Busting Fire Sprinkler Myths

Fire safety is important for all homeowners, and it can be a great selling point for REALTORS®. Having a home sprinkler system can greatly minimize damages from home fires, and can even save money on insurance.

On February 22, the Fire Chiefs' Association of British Columbia will host a Home and Family Sprinkler Summit for housing professionals. Network, listen to a variety of speakers and even watch a live sprinkler demonstration.

It's not just older homes with faulty wiring that pose a higher risk. New lightweight construction leads to more rapid structural failure. No matter the age of the home, highly-flammable synthetic furnishings also increase the fire load.

A sprinkler system greatly mitigates this risk, although there are a lot of misconceptions about them. Homeowners often mistakenly worry they will be expensive to install and maintain, will leak or go off accidentally, or will cause more damage than the fire itself.

Fire chiefs are spreading the word that installing sprinklers can be cheaper than replacing carpets, at about $1.35 per square foot. Maintenance simply requires making sure the sprinklers are unobstructed, and the water supply isn't turned off. It's even more rare and less damaging for a sprinkler to leak or cause water damage than any other plumbing fixture in the house. And, while smoke alarms may go off frequently, sprinklers only react to significant changes in heat caused by actual fires. In the event of a fire, 85 per cent of the time only one sprinkler activates and is sufficient to contain the blaze.

Sign up for the Sprinkler Summit before January 15 to qualify for the early bird discount, or as late as January 30 with the discount code "BCRealtor." More information on sprinklers, and event registration.

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