Automatic sprinklers are highly effective and reliable elements of total system designs for fire protection in buildings. In 2003-2007, sprinklers operated in 93% of all reported structure fires large enough to activate sprinklers, excluding buildings under construction and buildings without sprinklers in the fire area. When sprinklers operate, they are effective 97% of the time, resulting in a combined performance of operating effectively in 91% of all reported fires where sprinklers were present in the fire area and fire was large enough to activate them. The combined performance for the more widely used wet pipe sprinklers is.
