By FireRescue1 Staff
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — Over a span of 15 years, no deaths have been recorded in homes with automatic fire sprinkler systems, a recent study conducted in a Maryland county shows.
In the 245 houses protected by sprinklers during fires, only six injuries were reported and property damage costs were 10 times less than in homes without sprinklers, the study in Prince George’s County found.
In 1992, the county was the first in the nation to mandate the sprinkler systems in construction of new homes.
Of the 13,217 Fires at dwellings without sprinklers, 101 residents were killed and 328 people were injured over the same time period.
The findings are being touted by supporters of mandatory residential fire sprinkler legislation who hope the data will play a role later this month as the International Code Council meets.
“With the completion of this study, we have the data to prove that we were right. The biggest fact is the fire fatalities. There were no fatalities in homes protected with fire sprinklers,” said William Barnard, Maryland State Fire Marshal.
The ICC will decide whether to continue plans to require all new one- and two- family homes built in the U.S. to have fire sprinkler systems starting in 2011.
The study was conducted by the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, in cooperation with the University of Maryland and titled “Prince George’s County 15-Year History with its Single-Family Residential Dwelling Fire Sprinkler Ordinance.”