NFPA Journal - October 2016 Home Fire Sprinkler Special Issue - 36

» PERSPECTIVES
community risk reduction and fire sprinkler
strategies can, and will, make a difference for
the protection of their communities."

68%

Percentage of
respondents in sprinklered
homes who said home fire
sprinklers lowered the cost
of their homeowner's
insurance, according to a
new report commissioned
by the Fire Protection
Research Foundation

LEGISLATIVELY SPEAKING...
While our company supports public policy
changes that enhance safety, we've found that
lawmakers can often have differences of opinion on home sprinklers. Some feel government
shouldn't impose sprinklers or other safety
measures on individuals, while others strongly
support making sprinklers a requirement.
I am amazed and concerned that special-interest groups in several states have
successfully stopped home fire sprinkler codes.
Now that residential sprinklers are a minimum
requirement in the model building codes, we
need to change that attitude. Sprinkler opponents often seem to draw on common myths:
that sprinklers unreasonably increase the cost
of a home, raise water utility fees, create a
risk of flooding from burst pipes, and so on.
These myths can hide the true value of home
fire sprinklers. For consumers, the decision
of whether or not to include fire sprinklers in
their homes should come down to making
an educated choice to protect their families,
whether sprinklers are mandated or not.
State Farm actively supports state code
updates that include a sprinkler provision, and
we are working with several state fire sprinkler
coalitions to champion the benefits of home
sprinklers. We believe our presence and the
fact that we provide premium discounts in
many states for homes with sprinklers help
refute any myths about the value of sprinklers.
WHY WE SUPPORT SPRINKLERS
Simply put, fire sprinklers save lives and property. While not designed to subdue the entire
fire, they do give occupants time to get out
before flashovers occur. Sprinklers result in
fires being smaller when first responders arrive,
putting them at lower risk. Property loss is
more likely to be contained, saving homeowners the heartache of a total loss and the difficult
process of having to rebuild their lives.
According to a 15-year study of a landmark
sprinkler ordinance in Scottsdale, Arizona-
which has required sprinklers in all new
single-family homes since 1986-the average
cost of damage to a home without fire sprinklers is approximately $45,000, versus only

NFPA JOURNAL OCTOBER 2016

about $2,000 for a home protected by fire
sprinklers. (For more on the 30th anniversary
of the Scottsdale ordinance, see "Desert Success" on page 60.) Most important, NFPA's
Fire Sprinkler Initiative (firesprinklerinitiative.
org) indicates that loss of life is reduced by
80 percent with fire sprinklers, not to mention the fact that water used to control a fire
is also reduced by eight-and-a-half times with
an activated sprinkler. State Farm's participation with the HFSC facilitates delivery of these
important messages and the need to make
this life-saving tool available in all homes. The
dedication of HFSC members reaches beyond
business or professional duties, going to the
heart of the families who live in these homes.
When considering the benefits of home
fire sprinklers, the safety of our first responders can't be overlooked. Recent analysis by
the Maine State Fire Marshal's Office shows
that many fire departments are able to protect exposures at fire scenes. Departments
are often arriving on scene to fully involved
structures, with a rise in short flashover
times attributable to household furnishings,
modern construction materials, and the fact
that consumers have more and more "stuff"
in their homes. "If any difference is going to
be made in improving this loss rate and the
saving of lives, the installation of home fire
sprinklers is the only answer," said Joseph
Thomas, the Maine State Fire Marshal. Even
where a sprinklered home does burn down,
if all occupants and first responders emerge
uninjured, it is a fire sprinkler success.
As a former code official who wanted to
help make my hometown safer, it's been especially rewarding to advance that same goal
from within a major insurance company.
Insurers, safety organizations, and public policymakers all need to keep working together
to move these ideas ahead and promote safety
technology for the benefit of the public. Organizations like HFSC are essential to keeping
these issues front and center. I firmly believe
home fire sprinklers will be a key component
in reducing fire deaths and injuries in our
homes, much like seat belts and airbags
helped us turn the safety corner years ago in
the cars we drive. While the next 20 years will
likely bring even more advances in safety
technology, we thank HFSC for the past 20
years of fire sprinkler advocacy.

http://firesprinklerinitiative.org http://firesprinklerinitiative.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - October 2016 Home Fire Sprinkler Special Issue