When building or buying a new home, safety features should be top of mind. From alarm systems to egress windows, homeowners are usually diligent about ensuring security and making emergency plans.  

However, fire prevention is one area that is underestimated in home safety preparations. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, between the years of 2008 and 2017 (the most recent years on record for fire data), fire-related deaths have gone up, with elderly and BIPOC communities at highest risk. In that same time frame, fire-related property loss equaled $14.7 billion.  

Homeowners can safeguard against the tragic destruction of life and property wrought by fire with one relatively simple solution: residential fire sprinkler systems.  

These aren’t the large metal faucets you see sticking out of the ceiling in offices and warehouses. Home sprinklers are concealed and designed to drop down and activate only when a room has reached a temperature of 150 degrees. In the event of a fire, the sprinklers diffuse water at about 22 gallons a minute—far less than the 250 gallons a minute released by a firehose.  

While smoke detectors are responsible for notifying occupants of the first signs of fire, sprinklers take it a step further—a critical factor for those who can’t easily escape, namely, small children, elderly parents, and pets.  

“The idea is to protect life,” says Suzanne Mayr, Northwest Regional Manager of the National Fire Sprinkler Association. “Fire sprinklers cool down the room, providing valuable time for the occupants to escape.” 

Fire sprinklers are all the more relevant in today’s home, which is laden with synthetic and flammable materials. Carpets, furniture, and electronics are composed of materials that burn faster and emit more toxic smoke than traditional resources, like wood and cotton. These fumes can be more fatal than the flames. “The fire is going to build faster and burn hotter and burn more toxic smoke,” Mayr says. “The sprinkler will put it out while it’s small.” 

It’s simply a matter of adding fire sprinklers to your checklist when building, renovating, or shopping for a new home, Mayr says, especially when looking into apartments, condos, and senior living facilities. “It’s just as important to add fire sprinklers to your list as other safety features,” she says. Especially in multi-unit residences, fire sprinklers could be the difference between minimal damage and utter catastrophe. “People will be careless. Electrical items may malfunction,” Mayr says. “Even if you do everything in your power to prevent fire, you have no control over your neighbors on the other side of the wall.  

Studies show that 74 percent of home buyers would be more likely to purchase a home if it had fire sprinklers already installed. In Washington, 10 jurisdictions require fire sprinklers in new construction, with the City of Shoreline joining most recently. Sixty-nine percent of homeowners say having a fire sprinkler system increases a home’s value.  

Misconceptions about how sprinklers operate abound, partly due to media representations of sprinklers going off at inopportune and comedic times. But don’t worry, Mayr says, because the sprinklers are heat (not smoke) activated, so they won’t activate every time you burn the toast. And when they are activated, they won’t necessarily cause large-scale water damage, because the sprinklers are localized to react to the overheated room—not the entire house. 

Even if water damage does occur, it’s the lesser of the two evils, Mayr notes. “You can dry things out,” she says, “but you can’t unburn them.”

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