Local news- Press Release
Portola Valley California - Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip Home Fire Sprinklers Control Fires Quickly 31 May 2022 ( news )
Portola Valley , state California ( By Press Release office)
May 31,2022
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Home Fire Sprinklers Control Fires Quickly
Home fire sprinklers are required for new residential construction in Portola Valley . However , to encourage more housing , in Jan - 2017 California decided that fire sprinklers are not required in a new ADU if the primary residence does not have them or if the ADU is 1 , 200 sq ft or less . But once you learn the facts about residential fire sprinklers , perhaps you will want to install them in your new ADU and/or your existing home .
The
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
( HFSC ) has a
4 - minute video
showing how fire spreads in a non - sprinklered home versus a sprinklered home . Fire sprinklers control 97% of the fires in which they operate . They lower the risk of dying by 85% and similarly reduce property damage .
The open floor plans and combustible furnishings in today’s homes contribute to quicker fire spread . The sprinkler nearest the fire activates at 135° - 165°F and releases water to put out the flames . Controlling the fire so quickly prevents flashover and provides time for families to escape . Firefighters will arrive within 10 minutes , and on a sprinklered home , they will have less fire to fight . On average , fire sprinklers will use just 341 gallons of water , whereas on a non - sprinklered home , firefighters will use 3 , 000 gallons to fight a bigger fire with high pressure hoses . Hence , water and fire damage will be much greater .
To learn more , you can download this Mar - 2017
slideset
from the California Fire Sprinkler Coalition . Energy . gov has an excellent technical explanation
here
. See the WFPD fire sprinkler permit application
here
. Several PV residents gave positive feedback on their systems; all were installed in new construction . And , if your insurer gives you a discount , the system could eventually pay for itself .
Please subscribe to Portola Valley Town
eNotices
from the Wildfire Preparedness Committee!
San Mateo County Alert System
SMC Alert
is our primary emergency notification system . Encourage all adult members ( 18 and older ) of your family to subscribe .
All the
Wildfire Preparedness tips
are on the
committee’s page
. To rate this tip or submit questions or concerns , please fill out this
Google Form
.
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Press release information :
Direct link to press release:
Click here .
