The nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) partnered with FM Global to undertake a landmark research project to identify, analyze, and evaluate the environmental impact of fire. Findings of the comprehensive study were published today in a technical report showing that sprinklers reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a fire by 98 percent.
The research included test burns involving two identical structures built to replicate a typical living room; only one structure had a sprinkler system. Carried out at FM Global’s state-of-the-art testing center at its Research Campus in West Glocester, Rhode Island,, the study compared the consequences of the two fires and documented virtually every aspect of their environmental impact.
In addition to the dramatic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the findings showed that sprinklers reduce the amount of water pollution released into the environment, reduce fire damage by up to 97 percent, and reduce water usage by up to 90 percent.
“HFSC is indebted to FM Global for their important role in funding and implementing this groundbreaking sprinkler research project,” says HFSC Chair Gary S. Keith. “These new scientific findings round out the facts we’ve known for decades about home fire sprinklers – that they save lives, prevent injuries and protect property and possessions. Now we know with scientific certainty that sprinkler technology also offers valuable environmental benefits. This new information will be a boon to fire departments that include sprinkler education in their local fire safety outreach.”
The report, “The Environmental Impact of Automatic Fire Sprinklers,” is authored by Christopher J. Wieczorek and Benjamin Ditch. Copies of the report are available at www.fmglobal.com/researchreports. Click here to view a 3:46 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtBafQdE9AM&feature=youtube_gdata
The nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) (www.homefiresprinkler.org) is a national, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused solely on educational outreach. It is the leading resource for independent, noncommercial information about residential fire sprinklers.
