The summer holiday is a good time to outline the benefits of a sprinkler tank. August is a prime month for fires in schools. And in the UK, fires in educational buildings are on the rise. In London alone, they have risen by more than 30 per cent in the last year.

London Fire Brigade believes the time has come for sprinkler systems to be made compulsory in all schools. An automatic sprinkler system with a sprinkler tank offers advanced fire safety to high risk buildings.

Last year there were 90 fires in London schools. The 34 per cent rise followed incidents across the educational board. Fires were reported in:

Nurseries
Pre-schools
Primary schools
Secondary schools
Colleges

How a sprinkler tank can prevent major damage

According to London Fire Brigade’s latest Fire Facts report, the trend is set to continue. It is calling for sprinklers to be made compulsory in all new school builds. It also wants all schools to be retrofitted with sprinklers during major refurbishments. A staggering 184 schools ignored the advice when their buildings were refurbished last year.

Because many fires in schools happen during the summer holiday, they take longer to detect. This means buildings are already damaged before emergency services are called. When you consider the cost to the public purse, a sprinkler system with a sprinkler tank makes sense.

A sprinkler tank stores water specifically to fight fires. This water is available around the clock, 365 days a year. It reduces damage and gives anybody in a building more time to get out.

Strong words from London Fire Brigade

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said: “The Government should do their homework and realise that millions of pounds are wasted every year repairing fire damage in London’s schools when sprinklers could have prevented the spread of fire.

“This is not just about saving money; when a school is closed it disrupts a child’s education and affects parents by closing breakfast and after-school clubs.”

Want to find out more about the benefit of a sprinkler tank? Talk to Nationwide Water Solutions, the UK’s leading independent supplier of sprinkler tanks. The company also provides maintenance and repair solutions.