Incidents such as earthquakes, flash floods, or hurricanes or tornadoes may damage a building and sometimes threaten the people inside. Countermeasures are often taken, such as hurricane-proof glass windows or earthquake-resistant foundations. The former is common in Florida and the latter common in California, due to the San Andreas Fault line. Meanwhile, fire is a hazard that may threaten any building, regardless of local weather or fault lines. Fire is well known as a major threat to life and property, so various types of fire protection services are out there to control fire and alert building occupants to its presence. While various types of fire protection services exist, one particularly important way to prevent fires is having a fire sprinkler service install sprinkler heads in a public building. Among all types of fire protection services, the fire protection service of sprinklers can do a lot of good, and flames can soon be quenched with a fire sprinkler service. Fire protection companies can be hired by a client to install this and other types of fire protection services. Fire sprinklers are well known for controlling fires.
Causes and Trends of Flames
What sorts of buildings need various types of fire protection services install in them? Among commercial and public buildings, it is most often hotels and motels, office buildings, and hospitals that need fire sprinkler installation done. In fact, it has been estimated that hotel and motel fires across the United States cause as many as 15 deaths and 150 injuries due to fire and smoke every single year, and these fires also result in nearly $76 million in property damage every single year. Warehouses may also catch fire sometimes, and unsurprisingly, this often causes large amounts of property loss every year. The good news in this case is that warehouse fires are trending downward. Back in 1980, some 4,700 warehouse fires took place, but by 2011, only 1,200 were recorded.
What is causing these flames? Even though lit tobacco products are no longer allowed in most commercial buildings, there are other fire hazards to consider. Often, electrical fires may occur in public buildings. This describes when a frayed electric cord’s hot, exposed wires touch a flammable surface such as drapes, carpeting, or papers. In hospitals, this or malfunctions in electrical devices most commonly cause fires. This may also happen in office buildings or hotels or motels. Other, more miscellaneous causes of fire may happen, such as a person dropping a lighter or matches, or dropping lit candles. And of course, arson is another threat. Arson is the deliberate act of setting a building on fire, so a public building manager may use not only fire protection but also security to prevent this crime.
Fire Sprinklers And Suppression
A major line of defense against flames in a commercial building is an effective network of fire sprinklers in the ceiling. These sprinkler heads are connected to pipes that supply their water, and when a fire is detected, the sprinklers spray water into the rooms. This results in water damage, but many would agree that this is worth the benefit of quenching a destructive fire. It should be noted that many fire sprinkler systems are designed so that only sprinkler heads in the affected area activate. This can save water and also prevent needless water damage in other parts of the building.
It is not enough to simply have these fire sprinklers installed in a building. A responsible business owner will also have these sprinklers inspected regularly to make sure that they are in fine working order and meet fire protection regulations. Fire is a common and serious threat, so cities and states often have strict fire safety codes that buildings must adhere to. If a sprinkler system has faulty sprinkler heads or other issues, these problems must be fixed right away. This may also be an issue whenever an entrepreneur purchases an older building. Due to age and wear and tear, an older building may not meet modern fire safety standards. So, in this case, the business owner should have official inspectors visit the premises and ensure that the fire sprinkler system is sufficient. If not, repairs or replacement may be needed to get the system up to modern standards right away.