Fire Marshal: Sprinkler System Saved Carroll County Home

Three people safely escaped from a Mount Airy home Aug. 18 and there was minimal fire damage to the home, thanks to a sprinkler system that was installed during the house's construction two years ago.

Deputy Chief State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray told Patch that the public often doesn't hear about the successes of these residential sprinkler systems because the fire damage and human injury are avoided, leaving little to report.

"It's not exciting news but it's important to get the word out that these sprinkler systems do work in saving lives and minimizing damage from fire and smoke. Because they work so well, we often don't hear about them," Mowbray said.

Suzanne Wagner, her 2-year-old daughter, and a caregiver, were upstairs when a smoke alarm alerted them to the fire Thursday evening in their Mount Airy home. The two-story home was equipped with a residential automatic sprinkler system which controlled the fire allowing the occupants time to escape to safety, a news release reported.

The 5:45 p.m. fire at 2105 Scarlet Way was determined to have been caused by a lightning strike on the outside of the home. Deputy State Fire Marshals determined that the lightning traveled through the homes utilities into the basement where combustibles were ignited. A single sprinkler head activated and minimized the fire. Sixty firefighters from numerous area fire departments responded to the scene, according to the news release.

Carroll County adopted a mandatory residential sprinkler ordinance in 2006. Mowbray said that prior to the ordinance, there were no requirements for sprinkler systems in single family or two-family homes. Multiple occupancy homes, like townhomes and apartment buildings, do require sprinkler systems. In 2006 the Carroll County Commissioners adopted an ordinance that required single family homes and two-family homes to have a sprinkler system based on the code the state of Maryland uses. 

Mowbray said that the cost of installing the sprinkler system varies slightly based on geographic area.

"For example in Prince George's County, where they have had this code in place for more than a decade, the cost may be a little lower. But in general the cost is probably around $1.50 per square foot of the home," Mowbray said.

The sprinklers both alert occupants in the home of the fire while at the same time controlling the fire and potential damage from fire and smoke spreading through the home.

"It is a misnomer that when a fire triggers one sprinkler, it sets off all the sprinklers in a building," Mowbray explained. "There is a plug in each sprinkler that melts out at a pre-determined temperature and when it melts, it releases the water. In this case only one sprinkler was activated, the first sprinkler head was able to control the fire and minimize potential damage." 

Mowbray said that in this Mount Airy fire, there were no injuries to the people in the home at the time of the fire, and damages to the home are estimated at less than $15,000.  

The State of Maryland adopted the residential sprinkler requirement in the building code last year. Mowbray said they made the wording so that that counties can opt of out requiring it in their building code. Washington County and Garrett County are two of the counties that opted out of adopting the ordinance.

"It's a constant struggle to educate and let people know how effective these sprinklers are," Mowbray said.

The Wagner family has been temporarily displaced from the home and is being assisted by the local American Red Cross, according to the news release.