Sprinkler impact on fire injury

Fire Protection Research Foundation report: "Sprinkler Impact on Fire Injury"
Author: John R. Hall, Jr., Marty Ahrens, Ben Evarts, NFPA
Date of issue: October 2012

FULL REPORT*
"Sprinkler Impact on Fire Injury" (PDF, 478 MB)

Download the executive summary. (PDF, 74 KB)

Home Structure Fire Loss in the U.S. and Fire Sprinkler Impact fact sheet (PDF, 119 KB)

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Introduction
Since the widespread introduction of home fire sprinklers, a significant amount of statistical data has been collected and analyzed showing their impact in reducing rates per fire of fire deaths and property damage. However, the same fire statistics until recently did not address reductions in rates of fire injuries associated with home fire sprinklers. This project was initiated to develop better estimates of the impact of home sprinklers on fire injury costs, using a more sophisticated approach which explores the impact of sprinklers on fire size, the impact of fire size on burn and other fire related injury, and then assesses the data available on the costs associated with those injuries.

Fire Sprinklers Reduce Injury Cost
While there has long been data correlating sprinklers with reductions in deaths and property loss, recent research also shows a significant impact on injury cost when sprinklers are present.

Sprinklers reduce civilian fire injury medical costs by 53%,
Sprinklers reduce civilian fire injury total costs by 41%.
Sprinklers are responsible for an estimated 65% reduction in firefighter fireground injuries.

Download the Home Structure Fire Loss in the U.S. and Fire Sprinkler Impact fact sheet. (PDF, 119 KB)