Sprinkler system saves school in fire

Fire crews from Carlton, London Road and Stockhill Fire Station were called to Nottingham Academy in Sneinton, Nottinghamshire, on Friday 17 March shortly after 2pm.

The small fire, which started in the nursery office, was contained, and extinguished by the school’s sprinkler system.

Watch Manager Wiggan said: “Upon arrival, we isolated the sprinklers and began the clean-up. The activation of the sprinklers resulted in significant water damage, we utilised the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) and a 70mm hose to divert the water out of the building, which helped prevent any further water damage.

“There was only slight fire damage to the room of origin at the school due to them having the correct sprinkler system in place. Without this, the fire could have spread rapidly and put the school at risk.”

219 primary and secondary schools were damaged by fire in 2021/22 in England, which is a 35% increase from 2020/21.

This week we are supporting the ‘Think Sprinkler’ national campaign run by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).

Sprinklers save lives and prevent the loss of critical community buildings including hospitals, schools, and care homes, so we are joining the NFCC and fire and rescue services across the country to raise awareness to ensure that sprinklers become mandatory in all buildings of this type.

You can learn more about national sprinkler week on the NFCC's website.