FIRE SAFETY BUREAU

Fire Demonstration And Why Sprinklers Are Necessary

Wednesday, May 13, 2009by Jason Allentoff WOBM News
Sometimes common sense becomes the main focal point of a news story. It can be something simple like "buckle up for safety" or "don't drink and drive" - yet we all sometimes need a little reminder. Maybe if there were more risk factors shown or demonstrated and we saved the statistical figures for text books, we would see less incidents out there.

By the year 2012, all new residential construction in the Garden State will be required to include fire sprinkler systems. A demonstration was held Tuesday to show what the sprinklers can do. The event took place outside the Toms River Fire Academy on Church Road. About a hundred people including fire officials and local residents came out to see what was up.

Two virtually identical mock bedrooms were set up. A bed, television, dresser and some window drapes were featured. One room had fire sprinklers installed - the other didn't. A staffer set both ablaze as members of the Toms River Fire Academy stood by with hoses in case the flames got out of hand.

Within three minutes time, the room without the sprinklers was totally engulfed in flames. By six minutes, the flames had to be put out by the fire fighters standing by leaving behind a charred blackened mess. The fire in the room had left it uninhabitable.

However, the room with the sprinklers was saved with only minor damage that can be salvaged. Toms River Fire Chief John Lightbody says during a fire, time is of the essence and having sprinklers installed is like "having your own personal fire fighter on hand 24hours a day, 7 days a week. You need this kind of equipment in your home. Also, smoke detectors. Smoke detectors and fire sprinklers are like hot dogs and mustard. They go together and will save lives." Bob Yaiser is the Public Education Officer for the Toms River Fire Academy. He says its common sense that time is a vital component and having sprinklers is "a very good idea and it is well worth the cost."

Dan Detrolio is with the State Fire Safety Commission. He says "we won't stop till sprinklers are made mandatory. It's an added tool at saving lives and homes and you can't put a price tag on that. Besides, it's not expensive when we're gonna save lives!" He says more than 4-thousand people perish in fires nationwide each year and sprinklers will "cut that number down significantly."

Fire Officials: Household sprinklers can save lives
APP May 12, 2009
A fire that starts in the garbage container can rip through a room in a matter of minutes, leaving only a blackened, gutted shell behind, fire officials say. In a similar room, a fire can blacken only a curtain and garbage container before a single sprinkler kicks on, drenching the room with water and lessening the potential damage. The difference in the scenarios was part of a demonstration today presented by the Uniform Fire Prevention/Protection of Ocean County, the New Jersey Fire Safety Commission, and the National Sprinkler Association, to show how sprinklers in residential buildings greatly reduce the size and severity of a fire, saving lives of residents and firefighters.

"(Having sprinklers) is the equivalent of having a fire department at your residence,'' said Bob Yaiser, the public education officer for the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention. "We don't hesitate to sprinkle our front lawn to keep our grass from burning. Why would you not want to spend the money to protect your home and save yourself?''
Approximately 100 members of local fire organizations and the public gathered to watch a real time demonstration of how a fire affected two identical dorm-like rooms, one with sprinklers and one without. Read more about the value of sprinkler systems in the Asbury Park Press.
-- Chelsea Michels