IFSA Releases Reports Showing Dangers of Non-Certified Sprinklers
/The IFSA has released two new test reports showing problems with non-certified fire sprinklers, in this case sprinklers removed from two existing occupancies in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sprinklers were removed and replaced from a high-rise office building and an underground parking garage, both existing facilities in which the sprinklers were expected to be providing life safety to the public from the dangers of a potential fire. The sprinklers from the office building were shipped to the Factory Mutual Approvals laboratories for testing, while those from the parking garage were sent to Underwriters Laboratories. In both cases, the sprinklers were tested against requirements that all certified fire sprinklers are expected to be able to meet in order to carry out their mission to protect lives and property. However, both laboratories uncovered significant protection problems with the non-certified sprinklers, making it clear that they would not have been expected to perform adequately in a real fire situation.
The Brazilian Fire Sprinkler Association ABSpk is currently attempting to alert fire authorities in that country about the dangers of non-certified sprinklers. It is hoped that these reports will help the effort to convince all levels of government that the quality provided by certified fire sprinkler system products is important to public safety.