The Importance of Fire Protection – Why We Do What We Do

Written August 15, 2017, by Bruce Agan, USAutomatic Fire and Security

In Carmel, Indiana, Bruce Agan, a dedicated fire sprinkler contractor, often recruits young talents from local high schools and technical colleges. His commitment to fire safety goes beyond his professional life and extends into a heartfelt story that underscores the profound importance of the fire protection industry. This story is especially relevant to those who may someday face the difficult decision of placing a loved one in a nursing home, where the assurance of safety is paramount. 

There comes a point in time in a person’s life when they need to make the tough decision to put a loved one in a nursing home. We want to be thorough in seeing our options and finding the place we feel will provide the best care. One way to do your due diligence is to visit these nursing homes at night as you will find that there are fewer staff on site at this time. 

Imagine you pull into a nursing home at 3 a.m. You are buzzed in and tell the person that you are there to see what the facility is like at night, as you are trying to find the right nursing home placement for your mother. You ask if you can look around and maybe peek in a couple of rooms to get a feel for the place. There are several corridors, A through D, and the employee takes you to visit corridor D. While you are looking around the fire alarm begins to sound– indicating there is a fire somewhere in the facility. In this scenario, there are not many staff on duty, and the facility does not have a sprinkler system. 

Lives will be lost 

The fire happens to be in corridor A’s laundry room. The staff moves into action, and they begin to get residents to safety. The fire department has been notified via the alarm system. However, keep in mind that there are many residents and not many staff at this time of night. It also takes the fire department, on average, five to fifteen minutes to get to the call. Furthermore, with certain conditions, fire can double in size every thirty seconds. So, the staff is having to determine which people to save because the fire is growing and spreading, and the fire department is still rolling to the scene. Lives will be lost. 

The importance of working fire sprinkler systems 

Now rewind the story to the fire alarm sounding off at 3 am in corridor A. This time there is a working sprinkler system installed in the nursing home facility. As the heat from the fire reaches the sprinkler head(s), the sprinkler system activates and begins to douse the fire. The fire department has received the alert and has been dispatched to the scene. The staff is moving residents to safety. A much different outcome: The fire is contained, and all lives are saved. This is the ending to the story that we want.  

Our purpose in sharing this story is to inform people about the huge importance of having working sprinkler systems installed in facilities for fire protection. Share the story—it can save lives! 

Additional Information: 

• NFPA 13R is the Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Low-Rise Residential Occupancies 
• NFPA 25 is the Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems