Fire Marshal: One sprinkler could have made the difference

By Matt Loveless

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Summary

Lewiston Fire Marshal Linda Steputat says the lack of a sprinkler system at the LCSC Center for Arts and History led to unnecessary damage when a fire broke out in the kitchen, explains how sprinkler systems function.

Story Published: Mar 11, 2009 at 8:58 PM PST

Story Updated: Mar 11, 2009 at 8:58 PM PST

LEWISTON - Contractors said the fire that tore through a downtown Lewiston building last week will result in more than a year's worth of work.

Now fire officials are saying one sprinkler could have saved everyone a whole lot of trouble.

LCSC officials saw it as the silver lining, that saved a number of their artifacts from irreparable water damage.

"We didn't have a sprinkler system," said LCSC Dean Kathy Martinm during an interview this week. "Had we had a sprinkler system in place, we would have probably sustained more extensive damage."

But fire officials Wednesday said the belief that a fire sets off all fire sprinklers in a building is a common, Hollywood-created and frustrating myth.

"Had they had a sprinkler system in the building, probably one fire sprinkler head would have gone off," said Lewiston Fire Department Division Chief and Fire Marshal Linda Steputat. "They would have had some water damage contained in that kitchen area, and no smoke throughout the building, and they would have been back in business that afternoon."

Fire sprinklers aren't interconnected she said. Each is individually activated at about 170 degrees.

And Steputat said more water damage usually occurs when there isn’t a sprinkler system in a building fire.

"A sprinkler head will put out anywhere between 18 and 25 gallons per minute, and a fire hose is going to be starting at about at about 125 gallons per minute," said Steputat.

Steputat said sprinklers are also far more efficient than firefighters. Often extinguishing a fire before the trucks get on scene.

Installing a system on a new home would cost about $1.61 per square foot on average. Meaning for a 2,000 square foot home, it would cost about $3,000.

"People think that these things hanging down from their ceilings are not that attractive," said Steputat. "So what manufacturers have come up with is a concealed head, so this hangs from your ceiling. They actually have flat ones too."

Plans for the future of the Arts center, and its infrastructure are unclear, but Steputat said personally, it's nice to know that your work, your pets, or your home, will be there when you get back.

"That sprinkler system is there 24 hours a day," said Steputat.