Burning down the house

The Fire Service will set two houses on fire in Auckland this week.

It will demonstrate the speed of fire and how a home sprinkler can save lives and property at an event at Long Bay Regional Park, East Coast Bays, at 11 am on 4 February.

Fires will be lit in two identical units – one with a sprinkler system and smoke alarm and one without. The demonstration will show the early warning of the smoke alarm and the sprinkler’s effectiveness in dousing the fire. The other fire will be let to develop so onlookers can see how hot the fire gets and how quickly it grows.

We want to ensure that cameras/microphones can get as close to the action as possible. Our fire engineers will be on site to assist.

The Fire Service’s goal is for home sprinklers to be installed cost-effectively in new homes and retro-fitted where possible. Its challenge is to show people that sprinklers don’t cause undue water damage and dramatically reduce fire damage.

The service will announce at the event a new fire safety partnership with a major New Zealand company that will help promote the use of home sprinklers and other fire safety initiatives.

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