Side-by-Side Fires Scheduled to be Set on the Madison Green Thursday Postponed: UPDATE

UPDATE: The side-by-side fire sprinkler demonstration that was scheduled for Thursday 12/15 on the green has been postponed. A new date is TBD.

Information via the town of Madison:

Side-by-Side Fires to be set by the CT Fire Sprinkler Coalition to Help Connecticut Residents Understand Risks and Home Safety Technology

"Sometimes people just need to see it to believe it," says Keith Flood, Chairman of the Coalition said in a news release.

That's why the CT Fire Sprinkler Coalition will intentionally light two fires in front of a live audience on Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 12:00 Noon at the Madison Green, Meeting House Lane, Madison, CT.

"There's nothing like the heat and smoke of a real fire to help adults and children understand just how fast a home fire is," says Flood in a prepared statement. "With our side-by-side comparison, we can show both the danger of fire and the value of having a fire sprinkler system installed."

This dramatic, yet safe, form of education has become increasingly popular with fire departments across the country. On December 15, 2016, CT residents will see firsthand why a typical home fire becomes deadly in three minutes or less.

The CT Fire Sprinkler Coalition received support from the Madison Fire Dept. and United Cleaning & Restoration to bring this important event to CT. The Company built two structures to simulate the room and contents of a typical home. Each room contains common furnishings, window treatments and a working smoke alarm. Only one of the rooms contains a fire sprinkler.

The Madison Fire Department will have firefighters and fire apparatus on hand as well.

“By providing this unique live fire comparison, people not only gain an appreciation for fire power; they also realize what an incredible advantage it is to have a fire sprinkler system installed if fire breaks out,” says Samuel E. DeBurra Jr. the Madison Fire Marshal, in a statement.

Many people already understand how vital it is to have working smoke alarms to warn us of a fire. But home fire sprinklers are not as well known or understood. That’s one reason why the nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) secured a federal Fire Prevention & Safety Grant to develop a free kit to help fire departments build and present side-by-side fire and sprinkler burn demonstrations in their communities.

Following an emergency call, it takes 9-12 minutes, on average, for a fire department to arrive on the fire scene. By that time, a fire in an unsprinklered home will have spread, causing smoke and heat damage and threatening the lives of the residents. Local and national fire safety experts say widespread use of home fire sprinkler systems could save thousands of lives per year.

In a sprinklered home, the fire gets under control right away, limiting damage and protecting residents and first responders. Here are some other facts about home fire sprinkler systems:

• Fire sprinklers are supplied by household water – usually off the water main. Just like ordinary plumbing, sprinkler system piping is hidden behind walls and ceilings.
• The sprinklers are positioned along the piping and can be seen in ceilings or up high along certain walls.
• Sprinklers are activated only by the high temperature of a fire – typically between 135°-165°F.
• Burned toast or other smoke cannot set off a sprinkler; neither can a smoke alarm that activates.
• Sprinklers are designed to flow between 10-25 gallons of water per minute. That’s about 10-15 times less water flow than fire department hoses, and under far less pressure.
• By operating while a fire is still small, a sprinkler controls or extinguishes a fire, slowing the spread of poisonous smoke and deadly heat.
• That fast and effective action gives family members more time to get out safely, saving lives.