FACT: In 2008, 76.6% of all deaths from fire occurred in domestic properties in the UK

Sprinklers have been used in public buildings and factories for over 150 years. They are typically a series of heat sensitive sprinkler heads connected by a network of pipes run through a property to an alarm sounder.

Sprinkler heads do not go off on their own. Only the head nearest to the heat source will operate when it detects extreme temperatures. Only heat/fire will activate it, not smoke. Once a sprinkler head detects fire it activates, sounds the alarm and simultaneously discharges water over a defined area. Click here to see how a sprinkler system actually works.

Only recently have they begun to be considered for residential and domestic installation. But what is the difference between a residential and a domestic sprinkler system?

Domestic Sprinkler Systems...

A domestic property is defined as “an individual dwelling for use as a single-family unit.”

A sprinkler system must be designed to discharge 60 litres of water per minute for 10 minutes through a single head. The design criteria should allow for two heads to activate.

Residential Sprinkler Systems...

A residential property is defined as “multiple occupancies such as apartments, residential homes, aged persons homes, nursing homes, boarding houses, blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation.”

A sprinkler system must be designed to discharge 60 litres of water per minute for 30 minutes through a single head. The system must be designed to discharge 4 heads for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Why should I have a sprinkler system?

On average, 600 lives are lost in fires and over 18,000 people are seriously injured each year in the UK. Most fire deaths occur in the home and they happen before the Fire Brigade even arrive - the average response time in the UK is currently 6.5 minutes. It is a fact that there has never been a fire death in a home fully protected by a sprinkler system worldwide.

A fire suppression system is a 24 hour, 7 days a week fire fighter. There has never been a death in a UK sprinklered property. A sprinkler system will warn you just like a fire alarm, but importantly it will also attack the fire to control it and in most cases fully extinguish it.

Sprinkler systems use less water than the Fire Service, therefore wasting less of this vital resource. The installation of sprinkler systems could save up to 96% of the 5.6 billion litres of water used to fight fires. Also sprinkler systems are environmentally friendly; by extinguishing the fire quickly, they help prevent dangerous toxins reaching the atmosphere.

What British Standard do you install too?

All of our sprinkler systems are designed, installed and comply to the British Standard 9251: 2005. This is the standard for a system installed in a domestic or residential property. BS9251 lays down standards for the minimum amount of water that must be discharged in the fire and for how long the system must fight the fire.

Currently there is no British Standard regarding water must systems (it is currently still at a consultation stage). As a result we design, install and maintain all of our mist systems to the BS 9251.

How does a sprinkler work?

What relationship do you have with Building Control?

Domestic and Residential sprinklers systems are becoming more popular in the UK for various reasons. In Scotland they are mandatory on all new high rise residential buildings, care buildings and sheltered housing complexes. In England and Wales, the Building Regulations Part B (2006) specifically states that all buildings over 30m in height must be fitted with a sprinkler system.

Over the past few years and certainly into the not so distant future, the UK has and will see more legislation ensuring that sprinklers become more of the norm for newly built properties or specific building purposes. More frequently Ultrasafe Fire Solutions are finding ourselves working closely with many Building Control officers all over the country.

Through sprinkler education and our partnerships we aim to ensure that the sprinkler campaign is promoted to as many people as possible as far and wide as possible. This is more apparent for us given the confusion and the lack of understanding many people have regarding water mist systems and its applications.

As a result we make every effort to be as informative as possible regarding our current mist system and its specification. We can do this through ‘live burn’ demonstrations, CPD presentations, information packs or meetings with the Fire and Rescue Services.

How much does it cost?

On average the cost of having a sprinkler system installed is 1-2% of a new build. This compares to carpeting the property. The cost of the system being installed can be offset against the savings on trade offs, i.e. fire doors, etc. Once installed we will annually maintain the system for a small fee to ensure it is compliant to the British Standard.

Cost can vary depending on the type of system installed, the fire risk or simply the size of the property. Ideally, if a sprinkler system is installed at a new build stage, the cost can be absorbed in the new price of a building, which will be much cheaper than retrofitting a property at a later stage.

The cost of fire in your home is, on average, £25,000. In 2008, the cost of fire in England & Wales alone was around £7billion. Ultimately, we offer a life safety product - you can not put a price on life.