Two identical rooms were set on fire by the North Charleston Fire Department in the parking lot of the fire museum. One room contained a home fire sprinkler and the other, just a smoke detector.
The room with the smoke detector was engulfed in flames in three minutes. In the room with the sprinkler, the fire was completely out in just over a minute.
"The best way to teach someone is to have them see it visually," said Les Woods, President of Fire and Life Safety Education Association [FALSE].
Fire experts say most people think sprinklers are too costly to put in a home, but in actuality the national average to install is just one dollar and sixty-one cents per square foot.
"Spend that same money to put in a lawn system to make your grass green so you can mow it. Wouldn't you want to put that money towards a sprinkler system in your house and save your life," Woods said.
The difference between a smoke detector and a fire sprinkler is not just a matter of minutes. Officials said it could be a matter of life.
"I am a burn survivor of 17 years, burned marched 1992 in a house fire in Greenville. I went back to get my daughter and as a result burned 49 percent of my body," said Princella Lee-Bridges who attended the fire demonstration. "As a result of my injury, had fire sprinklers been built in my home, the fire would have been contained to one room."
Princella Lee-Bridges said she is spreading her story in hopes to educate people on the importance of putting fire sprinklers in their homes.
A message that also resonates in the memory of the tragedy of the Charleston Nine that hasn't been forgotten. The Sofa Super Store tragedy was an inspiration for the fire safety display.
"It played a big part. When we lost nine of our brother fire fighters. It caused the entire fire service to sit back and say we can't continue to let this happen," Woods said.
The fire sprinkler demonstration is touring the state. The next demonstration will be in Myrtle Beach on June 3.
Source http://www.abcnews4.com/
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