There were 519,500 structural fires in the U.S. in 2003. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

77 percent of U.S. structural fires in 2003 were in residential properties. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

$8,678,000,000 of property damage occurred in structure fires in 2003. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

There were 3,925 civilian fire deaths in 2003, an increase of 16.1 percent over the previous year. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

220 civilians were killed by fires in non-residential structures in 2003, including 100 at the Station Night Club fire in Rhode Island and 31 in Connecticut and Tennessee nursing homes. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

Fire resulted in at least 18,125 civilian fire injuries in 2003, with 14,075 occurring in residential properties. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

Every 20 seconds on average, a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the United States. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

Every 61 seconds a fire occurs in a structure. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

Every 79 seconds a fire occurs in a residence. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

Every 29 minutes, a civilian is injured in a fire. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

Every 2 hours and 14 minutes, a civilian dies in a fire. (Source: Fire Loss in the U.S., 2003, National Fire Prevention Association, 2004)

Automatic sprinklers are individually heat-activated and tied into a piping network of high-pressured water. When the heat of the sprinkler head reaches its operating point (usually 165ºF), a liquid glass bulb will shatter or the sodder link will melt, releasing the pressurized water from the sprinkler head over the fire.

If one sprinkler is triggered by heat, it won’t trigger the entire system. The only sprinkler heads that go off are the ones that have been activated by heat.

It’s highly unlikely that a sprinkler head would ever go off by accident. The chances are about 1 in 16 million that the head will go off because of a manufacturer’s defect.

The pipe network is usually installed inside the walls or above heated ceiling space, which reduces exposure to temperatures below freezing. In cold climates, a form of anti-freeze can be put into the system to provide additional protection against freezing.Sprinkler heads that are able to blend in quite well with ceilings are now also available. These designs are popular because the sprinkler head is less noticeable, but fire protection is still in place.