Smoke Alarms are Great, but Should you Sprinkler?

Tornado siren tests, ambulances, fire truck sirens, police sirens, fire tests, tornado drills, and more!

In a world where alarms are norm, would you even notice if the smoke alarm went off?  
Would your spouse? Your kids?

I can say that I sleep through alarm clocks daily - I don't know if I'd wake up.  I have one child who requires medication to sleep (yes, requires. Otherwise he does NOT sleep AT ALL) - he wouldn't wake up if a train drove through the house. The other 2 kids - I know for certain the baby would, but my 4 year old... hmmm...

The point being that a Smoke Alarm, while loud and obnoxious, has a chance to be ignored.  And obviously if you're not home, it does no good at all.  You may have one that's wired into your home security - which is definitely a better upgrade!

But have you considered having Fire Sprinklers installed?  You see them in hotels, schools, offices, and more, but should your home be protected as well?

Here are some factoids to consider:

• Often, the sprinklers can contain or put out a fire before the fire department even reaches the house. 
• Having both sprinklers and smoke alarms cuts the risk of death by a fire in the home by 82%. 
• Insurance companies offer as high as 35% discounts for homes with fire sprinklers. 
• Sprinklers operate independently, only those near the fire will activate, protecting the rest of the house from both fire and water damage.  

Photo by dvs on Flickr Photostream by Creative Commons license.

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