When sprinklers were invented 140 years ago Insurers were quick to recognise their benefits and they encouraged the development of the emergent Industry - and still do to this day. However their principle interest is in property protection, so the life safety aspect of fire sprinklers was largely ignored - until more recently.

In 1973 the America Burning report was published, which showed that over 75% of fire casualties occur in the home; a fact equally true in the UK. Most of us presume people die in fires in public places or in industrial accidents, however each day in the UK 2 people die and 50 are injured. America Burning, amongst other things, suggested  a residential fire sprinkler system. 

All fires start small, so if they can be detected soon enough, and fought immediately, it takes surprisingly little water to control it. Allowed to grow unhindered, conditions can become un-survivable within as little as 2 minutes. Quick response is the key.

Without sprinklers, the first you might know about a fire is when a smoke alarm goes off, or someone spots the fire. The Fire Brigade is called and should be with you in 10 minutes or less. However fires today grow very rapidly - probably because of the amount of foam and plastics we use in our furnishings - so when the Brigade arrives, the fire will have had some considerable time to really get a hold. What was a small fire will have become a major one by the time the Brigade arrives.

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