- Author
- Ruegg, R. T. | Fuller, S. K.
- Title
- Benefit-Cost Model of Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NBS TN 1203, November 1984, 149 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900; Rush Service (Telephone Orders Only) 800-553-6847; Website: http://www.ntis.gov
- Keywords
- economic factors | fire protection | building fires | predictive models | residential buildings | risk analysis | sprinkler systems | single family dwellings
- Abstract
- This paper develops and applies decision models for evaluating the economic efficiency of providing fire loss mitigation in houses through the use of a new technology: fast-response sprinkler systems. A model is developed for calculating present value net benefits as they would accrue to an owner-occupant or an owner of a rental house who installs a sprinkler system. Costs and benefits of owning a system are estimated for selected hypothetical cases pertaining to a new, single-family dwelling in the United States. The estimates are then used to illustrte the model. Minimum or maximum values that key decision variables must take in order for sprinkler systems to be cost effective in the selected applications are calculated through break-even analysis. Related models are developed for evaluating the economic merits of sprinkler systems from the standpoint of developers and local governments. Implications for the research and building communities are discussed.