It's Time for Residential Sprinklers

Post Flashover Residential Fire

My career in fire protection began in the late 1970’s when I entered the public fire service.  I went on to work in building management as a life safety director for high-rise office buildings in the 1980’s and eventually moved into the insurance industry in the mid1980’s. Fire protection has been a core part of my life for the last 50 years, and I was proud to serve my community for 20 years in the fire department.

In the early 1980’s, I went door to door installing smoke alarms. The nation saw a dip in fire deaths with widespread use of smoke alarms. To raise awareness of the issue of fire-related deaths, fire departments conducted public education programs in schools and hosted citizen CPR classes.

Fire department strategy and tactics at the time focused on fast, hard hitting interior fire attacks with waterflows that were modeled after the original ESFR sprinkler densities. As a result, we were able to save homes, trailers, and businesses. I lived through the progression of firefighter protective equipment from pull up boots to full turnouts with hoods and lightweight SCBA. We were interior attack firefighters. It worked.

I left the fire service in the late 1990’s as my insurance career had me traveling extensively. Along the way I earned a CFPS designation, and a portfolio of my work earned Professional Member status in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. I remain in the insurance world handling fire protection issues and managing complex property exposures.

The fire protection world has changed dramatically since my retirement from the fire department. The impact of EMS, terrorism, mass shootings, and pandemic response have changed the focus of the modern fire service.

Despite this evolution, there is one change has not been addressed by the fire service: the impact of modern fuel packages in our buildings.

In 2020, the UL Fire Safety Research Institute conducted side-by-side tests of legacy furnishings (those comprised of majority natural fibers) against modern furnishings (with foam cushions). A video of the test can be found at the link below:

https://youtu.be/87hAnxuh1g8?si=cEwC1X34hbidOxjB

As illustrated in the video, the room with modern furnishings “flashed over” in under 5 minutes.  A flashover time of less than five minutes means that the hard hitting, high flow interior attack of my generation is no longer effective. The game is over before we arrive.

Let’s look at the timeframe for a “typical” fire:

·         Local smoke alarms activate at 60 seconds.

·         If connected to a central station alarm provider, it takes an additional 60 seconds for the alarm company to call the 911 center.

·         911 typically answers and processes the calls within 75 seconds.

So far, 2 minutes and 15 seconds have elapsed.

·         Once the alarm is received by the fire department, it takes anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes for the department to arrive on-scene (under best conditions).

·         In many cases, the first on-scene firefighters will need to wait for the arrival of additional companies to ensure they have sufficient staff for interior operations, thereby expanding the effective response time. 

At this point, 5 to 8 minutes have elapsed since the time of the original alarm.

This means that by the time the first apparatus arrives, the structure is in flashover and is well involved. If the structure is lightweight construction (typical of most modern dwellings), more than half of the safe entry time has elapsed. Add to that the need to establish command, pull hose lines, provide ventilation and establish a water supply, the only option remaining is to “Hit it hard from the yard.”  This tactic often leads to a constructive total loss of the dwelling.

In 2005 I stayed in Las Vegas after speaking at the NFPA conference to vote on code language that would require automatic sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings.  Sensing the historic nature of the event, I wanted to vote for the change. I thought it would be a game changer.  It was not.

It is now 2026 and at each revision cycle of the model building codes, lawmakers strip the sprinkler requirement for homes. Even with a fuel package that is devastating in speed, we cling to practices that are out of date.

As a long-term firefighter, I fear that prompt fire department response is becoming less of a factor in life safety and property conservation. If flashover occurs enroute, loss mitigation and rescues are significantly more challenging.  Additionally, NFPA deployment standards (and OSHA regulations) require a set number of staff on the fire scene. Since modern fire department staffing is generally geared toward EMS service, it often takes multiple apparatus to reach the magic number. Only large, well-staffed urban agencies have a shot at mounting an effective interior fire attack.

Building construction changes have made the built environment more susceptible to large fire losses. Open floor plans, huge open areas, and lightweight structural elements make buildings more vulnerable to loss, endangering the lives of both civilians and first responders.

Sadly, the insurance industry has remained silent on the lack of sprinklers in homes. In some cases, they are hostile to the idea, fearing the potential for water damage. Fire departments are also silent on the question as some may fear staff reductions if fire losses are controlled.

The insurance industry clings to a Public Protection Class rating tool that was born from conflagrations. It markets this tool as benchmark for fire departments. As a result, fire departments have more apparatus than staff. In suburban areas it is common to have multiple fire departments respond to a dwelling fire. The cost of the multiple agencies is uncalculated. Idle fire trucks do not equal better protection.

Lawmakers, insurance companies, code officials, and fire officials must recognize that the only solution to an aggressive fuel package is a properly designed and installed automatic sprinkler system.  The speed of flashover makes outside intervention too little, too late.

It has been 21 years since the first code adopted sprinklers for homes. It is time to step up and use the technology that is here and available.