Newer Automatic Fire Sprinklers Can Have Less Environmental Impact, Says San Francisco Sprinkler

Massoud Farazandeh, general manager of Nationwide Fire Protection Corp., a Placentia and San Francisco sprinkler fire system company, said he hopes the results of the study will appeal to owners of older restaurants and commercial dining facilities who have been “grandfathered in” and do not have adequate fire suppression systems.
“Hopefully, this will help convince them that now is the time to make these important upgrades,” Farazandeh said.

The March 2010 study released by FM Global, a property insurance company that conducts property loss prevention research, is the result of ongoing global efforts to improve sustainability and reduce life cycle carbon emissions, according to the report, which The Fire Sprinkler Initiative, a project of the National Fire Protection Association, posted on its website recently.

The report noted that in all buildings, from restaurants to offices and other high hazard facilities, the lack of automatic fire sprinklers increases carbon emissions over the building’s life cycle. It also stated that the benefits gained from green construction and energy efficient appliances can be negated by just one fire. This is caused by various greenhouse gases, the result of burning combustible materials.

“In addition to being required by law in new construction, it’s nice to see that fire suppression systems can do more than just protect life and property in the event of a fire,” said Farazandeh. “They also promote the ever-popular ‘green’ theme.”

Although the published study was conducted relative to residential dwellings, the results offer some insight into commercial structure fires as well, Farazandeh said. Fire tests conducted during the study found that using automatic fire sprinklers reduced the “peak heat release rate” from 13,200 kW to 300 kW and reduced the total energy generated by a factor of 76.

When sprinklers were present, the fraction of flammable materials burned was less than three percent, compared to the test in which no sprinklers were present, where as much as 95 percent of flammable materials burned.

Farazandeh said that he frequently advises restaurant owners and managers of older restaurants without suppression systems to consider the company’s fire protection services.

“It’s somewhat common for us to go to a restaurant for a hood cleaning call and discover while we’re there that an older restaurant has no fire suppression system in place,” said the San Francisco fire protection expert.
Sometimes the owner or manager will say that the business can’t afford to install the system.

"I tell them that they likely can’t afford not to install it,” Farazandeh said. "Few businesses can afford the down-time involved with getting a facility repaired and back in operating condition after a significant fire.”

And due to the various cooking processes used and the volume of food cooked in many American restaurants and commercial kitchens, fires are a serious issue. Between 2000 and 2004, fire departments across the United States answered calls for an estimated average of 8,520 fires in restaurants and drinking establishments, according to information provided by NFPA. Fires in restaurants and cafeterias outnumbers fires in bars and nightclubs by a ratio of nearly 7-to-1.

Food, confined cooking fires and other cooking materials, were the cause of approximately half of those fires.

Importance of Routine Testing
A system is only as good as its last test, said Farazandeh. His Placentia and San Francisco fire sprinkler systems company tests customers’ systems twice annually- a legal requirement- to ensure they remain in good working condition.

“Because the concept of going green is so popular today, we hope that if people in the position to make these types of decisions for older facilities won’t have systems installed for routine safety purposes, that we can appeal to their environmentally conscious side and convince them to do so, said the San Francisc fire suppression system professional.

Learn More
If you are in need of a company to handle your fire protection needs or you want more information about Nationwide Fire Protection Corp., call (800) 750-7055, or visit the company’s Web site: http://www.nationwidefireprotection.com/.

About Nationwide Fire Protection Corp.
Chief Executive Officer Massoud Farazandeh founded Nationwide Fire Protection Corp. in 1989 and grew the business into a national leader in fire protection and hood cleaning restaurants and facilities. In August 2009, he opened a satellite location in Placentia, CA. The company’s comprehensive service offerings enable businesses to do what they do best, which is to focus on their customers and their business. In turn, NFP focuses on what it knows best- keeping businesses in compliance and ensuring the safety of restaurants, staff and patrons.

NFP prides itself on providing exemplary service, offers a quality guarantee and maintains a dependable and highly qualified staff. All crew members are professionally trained to comply with the National Fire Prevention Association Standards and state and local codes. Nationwide Fire Protection is fully insured and bonded. It is licensed in fire protection contracting in addition to our licensure in the mechanical and electrical fields.

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Nationwide Fire Protection Corp. is a Denver based comprehensive fire protection company providing fire protection equipment, fire systems, fire alarms, fire sprinkler systems, fire suppression systems and fire detection systems sales and installation.

Nationwide Fire Protection (NFP) is a comprehensive fire protection company that sales and installs fire protection equipments including, fire systems, fire alarms, fire sprinkler systems, fire suppression systems and fire detection systems.

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