15 Dec 2008

Fire service says NZ buildings lack sprinker systems

5:35 pm on 15 December 2008

The Fire Service says only a fraction of commercial buildings in New Zealand are equipped with sprinkler systems.

It says only 2,400 buildings out of about 24,000 have sprinkler systems.

Under the Building Code, sprinkler systems are not compulsory for commercial buildings.

A Mitre 10 store in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga was extensively damaged by fire on 8 December. The building had no sprinkler system.

In the event of a fire, national fire risk director Paula Beever says a business could be up and running again within a day if it had a sprinkler system. Jobs could also be saved in many cases.