48°
NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. – After more than a year of planning and fundraising, Chris and Amy Murray and their three children will soon move into their new home on Rebecca Lane.
That home, specially equipped to handle the disabilities of the Murray’s 10-year-old twin boys, also contains the best fire safety equipment available – a home sprinkler system.
The Murray’s sons, Michael and Eric, were born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy and are wheelchair-bound. The Murray’s also have a 7-year-old daughter Katie.
At an open house Wednesday hosted by the Northbridge Fire Department, the importance of home sprinkler systems was the theme of the day.
Tim Travers, representing the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, said sprinklers are the only technology that stops the spread of fire, protecting people and property.
Statistics show that the very young, the old and the disabled are more likely to fall victim to fire, so the system is particularly important to the Murrays.
State Fire Marshal Stephen A. Coan said he isn’t proud of Massachusetts. He met Tuesday with the state Board of Building Regulations and asked again that the state require sprinkler systems in new homes.
“As I expected, the reception was not as positive as I’d like,’’ he said.
“Most people don’t believe they’ll be a victim of fire,’’ Coan noted, despite regularly hearing stories of the “horror of fire’’ almost daily. One such story stuck the neighboring town of Uxbridge just a week ago when a mother and her 7-year-old daughter were killed.
“With sprinklers we would not be hearing of such events,’’ Coan said.
Nestor said a fire at the former Whitin Machine Works in 1996 would have been far more destructive had there not been sprinklers in the area where the fire started.
Town Manager Ted Kozak and Nestor plan to discuss home sprinkler systems with the Planning Board, though towns are not allowed to adopt regulations stricter than the state.
The sprinkler system in the Murray home was donated by Viking Supply Inc., designed by Vixen Fire Protection Service and Scott Henderson, and installed by members of Sprinklerfitters UA Local 669 and 550.
Chris and Amy Murray are graduates of Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, and its students, though fundraising and design, helped make the Murray's new home possible.
Comments (3)
They have two kids with serious health issues I get it, but it seems that they are always in the paper getting stuff done for them. Maybe I'm old fashion, but I have more respect for people that stand up, face it and preserver (without the cameras).
I personally know three people that have prescriptions for either themselves or their kids and if it were not for insurance they would be forking over 10 to 20k a month. Do not pass go, direct to jail, no newspaper for them and I'm sure there are hundreds (hope for less) around the county in the same situation. If they loose their job people die as most of their meds are experimental and would not be covered by cobra.
I can appreciate the fact that the sprinklers could save a life, but what exactly are the odds of a house fire? In today's economy, I'm sure job loss is higher.
I wish nothing but the best for them or want to diminish the efforts of the workers and company's that got the job done, but lets try to focus on people with real problems no the ones where they get their alma mater to chip in to fix a problem for publicity .
Great article, but please do not lull people into a false sense of security with sprinklers in the home.
Sprinklers are Life Safety devices, they are however not Life SAVING devices. Sprinklers' primary function and design is to protect the assets (structure).
Contrary to what you see in Hollywood, sprinklers do not all start flowing at the first hint of a fire.
The temperature inside a room has to reach well over the "activation temperature" of a sprinkler head (typically 165 F) before water flows. That coupled with the fact that oxygen is consumed by a fire, and toxic smoke is emitted by a fire, guarantees a zero percent survivability in the immediate room/area.
A sprinkler is a Life SAFETY device in that - should a fire start in an unoccupied part of a structure, the fire may be controlled giving occupants time to escape, as well as greatly reducing the hazard to firefighters.
Note I say "may" as the water line to a residential home is very small - compared to commercial sites - and therefore the sprinkler head may not be able to deliver the recommended amount of gallons per minute per square foot.
If we install sprinklers in homes, then who does the recommended testing, inspecting, flow tests, etc. Personally given how precious a resource water is, it does not make sense (if many homes became sprinklered) to tie up millions of gallons of water sitting in residential sprinkler systems.
What you really should do is make sure you have all these practices/procedures in place, before even contemplating sprinklers. And if you have these, the worst that could happen is you have fire damage, but no loss of life:
1) ensure you have smoke detectors in as many places as practical, all wired together so if one sounds an alarm, they all do;
2) Test smoke detectors monthly, replace the batteries 2x yearly, at Daylight Savings Time;
3) have a few fire extinguishers scattered throughout the house;
4) make sure you have an alternate escape route, and if you have a multistory home purchase an escape ladder;
5) store all gasoline cans and flammable liquids in a small locked shed/cabinet away from the house;
6) unplug as many appliances as practical (e.g. toaster, TV) if away for a vacation (your electric bill may pleasantly surprise you);
7) be sure all family members know how to call 9-1-1 for help, as well as knowing their address;
8) if you want, spend the extra $ on "fire escape masks" - these cost about $100 and are worn over the head to give you a chance to make it out through toxic smoke;
9) before putting your car in the garage, let it sit outside for 15-30 minutes, for the catalytic converter to cool down;
10) use all candles/wood stoves etc. with appropriate care;
11) if you smoke, take extreme care with where/when and how you dispose of cigarette butts;
12) and lastly, the #1 cause of home fires was cooking-related; don't leave food unattended where it can cause a fire.