- Author
- Isner, M. S.
- Title
- Successful Residential Sprinkler Activation. Cobb County, Georgia, May 2, 1985. 1 Child, 3 Adults Saved. Summary Investigation Report.
- Coporate
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Journal
- Fire Command, Vol. 53, No. 1, 22-27, January 1986
- Report
- NFPA-GA-CO-1, 1985, 24 p.
- Keywords
- fire extinguishment | plastics | smoke detectors | sprinkler systems | residential buildings | residential sprinklers | occupants | sprinkler activation
- Abstract
- Since their first installation in 1982, Cobb County sprinkler systems have successfully controlled a number of fires in residential properties. In each case the fires did not cause injuries and fire officials reported property damage was minimal. The most dramatic of these incidents occurred on May 2, 1985 when a fire started in a toddler's bedroom. During the incident, a circuit breaker tripped cutting power to the apartment's only smoke detector, and the sleeping occupants did not receive early warning. Still, a residential sprinkler extinguished the fire, alerted occupants, and allowed safe evacuation of the building. The result of this incident differs sharply from the results of many other similar residential fires in which tragic losses of life have occurred. One such incident happened in Hollywood, Florida on the night of December 20, 1982. The lack of early occupant warning and extinguishment of the fire in its incipient phase resulted in the death of a child. A comparative analysis of the Cobb County and Hollywood incidents demonstrates the life safety benefits of residential sprinklers. It also suggests that residential sprinklers will be able to maintain a tenable environment for occupants in residential fire scenarios that, in the past, has resulted in tragic losses of life.