Fire sprinklers help to reduce the carbon footprint of properties through the entire cycle of construction. They reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fires, reduce the amount of burned or non-recyclable building materials going to landfills, save energy on rebuilding after fire, conserve water, and reduce diesel fuel usage in heavy fire suppression equipment.

The carbon emissions are not solely from the fire itself; they are also from the billions of material needed to rebuild $14.6 BILLION in direct property loss following fires (2007 statistic from the National Fire Protection Association).

As a former volunteer firefighter in northern NJ, I remember a case in a neighboring community where a paint manufacturer’s fire had well over 4 million gallons of water applied to extinguish. There was a gully located approximately 50 feet from the building. The gully fed into a stream about a ¼ mile away and the fish were jumping OUT of the stream onto the bank because of the toxic, irritating material that was mixed in the water runoff from the firefighting operations.

Although codes may not require fire sprinklers in certain size buildings, fire sprinklers must be in all green construction projects to truly reflect this designation. I ask you – how can a green building, including single-family homes, be considered ‘sustainable construction’ if it is positioned to burn someday without the benefit of an automatic fire sprinkler system to suppress smoke and save materials?

Dominick Kasmauskas is the NY Regional Manager for the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) and Secretary to the NFSA Green Committee, as well as a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. After 32 years in the fire service as a Captain, NJ State Fire Instructor, and Fire Inspector, Dominick went on to gain experience in legislative matters. He is with the NFSA for over 8 years and is also an NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist and a NY Certified Codes Enforcement Official.