New research has shown that fire sprinklers can have a massive impact on cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released by burning buildings – as well as save lives and property.
The study – '
The Environmental Impact of Automatic Fire Sprinklers’ – was conducted by by
FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers, and the US non-profit
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC). It found that automatic fire sprinklers could cut
GHG emissions by 98 percent in a burning
building.
The research, released today, also revealed that a single fire in a building where a sprinkler wasn’t fitted could negate the typical environmental benefits of low carbon construction.
When sprinklers activate, they control the heat, flames and smoke released by a fire, effectively mitigating the products of combustion, according to Gary Keith, HFSC chair.
Fire sprinklers use 90 per cent less water
The findings also proved that sprinklers use about 90 per cent less
water than the amount needed by fire fighters and that sprinklers help to reduce, or even prevent, contaminated
waste water from being released into the local environment.
The findings are the result of tests carried out at FM Global’s US Research Campus in West Glocester. Researchers constructed two identical living rooms at the test centre and placed a sprinkler in just one of the rooms, before igniting both.
Implications for the future of sustainable building practices
FM Global said the findings had implications both for the future of risk management and sustainable building practices, and highlight that sprinklers are not just life and property safety systems but also make buildings greener and improve sustainability by reducing emissions across the entire lifecycle of a building.
"Fire sprinklers perform the same way, no matter the kind of building, and now we see conclusively that they not only prevent the devastating impact of fires but also negate significant environmental risks. This is especially important as more businesses seek to design and build
energy efficient, environmentally sustainable
facilities,"
said Dr. Louis Gritzo, vice president and manager of research at FM Global.
Keith said the environmental data would help business and consumers as well as the fire service view sprinkler protection more importantly.
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