The fire safety services industry is alive and well.
The United States fire and life safety services industry generates an estimated $12 billion in annual revenues: $7 billion in design, fabrication and installation; $3 billion in repair, service, and inspection work; and $2 billion in alarm and detection systems installation. The industry is highly fragmented with estimates that there are 4,000-7,000 fire and life-safety service providers nationwide, with as many as 99% having less than $5 million in sales. AFPG's sales are in excess of $100 million.
The fire sprinkler industry has experienced and will continue to experience significant growth. The number of sprinkler heads installed annually has increased from 14 million in 1983 to 46 million in 2006, based on industry association statistics and manufacturer shipments. According to association statistics, the fire sprinkler industry has seen a considerable increase over the past 20 years installing 23 million sprinklers in 1986, 23 million in 1996 and 46 million in 2006. This equates to the market doubling in 20 years.
The installation, maintenance and inspection of fire suppression systems are mandated by Uniform Building Codes promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and International Code Council (ICC). Building codes are currently adopted at the state and city level. Most state and city governments have typically adopted model building codes, as adapted by the ICC. All single and multi-family homes and residences are now subject to local amendments and are required to install sprinkler systems by 2011. Each AFPG office designs its projects to be in adherence to the applicable code of the jurisdiction in which the project is located. Automatic fire sprinkler and early detection and alarm systems are proven to be the most effective means of reducing death and property loss in a fire. According to the NFPA, when sprinklers are present, the probability of dying in a fire is reduced by one-half to three-fourths, and the average property loss per fire is cut by one-half to two-thirds, compared to when sprinklers are not present.
In recognition of the proven effectiveness of fire and life-safety systems, an extremely favorable legislative environment is playing a key role in the growth of the fire sprinkler industry. Frequent high-profile fires at bars and nightclubs, nursing homes, high-rise buildings, and on college campuses are fueling new debate about further changes in building code requirements. AFPG does considerable work designing, fabricating, and installing fire sprinkler systems in nursing homes and college dormitories, for instance, both new construction and retrofit, due to changes in building codes.
