First Ontario Home Project to include sprinkler systems

 MacKenzie Ridge Terraces, in Vaughan Ontario, is the first production home project in Ontario to include sprinklers as a standard feature, which fire departments and insurance companies have been advocating for years.

They will equip 136 executive townhomes and six semi-detached homes, with a fire-suppressant sprinkler system in each room plus a heat detection system installed in each garage and wired into the home’s smoke detector alarm system.

In addition, Co-operators Insurance has offered purchasers at Mackenzie Ridge a 10 per cent minimum reduction in insurance premiums because of the sprinkler system. Fire alarms and other fire safety features has opened the home insurance company to consider further premium discounts.

"This advocates what we have been encouraging for years," said Greg Patterson, "Which is to give incentives for building owners and residents who add fire safety measures and equipment to their fire safety plans."

John Caruso, Vaughan’s fire prevention officer, said 15 per cent of house fires in Vaughan last year started in the garage.

Click here to read Toronto Star article.

Shutgun’s New York College Campus Giveaway

On the heels of the Kerry Rose Fire Sprinkler Notification Act signed by governor Cuomo on July 25, Shutgun is issuing a Sprinkler Awareness Challenge to all New York College Campuses to enhance awareness among students and staff on proper sprinkler use and safety.

“This bill has heightened awareness around fire safety on college campuses,” said Greg Patterson, engineer and President of Shutgun. “We are challenging campus operators to take this bill one step further with our sprinkler awareness challenge."

Shutgun’s Sprinkler Awareness Challenge will offer a free Shutgun tool, along with demonstration videos and fire sprinkler FAQ document to every college campus in New York State. Managers can enter here to receive their free kit by mail. If interest persists, Shutgun will consider extending this offer to other Canadian and U.S. regions.

There are over 300 college campuses in New York State, most equipped with sprinkler systems. “Now that students are living with these devices, they should be made aware of how to treat them and the proper procedures around sprinkler safety,” said Patterson.  “We also want the staff to have the right tools in their kit in case a sprinkler emergency does occur.”

Though accidental fire sprinkler activations are rare, there are several well documented reports of sprinkler floods in college dorms.  The results range from thousands of dollars in water damage to hundreds of displaced students with disrupted schedules.

The Top examples of accidental sprinkler head activation in college dorms as;  Hanging Clothes (and other items) from the sprinkler head; Soccer balls; and Frisbees!

View a list of top college dorm sprinkler flood videos on twitter at #Shouldahadashutgun.

Shutgun Prez Talks Up International Success

President of Technicraft Product Design Inc., and co-inventor of Shutgun, Greg Patterson, was recently featured on a popular Business Podcast discussing Shutgun and its decision to go international, checklists for businesses working with distributors and the quality measures he has taken with his Canadian invention.
Click here to listen to the interview http://bit.ly/IntnlChecklist

 Here are some highlights:

 “Although we have the product made in China, we ship materials from Canada to use to ensure good quality.

 "I have built great relationships in the last 30 years with China so problems that other manufacturers have with using parts made in China, we’ve been able to avoid.

 “In 2007 the international fire sprinkler association estimated that the annual installation of fire sprinkler heads globally was 117 million. Only half of those were in north America.

 “Since 2010, we now have distributors in US, Canada, UK, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and we’re always looking for more!

 "The biggest surprise has been the value that various countries put on a life. Consequently, certain countries don't require sprinkler systems where we would."

Condo Flood Disaster Caused by Sprinkler Activation

BAY CITY, MI — Firefighters responded to report of fire at Bay City's Boathouse condominiums on Saturday, July 13, but found themselves dealing with a cascade of water instead.
At about 1:30 p.m., part of the sprinkler system inside the five-floor building at 1111 N. Water was activated. That apparently caused a large pipe in the building's foyer to burst, sending a cascade onto the floor, officials said.

Read More..

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2013/07/bay_city_firefighters_respond_1.html

Europe and Middle East bumping up Shutgun orders

 

Shutgun is pleased to expand on its international customer base through Total Fire Protection B.V. who is our distributor in Europe and Middle East. They have purchased additional 16 cases (or 640 shutguns) for their stock.

 Shutgun looks forward to assisting TFP who has been our distributor since August 2011 and have been a valued partner along with our other foreign distributors. 

BED BUG ISSUE HEATS UP

Hot new treatment poses concerns for sprinkler systems

With a current national resurgence of bed bugs, along with a decrease in effectiveness of treatments such as chemicals and pesticides, pest control companies are relying on a new technique called Heat Remediation to scourge the unruly pests.

The process relies on piping hot air into the room and heating its core temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48C) or higher, causing the bugs to inevitably reach their thermal ‘death point’.

While proven effective on bed bugs, the process of heat remediation does not come without its own fire and safety risks to the building’s sprinkler system.

 “This is essentially a convection oven effect, and could lead to triggering fire alarm sensors, or worse, damaging or setting off the sprinkler system,” said Greg Patterson, former engineer and co-inventor of the Shutgun, a sprinkler shut off tool designed for hotel, construction and emergency medical service industries. “If a sprinkler head is accidentally set off, you can also add water damage to your list of problems.”

 With heat remediation, it would take approximately 20 minutes heated at 46C to kill adult bugs, and over an hour to kill their eggs.

 “With temperatures reaching above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, there is concern that the sprinkler heads could potentially be damaged or set off by such an increase in temperature,” said Eli Scardoni, former Toronto District Fire Chief.

 “To avoid damage, it is standard practice to cover the sprinkler heads with insulated boxes while the temperature is closely monitored. However, it is wise to always have a backup plan in place in case the sprinkler is set off by the heat,” he said.

 Some people have rented industrial and thermal heaters in an attempt to mimic the heat remediation process. “What we don’t want is people trying it themselves and running into an insurance or fire safety issue if an accident does occur,” said Greg Grabow, President of Temp-Air, a Heat Remediation equipment supplier. “Being prepared is the most important thing.” 

 Shutgun is a one handed tool designed with a unique fusible link that will melt and release in a case of fire flare up allowing the sprinkler to operate as normal. This means it can be left in place and the building’s fire sprinkler system remains fully operational.

 

For more info on a University of Kentucky study to test concept of heat to remove bed bugs from hotel rooms, click here.

For article by National Fire Sprinkler Association and Westfield Insurance on threat of heat remediation to sprinklers, click here.

NURSING HOMES WISE TO AVOID SPRINKLER MISHAPS

 

We at Shutgun are happy and supportive of the government’s recent legislation to have all Ontario retirement homes and long-term care facilities equipped with an automatic water sprinkler system.

 
“This is truly great news for the safety of all senior and long term care residents in Ontario,” said Greg Patterson, fire sprinkler advocate and  co-owner of Shutgun.ca.
 

“However, along with the security and comfort that the sprinklers will provide, it comes with the inevitable mishaps and accidents that could create discomfort and confusion among retirement residents and for the nursing home.”

The new regulations will take effect January 1,  2014 and will call for more inspections, extra training for staff and a review of each facility’s fire safety plan.

“We are trying to encourage that each building’s plan includes a way to safety and quickly shut off each sprinkler’s water supply if an accident does occur,” said Greg Patterson.

 An accidental sprinkler discharge could not only create damage and confusion, but with water flowing at pressures up to 25  gallons per minute  it could flood a small unit in mere minutes.

 
“Once you have to start displacing residents as a result of water damage or cleanup, it becomes a much larger issue of cost and headaches for the nursing home manager,” said Patterson.
 

“As always, having a Shutgun on hand for single, sprinkler deactivation is the safest, fastest solution for building managers to avoid disrupting their residents and their operations.”