How Fire Sprinkler Systems Work - Movie Myths

 

The unbelievable is often found in the movies. Superheroes with superpowers fight villains that are plotting to destroy the world. Vehicles convert themselves into robots to save the human race from other highly-advanced machines. We are used to seeing fictitious characters and events in Hollywood films, and of course, we don’t think these things depict the real world. They’re just part of the theatrical elements designed to amuse. But one dramatic effect used in many movies today has caused a huge misconception in the public’s mind, and this misconception can be very dangerous. Many movies depict all the fire sprinklers in a building turning on all at once when just one sprinkler is activated. This incorrect portrayal causes many to think that fire sprinkler systems are unreliable or that an entire building will get soaked from just smoke, a small fire, or even a cigarette lighter.

In real life most automatic fire sprinkler systems in both commercial and residential buildings operate much different than that. Fire sprinklers act on a singular basis. Only the sprinkler that is closest to the flames will open to release water. This occurs when the fire's heat melts the "heating element" in the sprinkler, triggering the sprinkler head to release water. Often fires are controlled or put out with just one or a couple sprinklers.

But in Hollywood productions, entire sprinkler systems are activated by holding a cigarette lighter up to one sprinkler or by simply pulling a fire alarm lever. For instance, in the 2006 James Bond movie Casino Royale, the villain pushes a button in an airport that activates the entire fire sprinkler system. “Of course, it’s pure fantasy, since no such button exists,” The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) wrote. In 1998’s Lethal Weapon 4, Mel Gibson’s character pulled a fire alarm lever which set off the sprinkler system throughout an entire restaurant. So to be clear about what really takes place, pulling a fire alarm lever will not make the sprinklers go off, and they would not go off all at once. Individual sprinklers will go off when the room reaches a certain temperature due to a fire.

Bruce Willis’ character in the 1998 movie Die Hard activates an entire sprinkler system by burning a lighter under one sprinkler head to escape from the villains. Here again, only one sprinkler would activate at a time when a glass blub in the sprinkler head is heated to a specified temperature and then breaks, allowing water to be released from that one sprinkler head.

The same thing happens in 2002’s Changing Lanes with Ben Affleck when he evacuates an entire office building by holding a lighter to one sprinkler and then all the sprinklers in the building begin flowing. Interestingly, the scene’s evacuation could have occurred with just one sprinkler activating but not all the sprinklers flowing.“The sprinkler system in a high-rise office, such as the one depicted [in Changing Lanes], would have been supervised in accordance with NFPA 72® National Fire Alarm Code®, which requires that a sprinkler water-flow switch serve as an alarm system initiating device.

Thus, the alarm system would have been evacuated, based on the one sprinkler flowing, in accordance with the requirements of NFPA 101,” the NFPA Journal of September/October 2002 disclosed.

Other sprinkler scenes with entire fire sprinkler systems releasing water after just one sprinkler head is activated appear in various other movies including The Matrix (1999), The Incredibles (2004), The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), and Accepted (2006).

Although there are deluge fire sprinkler systems that can discharge water through all the sprinkler heads at once, these systems are highly-specialized and are used in extremely hazardous areas such as power plants, chemical processing facilities, and aircraft hangers where high volume fire suppression is needed. Thus, these systems are not used in regular office buildings or residential properties as the movies suggest.

“New homes do not have a ‘deluge’ system where all heads go off simultaneously, nor can they be set off by a smoke detector,” Gold Seal Homes reported.

The NFPA did applaud however that the 1995 thriller Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vanessa Williams displayed an “impressive knowledge” of NFPA 101® Life Safety Code® requirements. When bulletproof sliding-glass doors are activated by a bad guy to trap Schwarzenegger, he shoots the nearest sprinkler blub, which under the NFPA Code requires that “doors unlock upon operation of an approved supervised sprinkler system.”

But when these movies portray false fire sprinkler reactions, they can make business owners or property managers apprehensive about their commercial fire sprinklers and fire suppression system, imagining their entire property will incur water damage from smoke or a small fire.

“When millions of families see movies that undermine fire sprinkler technology, we have to take it seriously,” HFSC Chair Gary Keith said. “If even one homeowner walks away from a theater with second thoughts about installing fire sprinklers in their home, the movies have done a real disservice to public safety.”

So, like other aspects of Hollywood movies like incredible action/adventure special effects and alien invaders, you can’t always believe what you see in the movies. Talk to the Tulsa and OKC fire sprinkler system specialists at Mac Systems, Inc. for the facts about fire detection and fire suppression systems. We can design, install, and maintain the right fire sprinkler system for your property.

Below is a scene from The Incredibles where fire sprinklers activate all at once.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IoVRTE9Zc&feature=player_embedded