County officials gush over fire-sprinkler data

Since Prince George's County passed legislation in 1992 mandating that sprinklers be installed in all new one- and two-family homes, no one has died in a fire in such a dwelling equipped with them.

In fact, from then to 2007, only six people were injured in fires at sprinkler-equipped single-family homes and townhouses, according to data released recently by the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department.

The data, compiled and analyzed by a University of Maryland researcher and a fire-sprinkler advocacy group, seem to have a common-sense message: Sprinklers put out fires. But this month, fire officials from across the country gathered at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute in College Park to publicize the information, saying it puts to rest the notion that sprinklers are not worth the expense.

"The data in this report clearly supports the life- and property-saving benefits," Maryland State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard said at the news conference. "These sprinklers in homes are life safety systems. It's to give you an opportunity to escape should a fire occur."

Sprinklers, though generally considered effective at extinguishing fires, have drawn the ire of some home builders, who consider them too expensive and no more useful than smoke detectors. Legislation that requires sprinklers is of particular concern to them. Most Maryland jurisdictions have some fire-sprinkler legislation, though not all are as stringent as that in Prince George's.

After the Oct. 7 news conference, the National Association of Home Builders issued a statement saying, in part: "NAHB believes that making sure every home has working smoke alarms should be our safety priority, not mandating expensive sprinkler systems for consumers who overwhelmingly don't want them. Because the Prince George's County study inexplicably ignores the question of whether these homes lacked smoke alarms, it adds little to the body of knowledge on keeping people safe from house fires."

Fire officials say automatic sprinkler systems have gotten cheaper; according to the data, it generally costs less than $2 a square foot to install them in a new home in Prince George's.

And although it is not their primary function, the sprinklers can minimize damage, fire officials say. According to the data, about $1.35 million in property was damaged in the 245 times sprinkler systems activated in Prince George's during a fire, and a potential loss of about $42.58 million was avoided.

On average, homes with sprinklers sustained about half as much damage as those without them, according to the data.

"What they're not talking about is the things they don't have to do as a result of putting the sprinklers in," said Prince George's Fire Chief Eugene A. Jones.

In total, from 1992 to 2007, 101 people were killed in Prince George's and 334 people were injured in single-family or townhouse fires, according to the data. In the times sprinklers activated, 446 people were inside the homes.