From 2nd March 2025, all new care homes will be required to install sprinkler systems, regardless of building height or number of floors. This amendment to Approved Document B follows extensive consultation and has been broadly welcomed across the fire safety community.
According to the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), care home residents are among the most vulnerable to fire-related injuries and fatalities due to factors such as mobility issues, cognitive impairment and advanced age. Fire Protection Association data also found that there were 485 fire incidents in care homes during 2023/24, reinforcing the role of sprinklers as a vital life-saving measure.
However, with this increased protection comes a related consideration. While sprinkler systems are designed to activate only under specific conditions and are extremely reliable, instances of accidental, malicious or non-fire activations do occur. These can result from vandalism, mechanical impact, overheating, freezing pipes, misuse during maintenance or even system faults. In these cases, the result may not be a fire-related injury, but water damage, and this can still lead to significant disruption and cost.
A single sprinkler head typically discharges around 55 litres of water per minute, although in practice flow rates can vary depending on system design and head type, with most standard heads operating in the 40–80 l/min range. Without prompt intervention, this can affect ceilings, floors, electrical systems and essential equipment. Even a brief delay can escalate the scale of damage, particularly in sensitive environments such as care homes, where flooding may displace residents or interrupt critical care services. While water damage is typically less severe than fire damage, it presents a different kind of risk that should not be underestimated.
Industry data shows that uncontrolled sprinkler discharge can quickly lead to significant restoration costs, often approaching £800 for every minute the sprinkler is left running. Average clean-up bills are reported to be around £28,000, with severe cases reaching far higher once structural repairs, electrical systems and resident services are taken into account. With water flowing at 55 litres per minute from a single head, the financial consequences of even a short delay can be substantial.
While concerns around accidental discharge or water damage have historically made some operators hesitant to adopt sprinklers, tools like the Quickstop help address these challenges directly. By enabling rapid control of water flow without shutting down the system, it helps remove one of the key objections to installation and supports wider acceptance of sprinklers in both regulated and non-regulated settings, such as retrofitting in care.
To address this, Safety Technology International offers the Quickstop Fire Sprinkler Tool, a dedicated solution designed to stop water discharging through a sprinkler head in seconds, without shutting down the wider sprinkler system. This tool can be applied quickly and easily by facilities teams, site staff or emergency responders, helping to reduce damage and restore control. It is compatible with both 15 mm (½″) and 20 mm (¾″) sprinkler heads and works across a broad range of types, including upright, pendant, sidewall, recessed, intact, damaged and sheared heads. The Quickstop is lightweight, reusable and tested to 350 PSI or 2400 KPA.
To support accessibility in an emergency, STI also offers protective Stopper® covers. These low-profile polycarbonate housings are available for indoor or outdoor use and help safeguard the tool from accidental damage, while ensuring visibility and availability when required. Their robust construction is well suited to high-traffic environments and areas vulnerable to tampering or misuse.
As sprinkler adoption increases across the care sector, the risk of unwanted water discharge also grows. Sprinklers remain essential for life safety, but preparedness for non-fire activations is becoming equally important. The Quickstop Fire Sprinkler Tool provides a simple, effective and practical way to mitigate damage when water is flowing unnecessarily, protecting both property and continuity of care.
