The challenge
House fires kill occupants before firefighters can arrive, and fast-growing suburbs stretch fire cover thin.
The case
Scottsdale, Arizona adopted an ordinance requiring fire sprinklers in all new residential construction, in force from January 1, 1986. A 15-year review by the city's fire service found that by then more than half of the city's homes (41,408) were protected. Of 598 home fires over the period, 49 were in single-family homes with sprinklers, and 13 people died in homes without sprinklers. Based on fires from 1998 to 2001 in all types of buildings, not just homes, the average loss was $2,166 per sprinklered fire against $45,019 per unsprinklered fire. Sprinklers also used far less water: about 341 gallons per fire against 2,935 gallons from fire hoses.
Why it worked
Requiring sprinklers only in new buildings kept costs low at the point of construction and let protection build up steadily as the housing stock grew. The death figures are small, but the drop in property losses is large and consistent.
Sources
- Scottsdale Fire Department / Rural/Metro (2001). Scottsdale 15-Year Executive Study. City of Scottsdale.
- Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition. Scottsdale Report: 15-Year Data.
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