Home Fire Sprinkler Week is upon us. The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) says 14 lives have been lost to fires in Delaware this year.
HFSC Chair Paul Eichler says those deaths could have been prevented had they had sprinkler systems in their homes. “That you protect your property, and suffer from less fire damage, is a secondary concern to the aspect of giving people the opportunity to get out of a dwelling when there is a fire, not be subject to the heat, the flames, and the poisonous gasses of the smoke,” he said.
Eichler says the problem is that some municipalities waive home fire sprinkler requirements for new construction. “Municipalities were not sure what kind of impact that inclusion would have, with regards to construction practices, water supply demands, and other factors, as well as resistance from the builder community, to an extent,” he said.