One Small Residential Sprinkler Head Saves Lives and Home

 

By PIO Douglas Alexander, Photos by Bruce Walz, MAVFC

August 18, 2011 On Thursday August 18 at 1746 hours, units were dispatched to the 2100 block of Scarlet Way in Mt. Airy for a house fire. Very heavy thunderstorms were present in the area at that time. MAVFC Engine 12 arrived at the scene and found some smoke and fire coming from the side of a two story single family dwelling. A working fire was declared and command was established. Neighbors advised that the residents were out of the house. Crews from Engine 12 and Engine Tanker 14 did a primary search while another crew simultaneously stretched a hose line to the rear of the house and made entry to the basement to attack the fire. Once inside the basement, firefighters found that the fire had been controlled by the residential sprinkler system and that the remaining fire was accessible from the exterior of the house. This fire was extinguished quickly, and the search for extension and hidden fire began. It was apparent that lightning had entered the home through the utility access and ignited the fire in the basement area of the house. Damage was confined to a corner of the basement and a small portion of the exterior wall. There was some smoke damage to the rest of the house.

The occupants of the home were alerted to the fire by the smoke alarms however they had experienced some trouble with the smoke alarms recently and did not react immediately to the alarm. The occupant of the home noticed smoke coming from the basement door a short time later and immediately gathered her special needs toddler and another visitor and left the home, then called for assistance. Clearly, the presence of the residential sprinkler system in this approximately four year old upscale home provided time for the occupants to escape safely despite the brief delay.

Examination of the scene revealed that lightning did enter the home causing the fire in the basement area. The fire was controlled by the activation of one sprinkler head. This sprinkler head performed so well that the plastic natural gas lines did not even fail though in the area of ignition of the fire. Failure of these gas lines would have spread the fire extensively.

There were 17 pieces of fire and rescue apparatus and approximately 60 personnel on the scene. Units responded from Carroll, Howard, Montgomery and Frederick counties.

Residential sprinklers have been required in all new dwellings in the Town of Mount Airy since 2003. This is the second save of a new home that is known in the short time sprinklers have been required. Residential sprinklers are also required in Carroll, Frederick, Howard, and Montgomery counties as well as 9 other counties in Maryland. There are 93 of 157 municipalities that require residential sprinklers in new homes also. Residential sprinklers are cost effective and need virtually no maintenance. Residential sprinklers along with smoke alarms give home occupants a far better chance of escaping a fire in the home.