would dart his eyes my way and I knew what to do.  I would quickly, but discreetly, make my way to the back room and shove as many boxes away from the service door as I could.  I didn’t care where they went or how they landed; I just wanted us to pass inspection.

Looking back, this was not a safe practice for the employees, the customers shopping, or our merchandise.  Fire safety in the workplace is serious business.  How does your business rank on its fire safeguards?

Below I cover seven tips for fireplace safety in the workplace.
Never Block the Exits–Every business, including retail stores in the mall, should follow this rule every single minute of every single day.  Blocking the exits with garbage, boxes, or displays prevent people from getting out in the event of a fire.

Keep It Clean – Debris on the floor can make someone trip or fall if heading to the exit during a fire.  Also overflowing garbage or dust and other rubbish near electrical outlets and electronic machinery can create prime conditions for flames to start.

Use a Fire Sprinkler System–A good quality fire sprinkler system can help your business put out a fire during its early stages resulting in less fatalities and property damage.  Smothering the fire before it can grow, a fire sprinkler system is an effective and reliable tool to implement.  Not sure what your need?  A fire safety contractor can help find a model right for your needs.

Hire Out – Hiring a fire safety contractor to address safety concerns, train your employees, and devise fire plans in case of an emergency can be helpful for those without a safety manager on staff.

Assess the Risk – Either your own EHS professional or a reputable fire safety contractor should complete a fire risk assessment at your place of business.  During this time, they will check for potential hazards, evaluate your fire suppression tools, and offer suggestions on how you can better protect your building.

Have a Plan – Devise a practical plan on what to do if a fire should occur at your business.  Address different scenarios and places of fire origin as well.  Make sure to inform your employees of the plan and have them practice it.  This practice will help them feel confident in following through with the correct steps you have set forth.

Train your Employees– Provide education and training to all employees, not just managers, on correct fire safety procedures.  Make them aware of local laws and ordinances that affect your company and show them how to conduct their own fire safety checks on a regular basis.

If you are a small business owner, follow these seven fire safety tips at your workplace for a safe, hazard-free work environment.  When in doubt, reach out to a professional for help.  And always make sure to follow your local laws and ordinances.

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Options for Fire Protection Services

Fire is a very scary threat we must all consider, whether we’re talking about homes or commercial properties. Both host a number of electronic devices, the wires that go with them and other items that could easily start a fire. While it’s important to remember that such an incident is extremely rare, that’s no reason not to be prepared. Today there are more fire protection services than ever before. The following are examples that deserve your consideration.

Fire Extinguishers
This is an obvious one that most people are familiar with. If a fire breaks out, fire extinguishers are a great way to respond. They’re especially good for small ones that can be easily contained, but would otherwise turn into a much greater problem. Someone with an extinguisher can eliminate the threat in seconds.

Though they’re fairly user friendly, many people don’t know how they work. All you have to do is remember the acronym, P.A.S.S. It stands for:
•    Pull the pin out. Once the pin is removed, you want to hold the nozzle away from you before releasing the locking mechanism.
•    Aim the nozzle low. You always want to aim the extinguisher at the lowest point of the fire.
•    Slowly squeeze the lever. Provide even pressure so as not to slip or jerk the extinguisher around.
•    Sweep your nozzle back and forth to make sure the fire is completely covered.
For best results, make sure your fire extinguisher is always easy to find. At home, your whole family should be reminded where it is. In a commercial building, it should be mounted on a wall with a sign that indicates its location. In both situations, you need to train people in how to use it.
Every six years, your extinguisher needs to be inspected, especially the gauge as pressure may have dropped if the container was compromised.
Smoke Detectors
Obviously, another hallmark of fire protection services is a smoke detector. These are especially good for the home when people may not be in the room when a fire is starting. Nonetheless, this important component of your fire protection services can help alert you to its presence. Just be sure you test your unit once a month to ensure it’s still working properly.

Sprinkler Systems
Even if you have a fire extinguisher handy, nothing compares to a fire sprinkler system. Each head is only activated if the temperature around it gets to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point, a glass valve breaks and allows water to pour forward.
The great thing about this system is that it doesn’t need a human to activate or use it. No one even needs to be present for a sprinkler system to save the day. Even if people are around, they can find safety while the system does its job.
Furthermore, because these sprinklers act independently of one another, property damage is greatly limited. For this reason, insurance companies may give you better premiums because they know that, in case of a fire, your building is better protected and your property is less likely to get damaged.

As with all fire protection services, a sprinkler system needs regular maintenance. Mainly, you should check the valve once a week just to be sure it’s still locked in the open position. You also want to keep an eye on individual sprinkler heads. They should never be obscured, painted over or damaged.

Every few months, have a professional check in on your system to ensure it’s still in working order. Your local municipality and/or insurance company may have something to say about how often you need it looked at too.

Response Plan
No discussion on fire protection services would be complete without talking about a response plan. Whether it’s your family or your staff, you need everyone to know where the exits are around them. Obviously, at home, parents will be in charge of getting everyone out. However, at work, you’ll need to appoint people for the job.
In both scenarios, your fire protection services need to involve practicing the routine so you’re ready to go if you ever actually need it.

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Proper fire protection services don’t need to take a lot of work or even be expensive. However, you do need to be familiar with them and test them regularly to ensure they’ll work when it counts.

How Fire Protection Systems are Safeguarding Hospitals

Hospitals are places where people go to get well and receivelife-saving procedures.  While in the staff’s care, these patients are often very helpless and unable to take care of themselves.  During this vulnerable time, the overall fire safety of all those in the building must be of importance to hospital executives and staff.  For decades, fire protections systems have been safeguarding the hospital industry against deadly fires. While a hospital fire sprinkler system is a necessary tool there are many more pieces of equipment that can be employed in the hospital setting.  Let’s take some time to learn more about what steps the hospital industry must take to ensure the safety of the patients and staff should a fire occur.

First and foremost, all hospital executives must ensure that they have in place a quality, working fire sprinkler system.  The system should be all-encompassing and cover the entire building.  The system should also be flexible enough to handle varying areas.  For example, a system designed for the restaurant industry may be needed for larger kitchen areas and facilities.  One may also want to consider a voice evacuation system in multiple languages.  This system will be able to effectively guide employees and staff out of the building during the event of a fire.
Second, fire doors are also an important tool of defense and the type of door installed can make all the difference.  Fire doors at hospitals must be easy to open and operate as well as able to protect against quick spreading fires and the smoke that comes along with them. A higher rated door will be more able to keep smoke and fire from spreading from room to room.  All corridors should also be protected using strong fire doors fitted for this setup.  When discussing hospitals, we must also take into consideration that certain doors must remain locked for the patient’s safety.  While these doors serve a security function, care must also be taken to ensure they are able to be opened in case of any emergency.
Finally, hospitals should be hiring professional fire protection contractors to assist them in thefire safety installations and maintenance.  These professional in the field can provide information on local and industry-specific ordinances and laws as well as fire safety inspections on the property.  The contractor can also suggest the latest in a hospital fire sprinkler system, fire doors, and other equipment that one may not be aware of.  Lastly, they can offer guidance on proper maintenance needed on the equipment explaining how the process works and how often it should be completed.
Hospitals often are a sanctuary for those without the ability to help themselves during a critical point in their lives.  During this time, it is of the upmost importance that those running these facilities take all necessary steps to protect them from the threat of fires.  A hospital can benefit from a quality fire sprinkler systems as well as many other pieces of equipment all designed with the hospital industry in mind.
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Protecting Your Warehouse: Fire Safety

Warehouses pose a unique challenge when protecting commercial buildings from fire.  They often are overstuffed with machinery, paper, and other materials that can catch ablaze easily.  While protecting your warehouse with a fire sprinkler system is common practice, there are many other things to consider when discussing the subject.  If you are a warehouse manager or run a small business, take note of the ways listed below to protect your place of business by using warehouse fire sprinkler system. The list is a mix of traditional approaches like a quality fire sprinkler system along with a few tips you may not have thought of.

Below are some ways to integrate fire safety practices into the warehouse:
Don’t Be Fooled – Just because you own a warehouse fire sprinkler system or passed an OSHA inspection; do not be fooled into thinking your business is protected from fires starting in the building.  There are many other potential dangers that could be hidden within your structure along with poor practices by your employees or contractors.

Protect Against Arson – While the majority of fires are set accidentally, some warehouse fires are caused by arson at the hands of other people.  To protect the warehouse from arson and break-ins, protect it with a quality alarm system.  These systems can offer motion detection or perimeter protection depending on the physical structure of the building and personal preference.

Store Pallets the Right Way – Wooden pallets are a huge help to carry loads and cargo in and out of the building.  They speed up processes and keep the plant moving.  These wooden carriers also pose a fire danger because of the material they are constructed of and the large amount of units that can be stored together.  Wooden pallets should be kept at least 3 inches apart when stored side-by-side.   When storing back to back, leave a 6 inch gap between the pallets. Vertically, your warehouse workers should also leave a 1 ½ to 2 foot gap between your pallet stacks and the fire sprinkler system.

Smoking Rules–Lit ambers from cigarettes are a huge threat to combustible materials and those items prone to catching fire such as paper and wood.  Employ reasonable smoking policies for your employees keeping their cigarettes away from these threats.  Regardless of your personal choices, no employees should smoke within the warehouse building.  One can also develop guidelines on how far employees must be away from the building to light a cigarette.  Another suggestion is to establish a designated smoking area away from potential fire hazards.
You could take the initiative one step further and make your business a non-smoking campus. With this rule, employees would not be able to smoke anywhere on business property and would have to leave during breaks to keep up their habit.

Taking your warehouse’s fire safety practices from the minimal warehouse fire sprinkler system to an all-encompassing protective program will keep your workers, products, and equipment safe from deadly fires. By employing these tips, you are taking a pro-active approach sure to set your company apart from the rest. If you are unsure of where to begin or don’t have the time to implement these tips, you may want to consider contacting a local professional for help. They will have the resources and expertise to take your business to the next level in fire safety.
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6 Point Checklist When Hiring a Fire Protection Contractor

Many business owners lack the time and energy to invest into learning extensively about fire protection in the workplace. While it is important to understand the basics, these entrepreneurs respect their limits and often hire a professional to lend their expertise in fire safety. These contractors can assist with all fire protection services from sprinkle installation to fire evacuation training. Below are some tips for hiring a fire protection contractor at your workplace.

 

1. Evaluate Your Environment – Before they can help you, a fire protection contractor will need to understand your environment to provide services necessary for your unique situation. Does your business come in contact with hazardous materials? Are you a restaurant using oils and fats? These are important questions to ask yourself and ones that a professional will as well.

 

2. Know Your Needs– For the most part, you know you will need a fire sprinkler system and extinguisher in your place of business, but what else? Knowing your needs will help the provider prepare a comprehensive package of fire protection services. During this time, you should also evaluate your limits. If you are under-informed on the subject, you may need to rely on your contractor more to perform necessary maintenance and inspections.

 

3. Follow Code– While you may not need to know every code and law out there, knowing the basics of local and municipal fire codes is a must for any business owner.   An experienced professional will be able to help you meet these requirements while also making sure you follow the lesser-known guidelines as well. This partner can prove invaluable in providing expertise in a difficult to understand aspect of fire protection.

 

4. Experience Is A Must – When hiring a fire protection contractor, you will want to find one with experience in the field. You will also want them to have exposure to working in a setting similar to yours. This will assure that they can address concerns relevant to your industry. You can also research their credentials and fire protection services online. Many reputable businesses now have at least a basic website that lists their certifications, specialties, and offerings.

 

5. Bundle Services–Providing further cost-savings to their customers, many fire protection contractors offer bundled services. These comprehensive programs typically include installation, maintenance, and inspection of all fire protection tools. By securing an on-going relationship with the fire safety expert, business owners can provide a safe environment for their employees for years to come with little effort scheduling appointments and up-keeping a system.

 

6. Include Training In The Contract– Ask your fire protection contractor if they also provide training. Workshops for employees that include fire extinguisher instructions and fire evacuation procedures are invaluable in establishing a sound safety program. If you don’t feel comfortable conducting these sessions or lack the knowledge to do so, hire the professional to do the work.

 

Leaving the fire protection at your place of business to chance is a dangerous endeavor. Hiring a fire protection partner that can assist you in your system for years to come will not only offer security in the building but also piece of mind. Using these 6 tips when hiring a contractor, you are sure to find a professional that is a perfect match.

What You Need to Know about Fire Sprinkler Inspection

If your building is outfitted with fire sprinklers, you probably benefit from peace of mind that, should the worst happen, you and others will be protected. Those sprinklers may also save plenty of your property too. Obviously, it’s important that you’re meeting building code demands as well. However, if you don’t conduct a regular fire sprinkler inspection, that peace of mind may be a mirage that goes up in smoke if your building ever catches fire. The following is what you need to know to ensure your fire sprinkler inspection is working to keep you, others, and your property safe.

How Often You Need to Conduct a Fire Sprinkler Inspection

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that you check the control valves of your system every week if they’re not assisted by electronic supervision. This way you know they’re in the open position and ready to send water to your sprinklers should a fire break out. Fortunately, this inspection won’t take long at all.

If your system is aided by electronic supervision of some sort, check your manufacturer’s manual for a recommendation. Checking the control valve should probably be unnecessary, but given how quick you can do it, many might consider it worth a few minutes a week.

 

Fire spinkler inspection

 

About every three months, a more comprehensive fire sprinkler inspection should be carried out by a knowledgeable and credentialed professional. Once again, your need may differ some here depending on the city and state your building is located in. So check with both to ensure you’re not violating code requirements.

Fortunately, many fire sprinkler companies offer long-term service agreements. This will guarantee regular and affordable inspections by a knowledgeable professional that is familiar with your specific system.

Even if yours doesn’t, many local contractors will essentially offer you a similar detail. Plus, they’ll be familiar with local codes, so you’ll be assured your sprinklers are operating within the law.

Lastly, your insurance company may have their own requirements. Even your local fire department might have their own, separate from those of the city and state. Obviously it pays to make sure you’re inspecting in accordance with these demands. Should a fire occur, your insurance company may not be liable to help if they can prove you were neglecting regular inspections. Whether you have a local contractor or someone from the fire sprinkler company carry out the inspection, be sure they provide you with a certificate that you can present to the necessary authorities as proof.

Other Times You Need a Fire Sprinkler Inspection

Aside from the regular schedule outlined above, there are other times when it’s appropriate to hold a fire sprinkler inspection. Generally speaking they are:

• If the building’s structure changes
• If the building’s use changes
• If the water supply is altered

It should go without saying that if there are ever any changes to the actual structure of the building, an inspection should occur. Fire sprinklers are installed specifically for the structure they’re meant to protect. So any alteration to it could affect their ability to do their job. If you change the way the building is used, it’s also important you check the sprinklers to ensure they’ll still be able to reach all its critical parts.

Obviously, if anything permanently alters the building’s water supply, an inspection has to be done. Without the right connection to the supply, your sprinklers are little more than decoration. Similarly, if anything ever temporarily happens to the water supply—if the pressure drops one day or it stops working for some reason—you need to inspect your sprinklers, even if the supply bounces right back.

Responsibilities of Occupants

Again, an actual fire sprinkler inspection should be handled by a qualified professional (checking the water valve once a week doesn’t count). However, the building’s occupants can also play a role in keeping sprinklers working.

For one thing, never paint over them. Don’t hang anything on them either. The sprinklers always need their space, so items should never be stacked too close to them or plants allowed to grow to the point that they’re blocking them. Of course, anything that even resembles damage to a sprinkler should be reported immediately.

So long as the above is observed in terms of inspecting your fire sprinklers and keeping them unobstructed, you should have nothing to worry about in terms of them working as planned.

 

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Your Questions Answered About Industrial Fire Sprinkler Systems

Any building out there, whether it be commercial or residential, runs the risk of catching fire. This would obviously put the structure’s integrity at risk as well as those caught inside it. However, industrial structures are especially at risk because of the materials they often contain and the operations they host. This is why industrial fire sprinkler systems are such a good idea. They won’t stop a fire from happening, but they can help put it out and ensure that people and property are left untouched. Keep reading for answers to common questions people have about them.

Fire Sprinkler Systems

Don’t They Do More Harm Than Good?

This is a common misconception about industrial fire sprinkler systems. Everyone has seen a movie where one sprinkler head gets set off and immediately the rest of them follow suit. The result is usually an overreaction on the part of the system and the aftermath is seen as being costly.

In real life, however, that’s not remotely how industrial fire sprinkler systems work. Each sprinkler head is connected to a waterline, but in order for it to be activated, temperatures in the area need to reach roughly 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Obviously, such extreme temperatures would indicate that a fire had broken out.

Furthermore, each sprinkler head needs to be activated on its own. The water supply is obstructed by a glass vile with a chemical in it that expands when brought to extreme temperatures. So they function independently of one another.

One of the main benefits of sprinkler systems is actually that they’re so good about keeping fires from spreading and reaching greater amounts of property.

Aren’t Industrial Fire Sprinkler Systems Extremely Expensive?

That’s another misconception. Revisit the description of how sprinkler heads work and you’ll see that the technology is actually fairly simple. There’s no wiring that needs to be done or other procedures that come with a lot of overhead.

Instead, it just takes adding some piping to your construction and making holes for the sprinkler heads to fit through. For those in the midst of construction or who are yet to break ground, industrial fire sprinkler systems can cost as little as $2 per square foot. Some will be even less. If you want a system added into your existing building, you still are unlikely to pay more than $4 per square foot. Keep in mind; both those estimates include the equipment and installation costs.

Given what your industrial fire sprinkler system will do, these costs aren’t much. If a fire breaks out, you’ll be glad you made the investment. Plus, many insurance companies will charge you less if they know these sprinklers are in place.
Also, maintenance costs are negligible at best. You’re looking at maybe another $125 a year to ensure they’re all still operating correctly.

What Happens if They Go Off on Accident?

That would definitely be an issue. Fortunately, the technology behind industrial fire sprinkler systems makes it almost a statistical impossibility. Ask the company that installs it about a warranty in such an event. Chances are they provide one, seeing as how rare this type of accident is.

Other Things to Consider

There are a number of other selling points about these systems that you should consider as well. Given the size of most industrial facilities, it could be very easy for a fire to build on its own before anyone catches wind or the smoke finds a detector.

With a sprinkler system, this isn’t an issue. Were a fire to start when the facility was completely empty, you’re still assured appropriate action is taken by your sprinkler system. If people are in the facility, their safe to take off for safety, yet the fire can still be subdued or at least contained while emergency workers arrive.

Hopefully, this answers many of the questions you may have had about industrial fire sprinkler systems. When you look at the facts, they’re really a no-brainer for any industrial facility.

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Here’s What You Need to Know about a Commercial Fire Sprinkler System

Although it’s not something most of us want to consider, the truth is that a fire breaking out in our commercial building is always a possibility. Nowadays, with all kinds of wires and power sources in most buildings, it wouldn’t even take much. Fortunately, thanks to a commercial fire sprinkler system, it doesn’t have to take much to put the fire out either, saving lives and property. If your building doesn’t currently have one, here’s what you need to know.

commercial fire sprinkler system

They Limit Property Damage

When a fire breaks out, most people don’t think about property damage. They think about getting to safety as soon as possible. However, when considering a commercial fire sprinkler system, a lot of people do wonder if it’s worth the risk. After all, in the movies, when a sprinkler head goes off, the entire room is wet within seconds.

Fortunately, those incidents are rare—as in, they only happen in the movies. In real life, one of the advantages of a commercial fire sprinkler system is that it limits property damage sometimes by as much as 65%.

That’s because every head actually works on its own. Each contains a glass vile filled with a chemical that expands when heated. The vile works as a sort of stopper, blocking the water supply concealed behind the ceiling. When the heat reaches roughly 150 degrees Fahrenheit, the chemical in the vile breaks it open and water is free to put out the fire.

However, sprinklers in the surrounding area that never experienced the heat don’t do a thing. So the fire is contained and as much property as possible stays untouched by water.

Insurance Companies Love Them

Given that commercial fire sprinkler systems leave property alone as much as possible, it should be no surprise that insurance companies are quite fond of them. We’ll cover costs in a second, but one thing you need to consider when looking at an estimate is how much you will save when an insurance company underwrites your structure and the sprinkler system involved.

Cost

As with any addition to a structure, cost must be considered. Fortunately, when it comes to that commercial fire sprinkler system, safety is actually relatively affordable. If you’re going to install one while in the midst of construction, an entire commercial fire sprinkler system will only run you about $2 a square foot, at most.

If you need to retrofit your existing structure, that estimate may still hold. At most, though, it will cost roughly $7 per square foot. For a high rise building, cut that estimate in half.

Putting a fire sprinkler system in a historic building is where you might have to drop some serious money. That could cost you as much as $10 a square foot. However, when you think about how much damage a fire could do to historic buildings, the investment is an obvious choice. Most of the extra cost is also due to design features that must be maintained. So many historic structures can get a system for far less.

Safer for People

In the face of a fire, most of us would be out the door and a mile away as soon as possible. However, some people may stay back to fight the flames. While this is admirable, it’s also risky for all kinds of reasons. Fortunately, a commercial fire sprinkler system also makes this unnecessary. As they don’t need a person to activate or control them, everyone is free to head for safety and let the sprinklers do their part.

Automatic

Let’s expand on that some more. Your sprinkler system doesn’t need anyone to work it. That also means it’s far less susceptible to human error (the only way a person could trip up a sprinkler system is by shutting the water supply off). Someone could easily mess up using a fire extinguisher or even make matters worse with it. That will never happen with a fire sprinkler system.

As you can see, there’s no reason your commercial property should be going without a sprinkler system. They’re:

• Affordable to install
• Loved by insurance companies
• Safer for people and property
• Activated automatically

 So begin looking into installing a commercial fire sprinkler system today and enjoy a safer future.