Approximately 4000 people die each year in residential fires. In fact, the value of property lost in residential fires exceeds property losses for all other natural disasters combined. In contrast, 500-1000 people die each year in commercial building fires.
Until recently, residential sprinkler systems were not an option for most homeowners because they were expensive, difficult to install, or their builder was too skeptical about sprinkler reliability. Thanks to a recent change in the residential fire protection standard NFPA 13-D, all of this is beginning to change. The new standard allows the use of 1/2" tubing in a combination plumbing/sprinkler system for one and two family homes. Prior to this change, residential sprinkler systems were required to use a minimum size of 1/2" pipe, and in almost all cases were separate from the plumbing system. The larger tubing and separate system were more difficult and expensive to install, and required a sprinkler installer.