July 25, 1917 



Utility of Automatic Sprinklers 



Ira H. Hoaglaud, secretary of the National Automatic Sprinkler 

 Association, New York, some time ago gave an address before a club 

 of engineers and architects on fire prevention in general and auto- 

 matic sprinklers in particular. 



The argument for the automatic sprinklers to reduce the fire haz- 

 ard is founded largely on the theory that the sprinkler system 

 finds a fire in its earlier stages, responds to it almost instantly and 

 quite generally puts out the fire. At the same time through devices 

 attached to the system it turns in an alarm. 



In the larger cities the performing of this latter function of turn- 

 ing in the alarm makes it automatically perform a fire alarm service 

 for the benefit of the fire department. In isolated plants where 

 there are no water works aside from that attached to the sprinkler 

 system, the alarm feature serves simply to awaken those interested 

 and to call out their attention and assistance in putting out a 

 fire and to have them on the ground to turn off the flow of water in 

 the sprinkler system when the fire has been extinguished. 



That automatic sprinklers have found and put out manj- fires in 

 early stages there is no question. Mr. Hoagland showed many pic- 

 tures of actual occurrences of this kind, one of which was in a 

 veneer plant where a fire started in a rack of veneers and was 

 actually put out by the sprinkler head above it before it had gained 

 any great headway and the resultant damage was only nominal. 



The great idea here is in the fact that it is the first five minutes 

 that are important in connection with the starting of fires. Practi- 

 cally every fire in the country, unless it occurs in something that 

 flashes or explodes almost instantly, can be controlled with very 

 little apparatus if it is discovered within the first five minutes. 

 Most fires prove disastrous because they are not discovered until 

 they have gained such headway as to break out either through the 

 roof or the sides of the building. Then they are too far gone for 

 _ anything but heroic work, and serious damage has already been done. 



The real mission of the sprinkler system is to discover fires and 

 put them out before they reach the danger period. Sometimes they 

 may fail to do this, and at times a sprinkler head may let loose and 

 do damage when there is no fire, yet the fact remains that they have 

 served their purpose so well that the insurance people regard them 

 quite favorably in rate making. 



One of the talking points of those who sell automatic sprinklers 

 is that the saving in insurance cost will more than pay for the 

 installation of automatic sprinklers, especially where there is a 

 hazardous risk. This matter has been carefully figured out and the 

 claim of the sprinkler people is that a system will pay for itself in 

 from four to seven years, depending upon the conditions and the 

 amount of saving in insurance that can be effected by its installa- 

 tion. 



To illustrate this point, take a reinforced concrete warehouse, 

 say for storing furniture or other woodwork, and a similar ware- 

 house built with brick walls, wooden posts and beams and heavy 

 plank flooring. Standing alone without sprinkler system a more 

 favorable insurance rate would apply to the concrete structure but 

 equip them both with a good system of overhead automatic sprink- 

 lers and they would be taken at the same rate for fire insurance. 

 This means that ordinarily the saving in insurance to the man with 

 the wooden construction in his building would be greater than that 

 to the man with the concrete building, so that liis sprinkler system 

 would pay for itself in less time than the otlier. However, in each 

 case the sprinkler system will pay for itself in time by saving on 

 fire insurance. 



The cost of the sprinkler system varies with local conditions, 

 being from $:! to $7 per square of 100 feet of surface protected. 



The usual jilan in putting up a sprinkler system is to figure on 

 from 80 to 100 square feet of surface area to each sprinkler head. 

 Or to state it another way, for each square of floor or ceiling surface 

 there must be a sprinkler head, and logically the distribution of the 

 heads should be as near uniform as conditions will permit. 



—22— 



In the woodworking industry there are varying conditions, some 

 of which are more favorable to success in the use of automatic 

 sprinklers than others. The ideal condition for automatic sprink- 

 lers is in buildings well enclosed with tight floors and ceilings. The 

 sprinkler head is then placed near the ceiling so that the fusible 

 metal in it will respond promptly to fire because any fire occurring 

 below sends the heat up against the ceiling and when the tempera- 

 ture is raised to a certain point around the sprinkler head it lets go 

 and turns loose its spray of water. 



The temperature at which the sprinkler heads let go varies. If 

 memory is not at fault there are about four different standards, 

 ranging from those which let go at 110 degrees to those called the 

 hard ones requiring a temperature of near 300 degrees F. The 

 hard ones are called into service where there is naturally high tem- 

 perature as in boiler rooms and dry kilns where the softer heads 

 would let go under the ordinary working temperature of the place 

 and cause trouble by flooding. The softer heads are used in those 

 places where the temperature remains quite naturally uniform and 

 where it is desired to have a quick response in case a fire starts. 



An automatic sprinkler system will generally give better service 

 in an enclosed factory building or warehouse than in a sawmill 

 where tlie sides are more or less open and the floors are not very 

 tight. The sprinkler head up near the cutting floor of a sawmUl, 

 for example, underneath would not respond so quickly to a fire down 

 on the floor below because the building being ventilated through the 

 open nature of the sides the heat would not collect up at the ceiling 

 so quickly and raise the temperature to the point necessary to 

 make the sprinkler respond. Therefore it may be said that in 

 sawmills equipped with automatic sprinkler systems the mills should 

 be well enclosed and shut up comparativel.v tight at niglit so that 

 the cross currents of air may not interfere with the best order of 

 success in the operations of the sprinkler system. 



Automatic sprinkler systems are not recommended in open sheds 

 except cotton sheds and similar places where there is likely to be 

 a sudden flash of fire that will raise the temperature sharply and 

 quickly. Under conditions of that kind the response is good and 

 the sprinklers furnish the desired protection. They would be of 

 doubtful value, however, in an open lumber shed because the con- 

 ditions are not right for collecting heat around the sprinkler head. 

 A fire would likely gain such headway before turning loose the 

 sprinkler under these conditions that it would require more than 

 the sprinkler to put it out. 



The automatic sprinkler has undoubtedly been a great factor in 

 reducing tlie fire loss of the country and when summed up furnishes 

 pretty good evidence that it fills a place in fire prevention which 

 justifies its installation. A good sprinkler sj-stem is a matter of 

 economy rather than expense because under conditions which call 

 for its use it will usually effect enough in saving on insurance pre- 

 miums to pay back its cost and interest on the investment. In addi- 

 tion to that it is a sort of night watchman that makes it possible 

 for the owners of plants and warehouses to worry less about danger 

 of fire. 



When a fellow sees a side track full of cars standing idle and 

 thinks about the trouble the lumber trade is having over the scarcity 

 of cars he then thinks some things about railway management that 

 are hardly jirintable. 



The furniture papers are discussing the possibilities of women 

 filling the ]il:icc of men in the woodworking industries. The fact 

 of the matter is, in some branches, especially that of making baskets 

 and light packages, girls and women have long lieen important fac- 

 tors, and thcv give a good account of themselves where nimbleness and 

 (juick Imnd ■■ ■''■••'. nre required ratlier rugged strength. 



