Sprinkler Standards
Proposed performance standards for a new, low-cost fire sprinkler system aimed at reducing fire deaths, injuries and property losses in homes are being considered by the sprinkler committee of the National Fire Protection Association.
The proposed standards were developed by Factory Mutual Research Corporation of Norwood, Mass., under contract from the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration. They were introduced initially at an NFPCA November conference on lowcost automatic residential sprinklers held at the Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University. Specifications call for a low-cost, small sprinkler head which will cover an area of 150 square feet under pressure of 8 psi and require a maximum of 6 gpm. It is expected that the cost for the system could average as low as $50 per room in an average home.
