Shropshire fire service endorses national campaign to implement sprinkler systems
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is supporting a national campaign raising awareness of the benefits of fire sprinklers.
The National Fire Chiefs Council's (NFCC) National Sprinkler Week, which runs from Monday until the end of next week, highlights the importance of sprinkler systems for keeping people and buildings safe from fire.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is helping to raise awareness for the initiative and said fire sprinklers are widely recognised as the single most effective method for fighting the spread of fires in their early stages.
Research by the NFCC and the National Fire Sprinkler Network (NFSN) found that sprinkler systems operate on 94 per cent of occasions and extinguish or contain the fire on 99 per cent of occasions. Sprinklers also reduce injuries by at least 80 per cent, reduce property damage by 90 per cent and substantially reduce damage to the environment from fire.
This also means that sprinkler systems help to protect the lives of firefighters and that is why they are fully supported by fire services.
Despite this there is some disparity in building regulations and sprinkler systems across the UK. Sprinkler laws in Wales and Scotland are stricter, meaning their communities have more fire protection than those in England and Northern Ireland.
NFCC lead for Sprinklers, Gavin Tomlinson, who is also chief fire officer of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The evidence speaks for itself. Our research proves that sprinklers are very effective and provide strong fire safety protections as part of a fire safety package.
"Wales and Scotland recognise this and have implemented measures to make their communities safer from fire; we want to see these same changes in England and Northern Ireland as matter of urgency.
"Fire does not discriminate and is just as dangerous in England and Northern Ireland as it is in the rest of the UK."
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service strongly endorses the NFCC position on the requirement for the more widespread installation of sprinkler systems throughout the country. The service is currently in close collaboration with authorities and partners throughout Shropshire, supporting them and working together towards this goal.
