LYNN — Fire Chief Dan Sullivan, Lynn firefighters, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, and the National Fire Sprinkler Association are teaming up this Friday to educate the community about fire safety resources by demonstrating the effectiveness of home fire sprinklers.
The demonstration will take place at 780 Lynnway at the parking lot behind Walmart at 11 a.m. It will include real fires involving artificial Christmas trees in simulated residential environments in the DFS’ side-by-side sprinkler trailer.
Two common household fires will be set in identical rooms, and only one is protected by properly installed home fire sprinklers. Spectators will be able to witness the way a potentially deadly uncontrolled fire rapidly spreads in an entire room within minutes.
They will then be able to compare this scenario to a room with home fire sprinkler which can contain or even extinguish a fire in its early stages and give residents time to escape and contact first responders.
According to the DFS, more than 70% of all fire-related injuries and deaths in Massachusetts take place at home, and a typical house fire can become deadly in 3 minutes or less. In 2024, more residential fire deaths took place in December than in any other month. However, residential occupancies are the least likely to be protected by fire sprinklers.
An uncontrolled fire in a residential environment can double in size every 30 seconds, requiring firefighters to use hundreds or thousands of gallons of water to extinguish it. However, home fire sprinklers can put out about 12-15 gallons of water per minute, according to the DFS.
The DFS also said that modern changes in building construction that involve synthetic furnishings release toxic chemical smoke when they burn. Fires quickly extinguished by sprinklers release fewer greenhouse gases and less toxic runoff than fires that grow to consume a room, its contents, and the rest of the structure.
Sullivan advocated for the use of properly installed fire sprinklers in residential homes and highlighted the importance of the safety demonstration.
“Home sprinklers are not as common as we would like. With demonstrations like this, we can show the benefit of having these installed, especially in potential new construction,” Sullivan said.
