In November 2023, DWFRS crews were mobilised to a residential flat fire on the ninth floor of a high-rise block in Poole.
The flat’s occupier, a 75-year-old woman, had accidentally knocked the controls while cleaning the cooker, causing the hob to heat up and an air fryer stored on the ring to catch alight.
The resident was alerted to the fire when the smoke alarm in the hall went off. She initially used a fire blanket to try and extinguish the flames but, when this didn’t work, she left the flat and called 999.
Between that call and firefighters arriving on scene, a sprinkler head installed in the kitchen activated and the fire was put out. The sprinkler system was then isolated by firefighters, preventing significant water damage.
The incident did cause some damage to the flat’s electrics, but things could have been a lot worse without the sprinkler activation. Because of that, the fire was contained within the kitchen – the door to the lounge was propped open, and there was a large quantity of possessions within the flat, so any fire spread would have taken hold very quickly.
Although shaken up by the events of the fire, the occupant is grateful that the sprinkler system meant that she and her four cats avoided a far more serious outcome. Sprinklers were retrofitted to the block in 2022, and this incident has shown the value of that investment.
Of the 57 incidents reported for 2022/23, purpose-built block of flats dominated the figures in which sprinklers were reported as actuated, with 21 incidents.
- Sprinklers are 99% efficient in extinguishing or controlling a fire.
- Sprinklers are 94% efficient in their ability to operate. The finding of this review reinforces the above-mentioned findings that fire sprinklers have been proven to have a good track record in reducing the impact of fire.
An analysis from national fire service data across all premises types – BAFSA
Take a look at www.sprinklersaves.co.uk for more information.