Firefighters Demonstrate Damage With, Without Sprinklers

The Buffalo Grove Fire Department demonstrated the merits of home sprinklers Monday night with a controlled burn on the village’s municipal campus. 

A crowd of village staff and elected officials gathered to watch as firefighters set on fire a room containing two upholstered chairs, curtains, a television and other items that might be found in a home.

In the first demonstration, a single sprinkler was installed overhead. Within seconds, heat from the fire caused the sprinkler to open. Water from the sprinkler, which Deputy Fire Marshal George Michehl said emitted 13 gallons of water per minute, quickly brought the fire under control and damage to the room was minimal.

In a second demonstration, firefighters lit an similar room on fire. This time, there was no sprinkler system and the fire quickly engulfed the room, which had to be hosed. The fire, which burned for just a couple minutes, consumed much of the chairs’ upholstery, melted electronics and damaged the walls. Standing water remained when firefighters turned off the hose, which blasted 180 gallons of water per minute.

Michehl pointed out that had this been an actual fire, firefighters likely would have beeen several minutes away when the flames engulfed the room. 

“But the time you notify them, that’s two minutes. By the time the firefighters get there, that’s another four. That’s a six-minute response,” he said. “That’s the volume of fire you see in moments with today’s furniture.”

"Statistically, fires in sprinklered homes are extinguished with just one sprinkler head application. That's according to the National Fire Protection Association," he said.

Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Terry Vavra said the systems can also help minimize damage by preventing smoke from spreading to the rest of the house. "If I have multiple rooms, smoke damage is going to take the whole house out," he said.

Village staff members are advocating that Buffalo Grove requires sprinklers in new single-family homes. 

Related: Buffalo Grove Officials Debate Home Fire Sprinklers