False Security Warning
Property owners with automatic sprinkler systems can be falsely lulled into thinking they are secure from the ravages of fire, according to a study by Industrial Risk Insurers of Hartford, Conn.
Although the average loss in unsprinklered properties is four times greater than that in sprinklered areas, the IRI reported the average loss in an improperly sprinklered area is five times that in an unsprinklered section of an otherwise sprinklered building. This indicates that a poorly designed sprinkler system is worse than not having one at all, the survey concluded.
Noncombustible, as well as combustible areas, should be sprinklered, since combustible objects pass through the areas and temporary storage sometimes becomes permanent, the IRI advised.
