Greater Manchester Sprinkler Activations April- June 2025

Scott Harrison, Senior Fire Safety Inspector at Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service, said

“Fire sprinklers provide communities with an essential layer of fire protection. Their effectiveness is demonstrated by their role in saving lives, reducing injuries, and safeguarding businesses from fire-related losses.”

Introduction

 Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) provided primary fire data from the ¹incident recording system and additional sources for the specified period, documenting cases where Automatic Water Suppression Systems (AFSS) were present and had an impact within Greater Manchester. The term AWSS refers to sprinklers and watermist systems.

(¹Incident recording system, after an emergency fire call, key incident details are entered daily into the IRS by the officer in charge.)

A sprinkler save (activation) is categorised as an event where one or more sprinkler heads have activated and contained, controlled, or, in some cases, extinguished a fire. This review further substantiates the role and advantages of AWSS within the built environment.

The review

 The incidents contained within this review provides additional evidence supporting the reliability and effectiveness of AWSS, aligning with findings from the report conducted by ²Optimal Economics and commissioned by the National Fire Chiefs Council and National Fire Sprinkler Network on the performance of sprinkler systems in controlling and extinguishing fires.

Key facts -13 incidents reported

• 8 AWSS activations were reported, including 5 involving watermist systems.
• The fire was:

1. extinguished on two occasions,
2. contained or controlled on five occasions,

• categorised as “other” once.
• 5 incidents where AWSS did not activate:

1. Insufficient heat to actuate the head,
2. Fire located outside system coverage,
3. Cause undetermined.

Custodial premises and watermist

 The data in Table 1 is consistent with the ³Sprinkler Saves Review 2024/2025, showing that water mist systems are more commonly used than traditional sprinkler systems in custodial premises.

Between 2018/19 and 2023/2024, data obtained through a freedom of information request from teams compiling primary fire incident data for England, Scotland, and Wales indicate that there were 298 recorded incidents in custodial premises where automatic water suppression systems (AWSS) had an impact. Of these, water mist systems accounted for 255 activations, while sprinkler systems accounted for 43. The data does not specify whether the water mist incidents involved mobile units or fixed installations.

Incidents AFSS reported as present, having an impact

Supplementary evidence provided by GMFRS allowed full reviews to be completed for 2 incidents

1. Oldham supermarket sprinkler activation, a  fire occurred in a refuse bin in the undercroft car park (21000m²) and was controlled after one sprinkler head activated; firefighters extinguished it with a water backpack. Following instructions from the incident commander, the system was isolated, and the store stayed closed until the sprinkler system was reinstated.
2. Stalybridge papermill sprinkler activation, three pumping appliances, one hose layer, and an aerial platform responded to a fire at a paper mill. The incident commander identified that the fire was located on the first floor of a two-storey building and had been contained after four sprinkler heads from the premises’ sprinkler system were activated. 4x Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were committed who proceeded to.

• Extinguish the fire with firefighting media (hose reel jets)
• Ventilate the building by removing roof tiles

The outcome of this incident for the business may have been substantially different had the sprinkler system not been installed and activated, as it played a crucial role in limiting the fire’s spread. This provided the GMFRS with essential time to implement a tactical response plan and establish a water supply to effectively extinguish the fire. The onsite private hydrants had been decommissioned, and the nearest public water hydrants were not near the premises.

For context, in August 2021, a non-sprinklered warehouse fire in ⁴Coventry reported by the Business Sprinkler Alliance required ten fire appliances and seventy firefighters to suppress the blaze, which ultimately destroyed the Ram Enterprise building at Prologis Park. The structure was demolished four days after the incident

Conclusion

These two incidents provide further evidence that the main functional objectives of a sprinkler system were achieved.

• Reducing the rate of production of heat and smoke limiting fire growth and ultimately containing and controlling and, in some cases, extinguish the fire.
• Prevented a potentially extended incident that could have required considerable resources from GMFRS and impacted routine operations.
• Limited the development of the fire, facilitating search and rescue efforts by firefighters and reducing risk to personnel.
• Averted the complete loss of the building due to fire.

Sources/further reading. 

• ²Efficiency and Effectiveness of sprinkler systems in the United Kingdom: An Analysis from Fire Service Data
• ³Sprinkler Saves Review 2024/25, This review showcases just how essential AWSS, including sprinklers and watermist systems, are in safeguarding our communities from the devastating effects of fire
• Sprinkler Saves Summer Update No 8
• ⁴Business Sprinkler Alliance, fire destroys Coventry warehouse storing household products
• GMFRS, Benefits of sprinklers
• GMFRS works with Biffa to highlight the benefit of sprinklers