Sprinkler System histrory

Fire sprinklers had yet to find their way into firefighting until after the 1850s, meaning there truly was no effective way to extinguish an established fire in a structure.  In most cases, the structure was a total loss unless the fire was contained early on.  As the United States became an industrialized nation, its new factories burned to the ground almost as rapidly as they were being built.  At the industrial town of Lowell, Massachusetts, the Chief Engineer of the city's water power supply company, James Francis, was the first know person to invent a sprinkler system of perforated pipes connected to elevated water tanks.  During a fire, water was released rapidly into overhead pipes which then applied the water to the fire.  Then by the 1870s, sprinkler systems began using special delivery heads that were only triggered when the temperature reached about 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  Industrial fire insurance companies soon demanded this type of sprinkler system for all properties they insured.

By the twentieth century, however, the vast majority of American factories were outfitted with modern sprinkler systems, although small firms, commercial buildings, hotels, schools, and residential homes were still often unprotected.  Thousands of people have lost their lives in building fires that could have been extinguished in just a few minutes by a sprinkler system.

During the past twenty years or more, many cities have begun to require the installation of sprinkler systems in all commercial structures.  Some cities, such as Scottsdale and Chandler, Arizona, now require sprinklers for all public facilities including new homes as well.  Reportedly, no one has ever lost their life in an American home equipped with a working Sprinkler system.

This information was obtained from the magnificent Hall of Flame Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, currently the largest fire museum in the United States.

For more information about sprinkler systems visit:  https://www.nfpa.org/