What Realtors Should Know Home Fire Sprinklers What Realtors Should Know Fire kills more people in the United States annually than all natural disasters combined. Ironically, most fire deaths occur in the very place where we feel safest — our own homes. Those at highest risk are very young children, older adults and people with disabilities, who may have difficulty making a quick escape. I am (NAME) and I (OCCUPATION). I am here on behalf of the California Fire Sprinkler Coaltion. INSERT PURPOSE OF COALITION. We reached out to your organization so that we could provide you with important information about an important part of homes that are often overlooked by realtors.

Agenda Why provide fire sprinklers in homes What are home fire sprinklers? Myths Benefits Care and upkeep of fire sprinklers Selling points Resources This presentation hopes to give you an understanding why home fire sprinklers are provided, what they are and what they are not (myths), the benefits of having them, their maintenance and care, selling points to home buyers, and resources. Hopefully this will provide you with information so that you can answer questions, if they arise. We also will provide you with resources to direct home buyers who will be living with sprinklers in their new homes.

Why? Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Studies show that in the mid 1970s, people had about 17 minutes to escape a fire from when it started without fire sprinklers. This was based on the types of products and the materials of those products that people had in the homes. This gave people plenty of time to react to smoke alarms. A recent study shows that with the types of materials and products in homes today, people have only about 3 minutes to escape before the home becomes untenable. While smoke alarms are very important in early detection, this does not allow for error in responding to an alarm. Firefighters from across the country will attest that it does not take long for a house to be fully involved (Flashover). Fire sprinklers prevent flashover and provide time for families to escape. Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Why? Picture of a conventional frame . Methods of house construction have changed. Rather than building homes with nominal 2 by 4 conventional construction, most homes are built with “light weight” truss construction, which is usually favored by the builder. Under normal conditions, these methods of construction are very safe. However, under fire conditions, light weight construction fails fairly rapidly (causing collapse). Studies show that light weight truss construction will collapse in about 6-7 minutes from when a fire starts. Hopefully in 6-7 minutes, the occupants have escaped. But sprinklers also protect firefighters. By the time the fire department is notified, arrives on scene and begins firefighting or rescue operations, it may well be past the 6-7 minutes. Fire sprinklers help to extend that safe time enough to protect the responding firefighters.

Why? Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition In fact, home fire sprinklers are so effective that they can stop a fire in about a minute and a half. Home fire sprinklers provide powerful protection from fire. They work automatically and immediately, before a fire spreads. This is like having a firefighter at your house 24-7-365. Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Why? Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Sprinklers are the most effective fire safety devices ever invented. The National Fire Protection Association reports that smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by about one-third. Having both sprinklers and smoke alarms installed reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by about 80%. Home fire sprinklers are of the quickresponse type which means they are designed to save lives. Since they control fires so quickly, they also reduce damage to the property and other valuables. Fire reports nationwide show that property damage is significantly lower in sprinklered homes. Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Why? 9 out of 10 fire deaths happen at home $7.8 billion in direct property loss from fire

Why? National building codes require: Standard of Care New construction Not retrofit California Building Code Requirement Reduced setback requirements In 2006, the NFPA Building Code, Fire Code and Life Safety Code made it mandatory for newly constructed homes to be equipped with automatic fire sprinklers. The ICC International Residential Code introduced the requirement in 2009. These nationally recognized codes have established a standard of care. In 2010, California established the requirement to take effect in 2011. Since then newly constructed homes across the state have been built with automatic fire sprinklers. This was fairly easy since many (135) jurisdictions already were requiring home fire sprinklers in newly constructed homes in one form or another. Establishing the requirement statewide made the provision uniform across the state.

What Are Fire Sprinklers? Insert graphic of sprinkler over sofas Each sprinkler protects the area below it, and when heated by fire, it activates. Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire. Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

What Are Fire Sprinklers Sprinklers are a water piping system, much like domestic water supplying a homes faucets and toilets. In many instances the sprinklers are a part of the domestic piping system. A fire sprinkler is much like a faucet, but one that puts out an engineered water pattern designed to control a fire. The sprinkler opens when if feels the right amount of heat from a fire (135 to 165 degrees F). The heat link will open, allowing water to flow out and hit the deflector for the firefighting water pattern. Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

What Are Fire Sprinklers? These are common types of sprinklers that you may find in a home. The sidewall sprinkler will not be on the ceiling, it will be on the wall. Most common is the flat plate of the concealed sprinkler. Behind that plate is a hidden sprinkler. And here is a pendent type sprinkler. Concealed Sidewall Pendant Photos: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

What Are Fire Sprinklers Insert photos of a typical riser and multipurpose system. This is a typical sprinkler riser, where the sprinkler system is not integrated with the domestic water. And the multipurpose system integrates the sprinklers water supply with the domestic water supply. You will not be able to tell which type of piping is being used because the walls and ceiling cover up the pipes and you cannot tell by looking at the sprinklers. Photos: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Myths About Sprinklers Sprinklers leak. False! They are pressure tested, just like domestic water systems FALSE! Sprinklers and their piping are pressure-tested to at least the same level as your plumbing system. Like your plumbing pipes, sprinkler pipes are not exposed to cold areas so they are protected from freezing. Additionally, unlike faucets and other fixtures that are operated often throughout their lives, fire sprinklers remain closed until needed and do not receive the wear and tear of daily use.

Myths About Sprinklers All of the sprinklers will operate. False! Only the sprinkler that feels the heat will operate FALSE! Only heat from a fire will activate the sprinkler closest to the fire. Typically, there is not enough heat to activate other sprinklers. So why, then, do people think that all of the sprinklers in the room activate at the same time? There are two reasons. First, Hollywood gag writers show all of them activating for comic or dramatic effect. They have shown this happening from someone merely lighting a cigar or pulling a fire alarm switch. Those actions cannot even make one sprinkler activate, let alone all of them. The second reason is that a lot of people mistakenly think that smoke will activate a sprinkler. They have seen smoke spread throughout a room, so they conclude that smoke will affect all the sprinklers in the room. Once people understand that only heat can activate a sprinkler, it’s easier for them to understand why multiple sprinklers will not activate, even in a smokefilled room. Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Myths About Sprinklers Water will create more damage than fire. False! Sprinklers use far less water than fire hoses and stop the fire damage FALSE! One of the myths about sprinklers is that they will cause water damage. While this may seem logical, fire records show that the reverse is actually true. A home fire sprinkler sprays about only 13 to 18 gallons of water per minute and is designed to operate early in a fire to control the fire. The hoses used by firefighters flow ten times that amount, 250 gallons per minute. If sprinklers are not present, fires typically burn until firefighters arrive. Two things happen to cause more damage than a sprinkler. First, more of your possessions have already been destroyed before the firefighters intervened, and then you have much more water being discharged at a very high pressure on your remaining property. Pressure from the hose stream alone can do a lot of damage. It is the combination of the sprinkler’s quick response, the lesser water flow, and the lower pressure that significantly reduces property damage. Also, there is less recovery potential. Think about it. A wet sofa can be dried and cleaned as opposed to one that is consumed in a fire. This is even more critical when the possessions that are burned in a fire have sentimental value such as portraits, photographs, heirlooms or antiques. Without sprinklers, the heat and smoke damages furniture, furnishings, and possessions as it spreads unimpeded throughout the house. When sprinkler protection is provided, the nearest sprinkler stops the fire before it can develop into a catastrophic incident. Photo: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Benefits of Sprinklers Insurance premium reduction. Most insurance carriers will offer a discount The average is about 10% Although a review of the insurance policies associated with several major insurance carriers identified a wide variance in the industry, discounts can range from 5% to 45% depending on the design of the fire sprinklers and the areas to be protected. The higher discounts are more likely available when sprinkler protection is combined with other features like smoke detection, monitoring of the systems, installation of fire extinguishers, and deadbolt locks. Surveys of the local insurance industry indicate the majority of insurance carriers will offer some type of discount, with the average being approximately 10% for approved home fire sprinkler protection.

Benefits of Sprinklers There is less loss from a fire. Experience shows that there is considerably less loss when sprinklers are present Scottsdale, AZ Prince Georges County, MD Many communities across the U.S. are seeing impressive results from installing home fire sprinklers in all new construction. In Scottsdale, Arizona, fire sprinklers have been required in all new homes since 1986. Today, more than half the homes in Scottsdale are protected with sprinklers. A 15-year study of fire loss concluded that the average fire loss per sprinklered incident was $2,166 compared to more than $45,000 loss per fire in homes without fire sprinklers. In Prince George’s County, Maryland, fire sprinklers have been required since 1992. A 15-year study of fire loss concluded that the damages averaged $4,883 per incident in a home protected with sprinklers compared to $49,503 per incident when there was a fatality in a home without sprinklers.

Benefits of Sprinklers Peace of mind. Having both sprinklers and smoke alarms installed reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by about 80%. Experience shows that sprinklers save lives and reduce injury. Scottsdale, AZ Prince Georges County, MD There is tremendous confidence in fire sprinklers that boosts an almost perfect success record. The Prince George’s County report states that there were 13,494 fires in single-family dwellings. In the fires that occurred in dwellings without fire sprinklers, 328 persons were injured and 101 died, whereas only six were injured and no one died in the fires in the dwellings protected with sprinklers. SCOTTSDALE SUMMARY>>>

Care and Upkeep Home fire sprinklers are relatively maintenance-free Keep valves open Do not hang items from sprinklers Do not paint sprinklers or their cover plates Run the inspector test valve annually If present, backflow devices may need maintenance A home sprinkler system is relatively maintenance free. There are a few simple items that are recommended and they can be accomplished by the homeowner. The most important items include the following: • Keep the main water valve open. It is important to know the location of the main valve so it can very simply be visually inspected. • Do not hang items from the sprinklers. • Make sure the fire sprinklers do not get painted or obstructed. That includes the cover plate. • Run the inspector test valve annually. • If present, backflow prevention devices may need annual maintenance. This will be required by the water purveyor. A homeowner may also opt to employ the services of a sprinkler contractor who performs maintenance services professionally.

Conclusion Providing homes with sprinklers is providing built in fire safety Smoke alarms are like seatbelts Fire sprinklers are like airbags Homes in California are required to be provided with smoke alarms. Homes constructed after 2011 are required to be provided with automatic fire sprinklers too. This is analogous to a car being provided with seatbelts and airbags. Seatbelts take action: you have to put it on for it to work. Smoke alarms take action: you have to respond accordingly for it to work. Airbags do not take any action by the occupant; if you have a crash, they operate to protect the occupant. Sprinklers do not take any action by the occupant; if you have a fire, they operate to protect the occupant.

Resources Information page for you to provide home buyers Load it on your Realtor website It is available at http://firesprinklerinitiative.org/state-coalitions/california.aspx

Resources www.HomeFireSprinkler.org www.FireSprinklerInitiative.org/California www.Fire.CA.gov

Thank You! Questions?