 |
Residential fire sprinklers do not have a measurable track record. While sprinkler manufacturers and installers assert that residential fire sprinklers add a necessary measure of safety for a home's occupants, there have been no studies demonstrating the efficacy of fire sprinklers with smoke alarms versus smoke alarms alone. These advocates do agree that fire sprinklers should be not installed without also installing smoke alarms – because the most important thing to do in a house fire is to get out of the house. Unfortunately, the reliability of residential fire sprinklers can also be questioned. There is no study that shows how long sprinkler systems will last. After smaller recalls by other companies in 1998 and 1999, a major fire sprinkler manufacturer recalled 35 million fire sprinkler heads in 2001 and any requirements that the manufacturer notify owners of homes where these defective heads have been installed have now expired. |
    |
