Residential | on February 28th, 2021
A Fire Sprinkler System is without doubt one of the most proven tool for protecting our precious life and property with. It takes just two minutes for a residential fire to turn deadly. When fire strikes, the curtains, electronics and furniture tends to heat up rapidly and emit potentially poisonous, fast-spreading smoke. Fire and smoke can spread even quicker in contemporary open floor plans; moreover wooden partitions, doors and racks can fail rapidly in such conditions, adding to the overall risk.
Fire Incidents in India - The Numbers Don't Lie
Residential fires are more common than most people think. Each year, fire departments across Indian metros respond to thousands of fire incidents – many of which are fatal. Flashover occurs within 3-5 minutes which leads to everything combustible in a room to burst into flames. No one survives the flashover.
A recent RTI query on fire incidents in Mumbai reveals:
*Source :TOI, 30-10-2018
All these data points add up to one conclusion:
Installing a robust fire sprinkler system is the smarter and better way to add value and safeguard households from such incidents.
Importance of Fire Sprinkler Systems in Indian Households
While having a Fire Alarm may be a common feature in US and European dwellings, they are a rare sight in a traditional Indian household – especially in the pre-existing properties. In a modern high-rise too, a Fire Alarm System is generally only installed in common areas of the building, but seldom inside the house itself. These alarms provide an early warning that can give residents time to move to safety. But there may not be enough time, especially for high-risk segments of the population like infants, children, people with disabilities and senior citizens who may not be able to hear them and react within a short time period.
By contrast, a fire sprinkler would stop the fire early in its stages and ensure safety even if the residents could not hear or respond to the smoke alarm.
Fire offices in India mandate the installation of a fixed fire fighting sprinkler system in all high-rises and other buildings. Most fire offices permit and specify the usage of innovative piping material like BlazeMaster® CPVC Fire Sprinkler System for all light hazard occupancies e.g. residences, high-rises, commercial buildings, hotels, hospitals, schools and more.
Further, a good designer (and Indian fire office recommendations) emphasize on using Quick Response (QR) Sprinklers (Pendent, Sidewall and Upright) for residences – as the QR Sprinklers respond faster than a standard response sprinkler in case of fires. Often these sprinklers are successful in extinguishing the flames and smoke by the time the fire department arrives.
Common Myths Surrounding Fire Sprinklers
Despite the improvements in overall safety standards, some new home buyers may still have reservations due to certain myths surrounding the fire sprinkler system.
Here are three key things you should know:
- Heat from fire only activates the fire sprinkler nearest to the flame - the vast majority of home fires are contained by just one sprinkler.
- Fire sprinkler is NOT activated by a burning toast, steam, cooking vapours or anything else other than high heat levels.
- A home fire sprinkler system, if properly installed and maintained, will not freeze in cold climates.
Why Choose BlazeMaster® Fire Sprinkler System?
Material selection is also critical. CPVC fire fighting sprinkler systems, such as BlazeMaster®, offer key advantages over traditional steel/GI systems. Unlike steel, BlazeMaster® CPVC is not prone to corrosion or scaling (mineral build-up) over a 50 year life-cycle. This is a tremendous advantage, as the older a construction gets the more prone it is to fire incidents, due to ageing electrical components, inadequately maintained facilities and a traditional fire piping system which could have corrosion, scaling, rust and leakages.
BlazeMaster® CPVC is the world’s most specified and #1 non-metallic fire sprinkler system pipe and fitting material. A market leader since 1984, BlazeMaster® CPVC has saved countless lives and prevented property damage in a wide range of facilities across the globe.
Contact us to get expert consultation for your next residential, commercial or retrofit project.
