The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) on July 6 issued a safety alert for buildings equipped with residential fire sprinkler systems containing antifreeze solutions.

A recent fire fatality that prompted a research study and a series of fire tests has raised concerns over the potential for the antifreeze solution in a residential fire sprinkler system to ignite under certain situations.

According to the NFPA, any system that contains antifreeze should have the antifreeze drained from the system and replaced with water.

The NFPA is recommending that those who are responsible for a residence with a fire sprinkler system should have a fire sprinkler contractor test their system for antifreeze. It also advises against designing or installing any residential fire sprinkler system requiring antifreeze.

Antifreeze systems were first recognized and approved for use in residential occupancies in the 1989 edition of the NFPA fire sprinkler installation standards.

More information on the NFPA’s safety alert on antifreeze in residential fire sprinklers as well as a list of recommended actions that can be taken for systems containing antifreeze can be found at www.nfpa.org/antifreeze.

Anyone who believes they are affected by this alert is urged to contact their local building or fire official for more information.