To the Editor:

Should any person doubt the effectiveness of fire sprinklers in the wake of the fire in Guilderland [at Regency Park Apartments on Jan. 31], the statistic below should settle the debate.

To date, the United States has never seen a multiple loss of life due to fire in a structure that has a fully installed and properly maintained fire-sprinkler system. Also, statistics show that automatic fire sprinkler systems and smoke detectors cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 82 percent, relative to having neither present.

I bring this to your attention because this recent fire could have been a devastating tragedy since the building was not equipped with fire sprinklers.  We remind you that fire sprinklers provide added protection for New York¹s most vulnerable populations, including children and elderly and disabled citizens, who are often without the capabilities to escape in the event of a fire.

Research shows that fires can double in size every second, and can overtake a room in as little as two minutes. Fire sprinklers are tremendously effective in preventing loss of property and, most importantly, loss of life.

I urge you to learn more about how you can protect yourself, your family, and your home by visiting www.HomeFireSprinkler.org. How prepared would you be if fire struck where you live?

Fire sprinklers save lives, lifestyles, property, and our environment.

With 140 years of proven fire sprinkler success history, including 40 years of residential fire-sprinkler success history behind us, it seems very odd that the New York State Code Council is taking the path to delete the fire-sprinkler requirements from the 2015 International Residential Code during Ney Wor’ss adoption of that code.

Dominick G. Kasmauskas

National Fire Sprinkler Association

New York Regional Manager

Rotterdam