And, if the building is lost, the business could shut down, leaving personnel on the street. In many parts of the world, sprinklers are considered almost fail-safe, having performed consistently for more than 100 years. Factory Mutual's 160 years of experience in analyzing major fires verifies the difference sprinklers make in a burning building. Sprinklers are ready to respond to fires 24-hours a day. Sprinklers know exactly where the fire is.
Sprinklers send an alarm immediately when fire is detected.
In addition, sprinklers use less water than fire hoses and cause less water damage. A sprinkler system sounds an alarm whenever water begins discharging from one or more sprinklers. First, a local alarm will sound on the premises, alerting personnel. An alarm signal may also be transmitted to a supervisory station or public fire department. Depending on the system, an automatic sprinkler operates in either the control or suppression mode.