Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
Unless you’ve been living off the grid these past few months, we have all seen the news reports related to the California wildfires, along with the horrific videos and photos related to the devastation they have caused. We’ve seen multiple stories and opinions on every television news outlet about the causes and effects of this natural disaster and its wake. Let me offer some realistic commentary based on my experience, knowledge, and having lived in the region for the better part of my adult life.
First, it relates to the causes of fires in Southern California during the high wind events called Santa Ana winds. These seasonal winds flow from east to west and exhibit almost zero humidity. They present themselves at a wide range of speeds, and during these recent fire events, reports indicate multiple days with winds exceeding 75 miles per hour. Usually, they are calmer at night, but not this year. Simply stated, if the fire service had a thousand pieces of firefighting apparatus and manpower to operate them and if that literal army of firefighters took a stand a mile or two down-wind of any one of these big fires, they would not have been able to stop the spread of the fires before them nor would they be able to prevent additional fires. This is because the embers are traveling a mile or more in the winds and would pass the fire line, trapping the firefighters between the now two fires.
Next, the brush growing on the hillsides and in the canyons adjacent to and within these neighborhoods is arid and, in many cases, overgrown, providing lots of fuel when fires occur. Many older California homes still have shake shingle roofs, combustible eaves, and vented attic openings, allowing easy access for embers to ignite home after home. Not to mention how close many of these homes have been built to each other.
Third, there are many ignition sources available to start such fires. Arson is always a concern, but there are so many other ignition sources, including sparks from chains being dragged by trailers of every kind, such as boats, construction and landscaping trailers, etc., and someone flicking a cigarette butt out of a car window. People starting fires in encampments to stay warm or to cook in a region with a large homeless population should not be overlooked and present a substantial possible cause. In some cases, we may never know the source or cause, but none of this is about the point I want to make in this column.
Obviously, this has been a mega-event, one which most people will know of and perhaps discuss for years to come. The loss of property, schools, churches, communities, and the most significant loss of about 30 souls and counting at the time of my writing this. Let’s add the loss of faith in the regional politicians and public services by citizens who have lost all they own. But again, I want to address the reality of mega-events, massive earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis—any natural disaster that destroys communities, homes, and lives.
The truth about fire loss in North America is more about micro than mega-events. As noted in the white paper “America Burning,” we’re still losing 6,000-plus people every year to home fires in the U.S. Most of these are one or two people in homes across small-town America, so they never make the national news. An Airbus 330 jetliner holds about 250 passengers. If one crashed, killing everyone aboard every week, you can bet the FAA would make immediate changes in air travel policy, starting with grounding the Airbus 330 following the second event.
The most significant causes of home fires are related to people—men, women, and children who leave unattended cooking, candles, or smoking materials. Homes with older wiring, no smoke detectors, and added electronics being charged or overcharged with devices not intended for the item they’re charging. When we stop looking wide-eyed at mega-events and look at the actual fire problem, we can understand the genuine losses associated with the American fire problem, and we know the solution! Residential fire sprinklers are the solution. This is a proven fact, and there is no dispute about it. Our industry needs to stay focused on the solution and support the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition in its efforts to get the word out to fire departments and the general public. When fires in homes have to be fought by the fire service, the cost of firefighting is borne by the taxpayers in the community. Where residential fire sprinklers are mandated, the cost of firefighting is borne by the developer of the neighborhood and the individual homeowner. Statistically, over 80% of 911 emergency calls are related to emergency medical services, not structure fires. This is why firefighters should also be trained medics; we see this in most fire department hiring practices. Most firefighters in the U.S. are volunteers, at least in rural towns, where the response time is elongated. At the same time, construction materials are lighter weight and burn faster than in years past, not to mention the synthetic materials used in what we bring into our homes burn hotter, faster, and off-gas more toxic smoke than ever.
Please visit the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition website, homefiresprinkler.org, for valuable information you can use to benefit your community and share with your local fire department to help save lives and property.
AFSA has donated $1,000 each to the victims in eastern North Carolina and to the Los Angeles County fire victims. We are a proud sponsor of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition in partnership with NFPA and NFSA.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bob Caputo, CFPS, is president of AFSA. He has been an important part of the fire sprinkler industry for over 41 years and is a long-time member of AFSA and promoter of merit shop contracting. He has chaired and served on many NFPA committees. Caputo has written and presented seminars throughout the world on fire protection and life-safety systems and is a regular speaker at AFSA and NFPA conventions. He has developed AFSA education and training materials, and chaired two chapters of AFSA—Arizona and Southern California. Caputo is the recipient of numerous awards, including Fire Protection Contractor magazine’s “Industry person of the Year,” San Diego County Fire Chief’s Association’s “Fire Prevention Officer of the Year,” and AFSA’s highest honor, the Henry S. Parmelee Award.
