Residents urged to sign sprinkler e-petition

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service is encouraging local residents to sign an e-petition to make sprinklers compulsory in all new dwellings.

If the petition receives the backing of 100,000 people, it could be debated in Parliament. The petition comes following the recent introduction of a law in Wales which will make sprinklers compulsory in all new homes.

Group Manager Julian Parsons said: “Put simply, sprinklers are the equivalent to having a firefighter ready and waiting in every room of your home. There are a lot of misunderstandings out there regarding how sprinklers work, but the reality is that they only actually activate when the temperature reaches over 68ºC because of a fire and even then they only activate in affected rooms.”

He added: “Wiltshire had the first social housing estate in Europe to be fitted with sprinklers, at Studley Green in Trowbridge, and the residents living in these homes have told us that they feel much safer as a result. The evidence speaks for itself – no one has ever died in a fire when their home was fitted with a sprinkler system. The Welsh Government has recognised this, which is why they have now introduced legislation - we would like to see similar laws introduced here in England.”

To pledge your support for the petition, visit http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/4409.

In addition to the e-petition, a Private Members Bill is currently being progressed through the House of Commons. If passed, the Bill would require a review of Building Regulations, taking into consideration the latest research on sprinkler systems, as the current regulations quote outdated research.

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