Fire Sprinkler Installation Archives - Davis Ulmer Fire Protection

Fire Companies Set Controlled Fires for National Fire Prevention Month

October is National Fire Prevention Month and many fire companies educated their local communities on fire safety throughout the month. It is great to see people making fire safety a focus in their communities and fire companies in Illinois focused specifically on sprinkler systems.

Various fire departments in Northern Illinois educated the public on fire safety and fire prevention in a unique way this October. Fire companies in Northern Illinois actually set controlled fires as demonstrations so the public could understand the benefits of fire sprinklers.

Sprinkled Rooms vs. Non-Sprinkled Rooms

The fires were set outside in two staged rooms that were totally furnished like a living room. One of the rooms had sprinklers installed and the other room did not. People were able to feel the level of heat coming from the room and how quickly it spread in the room without the fire sprinklers installed. They were able to see how quickly the room with the sprinklers controlled and cooled the fire where the other room quickly got out of control.

fire prevention month

Fire Protection Systems Save Lives

The demonstrations were made possible with the help of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the proven performance of fire sprinklers. They helped local fire companies host a variety of fire and sprinkler demonstrations throughout the month of October. They plan to assist with a total of 53 demonstrations in 2016, driving attention to the important of sprinkler systems and the roles they play in fire safety.

These demonstrations gave the local fire departments a chance to talk to the public about preventing fires, the benefits of smoke alarms, the advantages of sprinkler systems, and fire evacuation methods.

In Illinois, one hundred communities actually require fire sprinklers in new homes that are being built. Illinois has made fire safety a focus in their communities and have established the benefits of sprinkler systems in not just businesses, but homes as well. If you’re looking to install sprinkler systems in your business or your home, contact Davis-Ulmer Fire Protection Systems, we can help. We are your full-service fire protection company and work with customers in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Domino’s Pizza Helping to Spread the Word About Fire Safety

family eating pizza If you are a fan of Domino’s Pizza, you may have already noticed the newest addition to the company’s takeout pizza boxes – a flyer full of fire safety tips that reminds customers to check their smoke detectors’ batteries when they turn their clocks forward for daylight saving time this weekend.

The flyer was created in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association and will run throughout the month of March to help spread the word to families throughout the US.

CHECK YOUR SMOKE DETECTORS

With 38 percent of home fire deaths occurring in homes without smoke detectors and another 21 percent occurring in homes with dead or malfunctioning ones, it is extremely important to take time to check your smoke detector regularly and change its batteries when they run low. This simple check takes less than a minute of your time and could end up saving your life and the lives of the ones you love.

DOMINO’S PIZZA TEAMS UP WITH NFPA

For more than eight years, Domino’s has been teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association to help prevent home fires, and this year we at Davis-Ulmer would like to add another item to your daylight savings to-do list. If you have not yet had your fire sprinkler maintenance performed this year, please take a few moments to schedule your annual sprinkler check-up.

Don’t have a sprinkler system installed in your home? Spring is the perfect time to plan an installation. To learn more about Davis-Ulmer’s services and to request a quote, visit us online or contact the location nearest you. We serve New York and the surrounding states.

Prevent Your Sprinkler System From Freezing This Winter

winterize your home and sprinkler system As the snow hits us here in Buffalo, New York, Davis Ulmer would like to remind our customers to check on the sprinkler systems in their homes and businesses to ensure that pipes are properly protected and heated from the elements. Less than two weeks ago, a sprinkler system in Plainsview, Texas burst after roofers failed to finish installing the roof’s trim before a winter storm hit. Exposed to freezing temperatures, the sprinkler system’s pipes burst, leaving the building drenched in two inches of water. To ensure an accident like this doesn’t happen to you, there are a few precautionary measures to take when the weather gets cold.

Check Your Heating System

Ensure the water running through your sprinkler system does not freeze this winter by checking your heating system as the weather gets cold. Regular maintenance is an important part of running your home or business and winter is the most important time to have your furnace in top shape. While you are checking the heat, also look around your establishment for cracks in windows and drafty areas. Seal up any gaps you find to keep your property warm and safe throughout the coldest months of the year.

Keep Temperatures Up

Even if you aren’t in the office on weekends, it is important to keep the heat running at your business. Buildings with wet sprinkler systems should not allow their temperatures to drop lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so switch your thermostat to low instead of switching it off when you go home on Friday night.

Schedule a Winter Maintenance Appointment

Haven’t gotten around to your sprinkler system’s annual maintenance check? Now is the perfect time to have it looked over to ensure that everything is functioning properly and there are no chances of pipes freezing. To set up your winter appointment, contact us online or give us a call at 877-691-3200. We work with customers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

Sprinkler System Suppresses Fire in Oxford’s Covered Market

Here at Davis Ulmer, few things make us happier than when a sprinkler system saves the day. And just two days ago in Oxford, England a fire sprinkler system prevented an important piece of the historic area from going up in flames. On the morning of Monday, December 28, 2015, a refrigerator in Oxford’s Covered Market set on fire, but was quickly put out by the Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue team – with the help of the shop’s fire sprinkler system.

According to Rewley Road Fire Station Watch Manager Simon Piper, “If it not been for the sprinkler system, it is extremely likely that this incident would have spread throughout the Covered market, causing great loss to this heritage property and the local economy.”

The Oxford Covered Market is home to a wide variety of shops and has an important place in the city’s heart. This historical building would have been a tragic loss, which was thankfully avoided thanks to the safety precautions taken by business owners.

FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS CAN HELP SAVE LIVES

Regardless of where you live or operate a business, a sprinkler system is an important way to protect yourself and those around you from a potentially dangerous situation. Accidents happen all the time and fires can spread quickly, destroying property and harming individuals nearby.

DAVIS-ULMER: HELPING KEEP PEOPLE SAFE SINCE 1946

With 2016 just a couple days away, Davis Ulmer encourages families and businesses across New York and New Jersey to have fire sprinkler systems installed or checked for annual maintenance. With eight locations throughout the area, we are happy to help keep your home or business safe. To learn more about our services and to schedule an appointment, contact the location nearest you today. We work with customers in the Northeast region of the United States.

New Fire Sprinkler Legislation Introduced in Congress

While the word is spreading about the importance of having fire sprinklers in every build, there is still not enough being done to remedy the problem. Fortunately, we’re seeing a new push from some of the highest levels of government, including the in the House of Representatives in Washington D.C. Just recently, several representatives from Maine, Delaware, New York, and other states came together to introduce H.R. 3591, otherwise known as the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act.

Overall, the FSIA is a bill that is designed to make the prospect of installing fire sprinklers more appealing to building owners. It achieves this by doing a few things, including offering tax incentives. In addition, building owners are currently required to depreciate sprinkler retrofits over an almost 40-year period. This bill would reduce that period of time to 15 years, allowing owners to take advantage of tax advantages in a far less amount of time.

While this bill was recently reintroduced, this is not the first time a version of the FSIA has been brought to members of congress. It actually originates in 2004, and was spurred by several deaths in a Rhode Island nightclub. It has been reintroduced several times because of a few issues regarding how much the bill would cost to implement, but the bill’s supporters believe those concerns have been resolved with the latest version.

Whether or not the FSIA makes it beyond the House floor remains to be seen, but we’re glad that there are members of the government at all levels working on related projects to enhance building safety.

Source: hhttps://www.firefighternation.com/

For any questions or needs in regards to fire protection, contact Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Company today. We are New York’s full-service fire protection company serving customers since 1946.

Sprinklers Putting out Landfill Fires

Throughout these blog posts, we have done our best to educate you the reader and the public as a whole on the benefits and necessity of fire sprinklers. We have discussed fire codes, how the seasons affect that need, and how buildings, large and small, absolutely need fire sprinklers nowadays. Every so often we come across a news story that puts a smile on our faces, such as the case with the a news story we came across regarding fire sprinklers and Nantucket, as reported in the Cape Cod Times.

Mary Ann Bragg writes, “A construction debris fire this morning at the town landfill was slowed by a new sprinkler system, Nantucket Fire Chief Mark McDougal said. “Having a system that activated right away saved us a lot of time and effort,” McDougal said.”

Outdoor Fire Protection

While you may not think of fire sprinklers as having an impact on outdoor fires, they absolutely do. Just look at Nantucket. In the past, the landfill has been peppered with fires, as landfills are apt to do. The difference this time around was that a fire sprinkler system was installed, which cut down suppression time by a whole lot. Usually these fires would take hours and, in some cases, even days. Needless to say, fire sprinklers save time, energy, and money – and the cherry on the top? No one was injured!

While the cause of the fire has not been determined, area residents can rest assure that no fire will get out of control. Firefighters can rest easy too; they have backup!

Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Company is a fire sprinkler expert that installs sprinkler systems for the residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental industries. Our NICET certified design technicians will work with you every step of the way to ensure you have the fire protection you need from the design to maintaining and servicing your system. Contact us today to find out how we can help you get a fire sprinkler system installed whether its new construction or retrofitting an existing building.

Staying Fire Safe and Vigilant at All Times

19936257_S(1) The Fourth of July weekend has come and gone, and at Davis Ulmer, we hope you had a safe and happy weekend, hanging out with close friends and family. While it’s nice to let loose and celebrate around the holidays, it is prudent that you maintain a level of safety so no one gets hurt. We see this around holidays like the Fourth of July, people getting carried away with good times, but ignoring the possible dangers of fires. No better do we see this in hot, dry areas of the country, like areas out west.

In Yakima, WA, for instance, firefighters and fire officials did everything they can to prevent such tragedies from happening – and some of those tragedies are accidents, even naturally occurring in certain instances, but still fire officials must remain vigilant and impart restrictions. According to Yakima fire officials, “We have a number of fires in houses, roof fires, fires in shrubs, things of that nature that are totally unintentional and accidental and people don’t mean for them to happen but they do end up happening.”

SAFETY FIRST

In the end, we want you to celebrate and have a good time, but you have to be aware of conditions unique to your own neighborhood, whether it is the weather or other conditions. Remember that fires are unique too, and certain areas in the country are different from others. While planning a party or before you start celebrating, be sure to consult local fire officials if you plan to have a fire, no matter how large or small.

Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Company is a fire safety expert that serves New York and surrounding states. We design, install, , and service fire protection equipment and life safety equipment in the residential, commercial, and industrial industries. We are a great source if you have questions about fire protection. Contact us today!

Installing Fire Sprinklers in San Francisco’s Rent-Controlled Buildings

One of the biggest causes of fires is older, rent-controlled buildings. No better do we see than in the San Francisco Bay area where fires are an all too common occurrence. This has led to concerted efforts on the part of officials to change this awful trajectory and according to a Sfweekly.com article, these officials are hard at work and, in particular, Supervisors Jane Kim and David Campos.

Noah Arroyo writes, “These supervisors represent much of the territory where the fires occurred and are trying to set up a Fire Safety Task Force. Possible solutions to the rash of fires include compelling building owners to install sprinkler systems, an idea Kim broached at an April meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee. There, the city’s chief housing inspector guessed that about 5,000 buildings lack the kinds of sprinklers that would save lives and property.”

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS SAVE LIVES

It seems that the supervisors simply want to save lives. There is clearly a problem in the Bay area that isn’t being addressed, causing great damage to lives and the local economy. If the installation of fire sprinklers would solve this dilemma, why is it taking so long. Well, building owners are saying no. They believe that installing sprinklers in older buildings will force many tenants to move on.

That seems like a foolish reason to not install fire sprinklers, but what do you think? Is it the responsibility of the building owners to install fire sprinklers in every apartment in their buildings? Or is it the responsibility of the actual tenants? Let us know in the comments below.

Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Company is a fire protection specialist serving New York and surrounding states. We have designed, installed, and serviced fire protection equipment since 1946. From fire sprinkler systems to fire detection equipment, we have what you need for your fire protection. Contact us today for more information.

What Is the Bringing Safety Home Grant Program?

banner3 At Davis Ulmer, we take fire education very seriously and believe that everyone, old and young alike, need to know the ins and outs of fire safety and prevention. Thankfully, the National Fire Protection Association agrees with us. Back in June, they announced it had awarded grants to 16 organizations to fund sprinkler advocacy efforts across North America.

According to this Fire Engineering article, “The Bringing Safety Home Grant Program will assist the grant recipients, including U.S. state sprinkler coalitions and other North American safety advocates, by supporting activities that showcase the importance of requiring home fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family homes.”

FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS REDUCE DEATHS BY 80%

Nowadays it seems like there’s no time for hardly anything, let alone thinking about the fire sprinkler situation in your home, building, or business. There are multiple jobs to do, bills to pay, and other things. Sometimes you need a little nudge, for someone or a group to educate you on the importance of fire sprinklers. Armed with these grants, the recipients are poised to do great and socially beneficial work.

Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA, sums it up best: “Sprinklers are gaining momentum as more residents and policy-makers understand the value of them in new homes. Home fire sprinklers can reduce home fire deaths by about 80 percent and direct property damage by about 70 percent.”

The term life or death gets thrown around all the time now it seems, but when it comes to fire sprinklers, that term is 100% true, so buff up on your education and spread the gospel according to fire sprinklers!

Davis-Ulmer Sprinkler Company is your local fire protection company in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. We have been designing, installing, and servicing fire sprinkler systems for over 70 years. Our 24/7 emergency response team is ready to go in your time of need. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you.

How to Maintain Smoke Alarms

Fire Detector Often the simplest fire detection and prevention tools are the ones that save the most lives, which is my smoke detectors and alarms are so important. However, even if you have multiple detectors installed throughout your property, they are useless unless they are working properly. Even if you believe your detectors are on and working, you don’t want to wait until an actual fire starts to find out. Several times a year you should test your alarms to ensure they are working as intended. Take a look at the following steps to learn how to correctly test your alarm and fix it if it isn’t working.

TEST ALARMS REGULARLY

The first thing you should do is let everyone else in your home know that you are testing an alarm. You don’t want a member of your family to call the local fire department when there is no fire to put out. Next, you should have someone go to the opposite end of the property to see if they can hear the alarm from the furthest point away from its location. Once they are ready, push and hold the test button for a few seconds until the alarm starts going off.

TEST AND REPLACE BATTERIES

If the alarm doesn’t go off, the first thing you should do is replace the batteries and check to see if the device is on. After doing so, test the alarm again. If it still isn’t working, you may have a faulty device that needs to be replaced.

Repeat this process with every alarm in your home. You should also get a smoke detector test aerosol can and spray near each device. This will let you know whether or not your device will properly detect smoke in the area. For more fire alarm safety tips, keep checking back with the Davis Ulmer blog!

Davis-Ulmer is your local fire and smoke detection expert in Northeast region of the United States. We have been designing, installing, and servicing fire detection systems since 1946. Davis-Ulmer knows that early detection is a critical component to any fire protection system and fire safety plan so we will work with you to get the fire alarm system you need. Contact us for more information.