All You Need to Know About Commercial Fire Sprinkler Systems
For restaurant owners, a key challenge is to remain compliant with fire safety codes at all times. Installation of a superior quality fire suppression system ensures your guests and your employees, as well as your property, has protection against any kind of fire accident. One of the most effective of these is a fire sprinkler system, which has a simple design but functions as an active component in a commercial building’s overall fire protection system. Modern fire sprinklers are designed for swift detection of a fire breakout so that the fire can be brought under control before it expands and leads to property damage and loss of lives.
At Nationwide Fire Protection, we specialize in the design, installation, repair, and maintenance of commercial fire sprinkler systems. For your understanding, we have prepared this guide which includes everything, right from the history and benefits to the design and installation of fire sprinkler systems. If you are a restaurant owner, you will find this information quite helpful.
History of Fire Sprinklers
It is interesting to find out how the oldest fire sprinklers developed over time to become modern and highly efficient.
You must have heard about Leonardo da Vinci, a well-known Italian painter. But he was not just a painter. He was into so many other things – sculpting, architecture, engineering, and science. In fact, it was Leonardo who first gave the concept of a fire sprinkler to the world.
Taking inspiration from Leonardo’s concept, a chemist called Ambrose Godfrey built upon the idea of a fire sprinkler system. He designed the first automatic fire sprinkler which worked quite well. In this system, he used gunpowder to put out fire breakouts in the kitchen. His fire sprinkler had fuses that would trigger the occurrence of a fire and release gunpowder. Using his idea, scientists after him developed what we know as fire extinguishers today. In 1812 (around 100 years later), British inventor William Congreve developed the first modern fire sprinkler system, which was set up at the Theater Royal in London.
However, there was one issue with Congreve’s fire sprinkler. It would not activate on its own. So, inventors after him focused on creating a design that was automatic. In 1872, Philip W. Patt developed the first automatic fire sprinkler system. In the later years, other inventors continued to improve the design of the fire sprinkler to give us the modern version of the system.
Benefits of Fire Sprinklers
Every year, restaurant owners face considerable financial losses as a result of fires in the kitchen. Commercial fires do not just lead to loss of lives, but they can send the entire business tumbling down. In many cases, business owners find it tough to continue operations due to heavy damages.
If you run a restaurant or large kitchen, you should avoid relying only on fire fighters in the event of a fire. To save your business and livelihood, you should always have a fire protection system in place. Installing a fire sprinkler system in your building is crucial for safety against fire accidents. This system is specially designed by expert engineers to get activated automatically if a fire breaks out. Given below are the key benefits of a commercial fire sprinkler system.
Protect Lives
When you are running a business, it is your utmost duty to keep all the visitors and employees safe. Installation of a fire sprinkler system ensures that lives will be saved if there is a fire accident. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are very few lives lost as a result of fires in restaurants that have fire sprinkler systems installed. If people feel safe and protected, you will also attract more visitors over time and your business will grow fast.
Reduce Property Damage
Setting up a restaurant business requires a big financial investment. You will never want to face property damage because of your recklessness. It is careless behavior to not install a fire suppression system in your building. During a fire emergency, it is not just people who sustain injuries and lose lives, but the fire causes severe property damage as well. If you plan to keep all that expensive kitchen equipment and the entire business safe, you should never ignore the importance of having a high quality fire sprinkler system in place.
Most importantly, you should also pay serious attention to the regular maintenance of the fire system so that it functions with maximum efficiency in the event of a smoke or fire breakout. Ignoring maintenance will still put your business at risk, even if you have a fire sprinkler installed.
Low Maintenance
Though fire sprinkler systems look simple, they are designed to last for as many as 20 years. All you need to do is get its inspection done annually, so as to ensure that it stays in good condition. Superior quality fire sprinklers hardly need lots of maintenance. Just a little maintenance will keep them efficient for a long time. If well-maintained, these systems will not need major repairs either.
At Nationwide Fire Protection (NFP), we provide expert maintenance of all kinds of fire sprinkler systems. If you want your fire system to last for a long time, feel free to get in touch with our office in Denver, CO.
Cost-Efficient
Installation of a fire sprinkler system is affordable. Just imagine how this fire system keeps your business and people protected all the time. The first necessity for guests and the staff is to have a safe environment. A fire protection system reduces the risk of property damage and life loss. In the absence of such a system, you might suffer great financial damage. Considering all these benefits, having fire sprinklers installed in the restaurant is truly worth the investment.
Save Money on Insurance Premiums
One of the most useful benefits of having a fire sprinkler system installed is reduced insurance premiums. If your business is fitted with this system, you will be able to avoid too much damage. Less damage to property translates to a lesser amount of insurance premiums. So, in the long run, you will save a lot of money by paying small amounts of insurance premiums for the business.
Less Danger for Firefighters
The main role of a fire sprinkler system is to contain the fire before it becomes severe and causes damage. As a result of this, fire is easily controlled in time. This, in turn, puts less strain on fire fighters. Not just fire fighters, but the occupants of the building are also brought to safety quickly.
Less Use of Fire Water
The design of a fire sprinkler system is expertly engineered. In the occurrence of a fire emergency, firefighters have to use plenty of fire water to bring the situation under control. However, fire sprinklers are designed in a way that uses less fire water to stop the fire from spreading further. That is exactly why these fire systems have proven to be one of the most sustainable solutions.
Though fire sprinklers offer so many benefits, there are still many businesses that are not fitted with this fire protection system. Overlooking the significance of fire sprinklers can have grave consequences for businesses and commercial establishments where lots of heat is produced. Do not expose your business to the risk of damaging fire. Get in touch with Nationwide Fire Protection.
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Installation
Accuracy is of utmost importance in the installation of a fire sprinkler system. While you may come across several service providers who claim to expertly install fire systems, nothing could be further from the truth.
Installation of a fire sprinkler system, or just any commercial fire alarm system for that matter, must be carried out by certified agencies. Each component of the system must be duly tested and approved. In fact, the installation procedure is a long and complicated one, which involves multiple key steps. Only a certified company will be able to carry out the entire installation in a proper manner.
If your business is located in the greater Denver area, you should hire Nationwide Fire Protection for the installation. Affiliated with the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), we are a certified company that specializes in the installation of a fire sprinkler systems as well as many other fire systems such as Ansul fire suppression, Pyrochem fire suppression, Amerex fire suppression, Buckeye fire suppression, Range Guard and Kidde fire suppression system. Our highly trained technicians will pay close attention to the smallest details and complete the installation in a professional manner to ensure maximum efficiency and protection.
Repair
As per the NFPA guidelines, it is incumbent on the property owner to keep their fire sprinkler systems in good operating condition. Though these fire detection systems are sturdily designed, they may need minor repairs from time to time. If you take care of the minor issues in time, you will be able to avoid major repairs and the system will give excellent service for years in a row.
At Nationwide Fire Protection, we provide repair services for a wide range of fire suppression and alarm systems. Our commercial fire sprinkler repair service will ensure the entire system remains highly efficient, ready to get swiftly activated in case of an emergency in your restaurant. We serve business owners across the entire greater Denver area and its nearby locations. If your fire system comes across an issue all of sudden, you can reach out to us for emergency repair as well. Our team of technicians stays ready to be dispatched at short notice. We have the skills and expertise to repair your fire alarm system fast so that your property remains safe and the occupants of the building have peace of mind too.
Maintenance
It is crucial to have your restaurant fitted with a fire sprinkler system. What is even more important is to keep it functioning in a smooth manner at all times. With our inspection and maintenance services, you can be confident that your fire detection system is always prepared to act swiftly and protect lives and equipment before the flames or fire takes a serious and damaging shape.
Inspection and maintenance of fire sprinkler systems are needed on a periodical basis, depending on your specific requirements. At Nationwide Fire Protection, we work closely with our clients to come up with the most ideal plan for the proper maintenance of the fire system. You can get the maintenance work done monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, annually, or at the interval of every couple of years. Our services focus on taking expert care of the entire system, so as to extend the longevity of the fire protection system you have installed in your building.
Our fire sprinkler maintenance services include preventive maintenance, deficiency tracking, and reporting, fire safety code compliance, code consulting, etc. With our experienced technicians by your side, you can feel confident that your fire safety system will remain highly active at all times.
Design
Developing the design of a fire sprinkler system for a restaurant or commercial building is a detailed process. A number of factors are taken into consideration to achieve the most ideal design for a property.
Key steps of the fire sprinkler system design process include:
- Determining the sources of water supply
- Evaluating the specific needs of the commercial building
- Level of fire protection required
- Selecting and installing sprinkler heads
- Selecting and installing sprinkler pipes
The design engineer will first visit the commercial space and take measurements. After that, a discussion will follow with the property owner. Once both the designer and the client are on the same page, the former will move on to create a blueprint for the entire design project. Determining the specific needs of the building where the fire system will be installed is very essential. Based on the evaluation, the building may require a wet, dry or pre-action fire sprinkler system.
A lot of maths and hydraulic calculations are a part of the entire process of designing the most ideal fire sprinkler system.
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Are You Looking for the Most Ideal Fire Suppression System?
If you operate a restaurant or own a commercial building, you should, first of all, fit your property with a high quality fire protection system. Fire sprinkler systems are specially designed to save lives and properties as well as help you remain safety code compliant as per the state laws. At Nationwide Fire Protection in Denver, CO, we have a highly competent team of professionals who design, install, repair, and maintain fire sprinkler systems as well as many other types of fire detection systems for a range of businesses and commercial buildings.
Our services include fire suppression system design and installation, hood installation, fire alarm system installation, restaurant fire restoration, portable fire extinguishers, etc. If you are looking for a robust fire restaurant safety plan, you should give our office a phone call or write us an email.
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