Fire Safety Tips from Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog

Need an adorable reminder to always put fire safety at the forefront of your fire protection strategy? If so, the Keep Kids Fire Safe Foundation has just what you need -- regular visits from Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, who has his own dedicated blog that gets updated regularly with tips and advice from Sparkles and his friends. Here's a recent tip that went up today from Sparkles.

 Sparkles the fire safety dog, created by the Keep Kids Fire Safe Foundation, was named USA Today's 2010 Most Heroic Dog.



Brothers Fire is a Iowa fire protection company that has been serving the region for over 10 years. You can learn more about Brothers Fire and the commercial and residential services we provide by visiting our website. You can also get in touch with us by calling (800) 607-2767.

Types of Fire Sprinkler Systems

When you think of a fire sprinkler system, you might think of the ceiling-mounted system that covers an area in water when it detects a fire. This is one system, called a wet pipe system, and it's automatic device that supplies pressurized water to the room or rooms a fire has been detected in.

Another type of fire sprinkler system is called a dry pipe system. This type of sprinkler system is used in buildings that are unheated, as well as in refrigerated coolers and other cooler areas. This system is the second most common, after the wet pipe system, but is more expensive to install and keep in good condition.

A third type of sprinkler system is known as a deluge system. With a deluge sprinkler system, the sprinklers are actually open, allowing a greater flow of water from the pipes to the affected area. This can help put out a larger area of fire than the previous two systems.

The pre-action system is meant to not only protect life and extinguish fires, but also protect property. These systems are used frequently in museums and in other places where rare or expensive materials are kept.

Interested in learning more about which type of sprinkler system is right for you? Get in touch with Brothers Fire, an experienced Iowa fire protection company with over 10 years of experience. You can reach us by phone at (800) 607-2767.

Fire Protection Technology from 3M used by NASCAR Drivers

Chemicals company 3M has long been a source of innovation, and for years, one of the areas they've done a lot of good work in has been the race car fire protection industry. Here, they've provided NASCAR drivers with the fire protection technology used in race cars, like its Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid. 

This fluid is now becoming more and more common in Iowa fire protection systems. When the need for fire protection is there but water or dry chemical suppression agents will damage important electrical systems, this can be used to help stop the spread of a fire, providing more time for those in a building to escape and protecting more property by the time the fire is extinguished.

Ready to learn more about Iowa fire protection company Brothers Fire? Call today at (800) 607-2767.

How Fire Protection Systems Work

The modern-day fire protection system is a far cry from the one that was available to Iowa businesses a few decades back. In the past, fire protection consisted of a fire alarm system and a suppression system that merely tried to control a fire long enough for firefighters to arrive and finish the job. Today's fire protection system also couples an alarm and suppression system, but nowadays, a suppression system has the potential to completely knock out a fire on its own.

The most common system used for suppression is the sprinkler system. This often utilizes water, though other types of suppression agents (such as foam or gas) can also be used. When a fire is detected, usually by the presence of smoke in the air, the fire alarm portion of the protection system is activated, and the suppression system attempts to control and extinguish the fire as quickly as possible.

Brothers Fire has been helping Iowa businesses with their fire protection needs for the past decade. Interested in learning more about how we can help? Get in touch today by visiting our website.

A Firefighter's Take on Sprinkler Systems

Rhett Fleitz, a firefighter for nearly 15 years, recently sat down for an interview with an Indiana-based fire protection company in which he was asked for his opinion on sprinkler systems. Fleitz's response?

"The statistics are staggering when you compare life loss and property loss in sprinkled and non-sprinkled buildings. It should be a no-brainer."

Fleitz is the writer for a fire service blog called The Fire Critic, where he examines the fire service industry, its tools, and its methods from a firefighter's perspective. Fleitz credits sprinkler systems for doing a lot of the work before firefighters even arrive, saying that the systems "do a great job of keeping fires contained to the room of origin if not putting them out completely."

Brothers Fire Protection can help you install a sprinkler system in your Minneapolis home or business. Such a system can prevent serious damage, and can save lives by containing or extinguishing fires. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help! (800) 607-2767.

Fire Protection Tip: Smoke Alarm Locations

Smoke alarms are inexpensive, but effective, tools that can help alert you to smoke that could be coming from a fire. In order for a smoke detector to do its job properly, however, it's important that it is placed in a location that both gives it the opportunity to detect smoke and alert someone to the potential danger of a fire. There are a few locations where smoke alarms are best placed.

• At least one on each floor of your home.
• One outside the door of every bedroom.

Be sure to change a smoke detector's battery at least twice per year. The recommended time to do so is during Daylight Savings time changes in the Fall and Spring. If you're changing your clock, also remember to change the battery on your smoke detector so that it's fully functional should you need it to do its job in an emergency.

Stay tuned to this blog for more fire protection industry news and tips, and be sure to contact Brothers Fire for your Minneapolis residential and commercial fire protection needs.