Dear Editor:
In the early morning hours on July 6th, a fire broke out at a two-family home in the Greenville section of Jersey City, rapidly spreading to a second, attached two-family home. The fire department quickly arrived on the scene, but both two-story homes had already suffered heavy damage, leaving nine people homeless as the homes’ ruins will most likely have to be torn down completely.
Thankfully no one was injured, but the devastation was done.
In many cases, properly installed and maintained fire sprinklers control and possibly even extinguish a fire before the fire department even arrives on the scene, greatly reducing property damage. More importantly, the presence of fire sprinklers mitigates the risk to individuals affected by the blaze, including firefighters who battle the fire.
Fire sprinklers are the only proactive form of fire protection, providing firefighters the time they need to do their jobs effectively and as safely as possible, and helping to avoid potential tragedies.
David Kurasz