Olympia – Home fires are a severe threat in every community. When fire sprinklers are installed, the threat is automatically diminished, preventing injuries, saving lives, and preserving property. Every new home built is an opportunity for community risk reduction, but education is needed.
Home fires can become deadly in two minutes or less. New homes are typically built with unprotected lightweight wood construction and designed with large, open spaces. Homes are filled with synthetic furnishings that burn hotter and faster, producing more toxic smoke. Emerging technology, such as lithium-ion batteries, can also cause fires to grow rapidly. Regardless of a home’s age, fires burn faster than ever and become deadly more quickly.
Join the State Fire Marshal’s Office in embracing a new theme each day this week:
Monday: Fires are fast. Sprinklers are faster. Sprinklers respond quickly, activating only at the fire’s location to help control it until emergency services arrive so that you and your family can have more time to escape.
Tuesday: The high cost to communities without fire sprinklers, including greater risk to firefighters, increased property loss, and environmental impact.
Wednesday: How fire sprinklers strengthen fire-safe communities, reducing damage and lowering injury rates.
Thursday: The reality is that it’s easy to live with home fire sprinklers. Modern systems are discreet, low-maintenance, and independent from smoke alarms.
Friday: A call to action: Protect what you value most. Fire sprinklers can be affordable, typically adding $1.35 per square foot in new construction per the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition and can be rolled into a mortgage. Plus, most insurers offer generous discounts for sprinklered homes.
For more information, visit Home Fire Sprinkler Week Virtual Events or contact the State Fire Marshal’s Office at (360) 596-3904.