Successful Activations (Spring 2017 Edition)
Download a sprinkler save report to record your fire department’s latest successful fire sprinkler activations.
April 2017
Burbank Police Station
Burbank Fire Department
The fire sprinkler system in the police station controlled a small fire in a lower-level locker room and confined it to a couple of lockers. The fire appears to have originated near an electrical outlet inside a locker. No injuries were reported and police functions continued without any issues.
Chicago Sun-Times
March 2017
The Foundry
Aurora Fire Department
A single fire sprinkler in the restaurant/bar fully extinguished a fire on the cooking surface in the kitchen. There was only an estimated $10,000 in damage and no injuries were reported.
Jim Rhodes, Captain,
Aurora Fire Department
E-Jay Plastics
Addison Fire Protection District
The fire sprinkler system activated to control a fire at the building for the thermoset materials manufacturer.
Brian Johnstone
K & S Automatic Sprinkler
February 2017
Residences of Uptown
Park Ridge Fire Department
Four sprinklers in a trash chute extinguished a dumpster fire located in the trash room of a parking garage for the condominium building. The exact cause of the fire was not determined, but improperly discarded smoking materials may have been the cause.
“This was a successful sprinkler activation, limiting damage to maybe $1,000 or less,” said Park Ridge Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen. “It’s definitely proof positive that those systems work — and worked well in this case.”
According to the fire department’s news release, the sprinkler system saved what could have been a large fire loss. There was only minimal damage and no injuries were reported. The fire sprinkler system was placed back in service within a few hours.
City of Park Ridge website
Chicago Police Academy
Chicago Fire Department
The fire sprinkler system in the building held a fire in check in one room in the basement.
Northern Illinois Fireground Photos
Villas at Vinegar Hill
Springfield Fire Department
A fire sprinkler system put out a suspected arson fire in the Springfield Housing Authority’s 92-unit senior living apartment building, which is still being constructed.
WICS-TV
An estimated $3M in production loss prevented at printing/packaging facility
HUNTLEY, IL (February 4, 2017) — What started as a call to respond to a fire alarm, turned into multiple calls en route for reports of fire inside the H.S. Crocker Co., Inc. Upon arrival, firefighters with the Huntley Fire Protection District found smoke coming from the building. Once inside, crews discovered that six sprinkler heads activated to put out a fire, which started from a printing press. A machine operator noticed the fire while cleaning and attempted to put it out with a fire extinguisher, then exited the building when the attempt was unsuccessful. According to Fire Marshal Ken Madziarek, the sprinkler system did what it was designed to do. “It controlled the fire, kept it from spreading from the machine of origin, and extinguished the fire, keeping the grounds safer,” said Madziarek. The company opened the next day, and an estimated $10 million dollars was saved in potential production losses. There were no injuries.
Source: Ken Madziarek, Fire Chief, Huntley Fire Protection District
January 2017
Waste Management
DeKalb Fire Department
The fire sprinkler system in the recycling facility controlled a fire in the recycling materials sorting area until fire crews arrived for full extinguishment. No one was injured.
Daily Chronicle
IKEA
Schaumburg Fire Department
A single fire sprinkler contained a fire that was believed to be caused by a shorted electrical cord for a syrup machine in the first-floor food court. The building engineer was able to extinguish the small remaining flames with a fire extinguisher and there was only $4,000 in damage estimated.
Michael Rons, Fire Marshal,
Schaumburg Fire Department
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
Bartlett Fire Protection District
A single fire sprinkler held a fire in place that was caused by a large commercial dryer in the laundry room of the Hindu place of worship. Damage was limited to the dryer and smoke damage was limited to the immediate area. No one was injured and occupants were able to return to the building with little disruption to normal activities.
“The fire sprinkler and alarm system worked the way the systems are designed. The alarm notified the occupants and the fire sprinkler system controlled the fire to keep it from spreading to the structure,” said Bartlett Fire Chief Michael Falese. “The building where the fire occurred is very large and unique. Without a fire sprinkler system, this could have been a very significant fire with millions of dollars of damage and a loss of a landmark facility. The BAPS staff is to be commended for their proper reaction to the activation of the fire alarm and the good maintenance of the fire protection systems.”
Mike Figolah, Assistant Fire Chief,
Bartlett Fire Protection District
State Beauty Supply
Rockford Fire Department
The sprinkler system in the store extinguished a fire caused by incense accidentally left burning. No one was in the store at the time of the fire and damage was limited to only $10,000.
“The damage was very well controlled by the sprinklers,” said arson investigator Mike Schnaper.
Rockford Register Star
Near North Village
Springfield Fire Department
The apartment building’s fire sprinkler system controlled a fire that began when someone set a blanket on fire in a fifth-floor hallway. No one was injured.
State Journal-Register
Crazy Buffet
Galesburg Fire Department
A single fire sprinkler helped extinguish a kitchen fire at the restaurant.
According to Fire Chief Tom Simkins in a news release, “Fire had started in a wok in the grill area. The manager attempted to extinguish the fire with three hand fire extinguishers. The hood system functioned properly and knocked the fire down on the grill. However, fire had extended outside the grill and was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.”
Register-Mail
Apartment Building
Peoria Fire Department
On New Year’s Day, the sprinkler system in the building fully extinguished a fire from overheated cooking oil, preventing any injuries from occurring.
Journal Star
October 2016
Dawn Foods
Manteno Community Fire Protection District
Before fire crews arrived on scene, a single fire sprinkler activated and contained a conveyor belt fire at the baking ingredients and products company.
Scott O’Brien, Fire Chief,
Manteno Community Fire Protection District
The Oakland Ghost Ship Fire with 36 fire deaths shows us what can happen when fire codes are not followed. Unfortunately, Chicago has a long list of historic multi-fatality fires that resulted in code changes. Here are just a few: Iroquois Theatre fire (602 deaths), La Salle Hotel fire (58 deaths) Our Lady of the Angels school fire (95 deaths), Paxton Hotel fire (19 deaths) and Wincrest Nursing Home fire (23 deaths).