WORCESTER — President James Vuona announces that the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts (FCAM) joined several fire agencies and associations to showcase the importance of sprinkler systems in residential buildings via a live burn demonstration in an effort to save lives and reduce property damage.
The live burn demonstration was held at Institute Park in Worcester on Wednesday, March 29, and was supported by FCAM, the Worcester Fire Department, National Fire Sprinkler Association Boston Area Chapter (NFSA), Massachusetts Fire Sprinkler Coalition, Massachusetts Department of Fire Services and New England Chapter of Fire Protection Engineers.
The demonstration featured two portable mock rooms, one with a sprinkler system and one without. The demonstration showed the devastating effects of a fire in a room without a sprinkler system present.
During the demonstration with a sprinkler system in place, it took less than 15 seconds for the sprinklers to activate, releasing 13-15 gallons of water per minute. The fire was extinguished in under one minute, and the resulting damage to the room was minimal.
The room not outfitted with a sprinkler system went up in flames very quickly, causing major damage to the entire room. Worcester firefighters in attendance put out the fire with hose lines capable of releasing 150 gallons of water per minute.
FCAM hopes that this demonstration will highlight the importance of sprinkler systems in residential buildings. Typically, it takes a fire department anywhere from 4-10 minutes to arrive at a fire scene. A functioning residential sprinkler system will often extinguish the fire before firefighters arrive.
“You can see the benefits of the sprinkler system, plus you can survive sitting in that room, whereas you could not sit in the other room and survive that fire,” said Paul Zbikowski, State Coordinator NFSA.
“People don’t realize how fast fire grows – it can double in size every 30 seconds. Fires burn a lot hotter now than they did 30 years ago because of the type of furniture and petroleum- (or plastic-) based materials in the home,” President Vuona said. “One of the big misconceptions is the cost of a residential sprinkler system. They average about $5,000-$6,000 for new construction and our opponents would say that it costs anywhere from $60,000-$80,000, which is simply just not true.”
The Fire Chiefs Association strongly supports the following legislation:
HD1257 – An Act relative to enhanced fire protection in new one-
and two-family dwellings sponsored by State Representative Ruth Balser (Newton)
SD892 – An Act relative to enhanced fire protection in new one- and
two-family dwellings sponsored by Senator Michael O. Moore, of the Second Worcester District
“In short, these two pieces of legislation will allow any city or town, by local option adoption, to require the installation of automatic sprinkler systems in new construction of one-family and two-family homes,” said Chief Vuona. “And the bottom line will always remain the same: Fire Sprinklers Save Lives. So why not let the local community make the decision.”
The demonstration was part of the SFPE-NEC 2023 Annual Fire Protection & Life Safety Seminar at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
The day-long seminar featured speakers and information sessions on a variety of topics, including fire prevention and life safety on college campuses, fire and building code updates, and fire safety initiatives.
About the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts
The Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts (FCAM) is an organization designed to further the professional advancement of the fire service and assist state Chiefs in fulfilling their responsibilities. Established in 1893, the association serves as the recognized Fire Chiefs’ organization for purposes of exchanging ideas, knowledge and experience in the areas of prevention, extinguishment and safety of life and property from fire. FCAM also works to promote efficient fire administration in the towns and cities throughout Massachusetts.
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