Residential Fire Sprinklers: Is Dramatic Growth at Hand?
Although fewer than two percent of all new homes have them, single-family residential fire sprinkler systems may soon follow the same
path smoke detectors did during the 1980s. In other words, within the next 10 to 15 years they may well become mandatory in all new
single-family construction. As it is, an estimated 600 to 700 cities throughout the country already have adopted ordinances pertaining to
fire sprinkler systems in single- and multi-family homes. The trend seems to be gaining momentum.
"My case load jumped significantly this year," says Patrick Coughlin, Director of Operation Life Safety, "telling me that interest in
residential fire sprinkler ordinances is increasing." Operation Life Safety is a public/private partnership whose goal is to reduce residential
fire deaths and injuries through the use of fire sprinklers and smoke alarms.