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 Safeguarding Your Home
Sprinkler Facts
Fires kill more people in the US every year than all natural disasters combined—and 80 percent of fire deaths occur in the home. The single most effective way to prevent fire-related deaths is to install residential fire sprinklers. Combined with smoke alarms, they cut the risk of home-fire death by 82 percent compared to having neither.
Each sprinkler is individually activated by heat, not smoke. Despite sight gags on TV, smoke doesn’t trigger the sprinkler. Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire. The rest of the sprinklers won’t activate unless there is a fire in those locations. In fact, 90 percent of all home fires are contained with a single sprinkler.
On average, fire hoses use more than 8½ times the water to contain a fire than sprinklers do. According to “The Scottsdale Report,” a 15-year study of fire-sprinkler effectiveness, a sprinkler uses an average of 341 gallons of water to control a fire vs. the 2,935 gallons firefighters use. And less water means less water damage.
The likelihood that a sprinkler will discharge accidentally because of a manufacturing defect is extremely small. Sprinkler mishaps are generally less likely and less severe than accidents involving home plumbing systems.
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Howard and Kristeen Sullivan are proud of running a family business. As the owners of Sullivan Fire Protection in Sanford, they know that keeping your home and family safe is their top job.
Although the business is relatively young—the company recently celebrated its sixth anniversary—Howard Sullivan brings a lifetime of experience in fire safety to the job. He combines this with his vast knowledge of products and fire codes. The technology is always being updated, and he’s up on all the latest.
Evidence of Sullivan’s competence is the company’s rapid growth, and its role as an industry leader in the protection of public schools. Schools are among the most stringent jobs to tackle, but Sullivan Fire Protection has it under control: the company recently started installation on its 30th school in six years.
Sullivan also installs systems in residential and commercial properties, including roughly half the Starbucks stores in the area, as well as many other types of retail venues. Whether one-story or high-rise, the company handles the job from design phase to permitting. The company also maintains NFPA-25 inspections on fire hydrants for municipalities and businesses.
For private homes, Sullivan Fire Protection’s fire sprinkler system goes beyond battery-powered smoke alarms. Sprinkler systems for homes have evolved both in technology and design: they’re no longer the unattractive sprinklers hanging from ceilings in offices, schools and other public spaces. Today, home sprinklers can be set back into the ceiling so that all that’s visible is a plastic sprinkler cover. Other advantages: They may qualify for a discount on homeowner’s insurance. They’re always on and ready: no battery-changing required. And the company guarantees its work.
Sullivan Fire Protection provides free in-home estimates by a knowledgeable staffer within 48 hours. S
Sullivan Fire Protection, LLC, 1345 Pine Way, Sanford; 407.302.9632; sullivanfire.com. |
