CFR & Building Safety Partner with Builder to Make Community Safer

Published on June 30, 2020

CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne Fire Rescue and Building Safety Departments are proud to work with a local contractor to make a newly constructed home safer. The first single family home in Cheyenne to be constructed with residential fire sprinklers, in the Sweetgrass development, was inspected today. This cooperation of public and private partners will set a new level of safety within the community. This is exciting news for the community as well as the local contractors who made this possible, without the support of the builder and contractors this opportunity would not exist. 

Every second counts when a fire happens and the installation of Residential Fire Sprinklers allows for the safe escape of the occupants, before the fire is too intense. With modern furnishings and materials, flashover -- when virtually everything in a room catches on fire – typically occurs in about five minutes. In contrast, fire departments typically take 9-12 minutes to arrive after a fire has been reported. Firefighters will have to use high pressure hoses, applying water at 125 gallons per minute, or more.

Fire sprinklers work so fast that they often put out a fire before the fire department arrives, typically activating within a minute or so of the fire starting. Home fire sprinklers typically flow less than 15 gallons per minute. In most cases, fires are extinguished or contained with only one or two sprinklers. Studies show that fires in sprinklered buildings typically use 80-90 percent less water than fires in un-sprinklered buildings. These low flow demands often allow sprinklers to connect directly to the home water supply.

The national average for a residential fire sprinkler system cost is about $1.35/sq. ft. (source: National Fire Protection Association and The United States Fire Administration). Installing a sprinkler system has the potential to lower insurance rates.

We are pleased to be part of this great opportunity, and can’t wait to see the finished product, as well we are excited for the new homeowner to move into this home. 

For more information about Residential Fire Sprinklers, call Cheyenne Fire Rescue at 307-637-6311.

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