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A chemist by the name of Ambrose Godrey is the first recognized person to patent a sprinkler system in 1723. Godfrey's system consisted of a cask of fire extinguishing liquid, usually water, containing a pewter chamber of gunpowder. The chamber of gunpowder was connected to a system of fuses which ignited the gunpowder, thus exploding the gunpowder and scattering the extinguishing liquid. In 1874 Henry S. Parmelee of New Haven, Connecticut, patented the first practical automatic sprinkler head which consisted of a perforated head containing a valve which was held closed against the water pressure by a heavy spring. The spring was held together by two metal eyes made from a low-fusing material. .
Parmelee was a pioneer is the field of sprinkler systems and some of his principles are still being used today. The Parmelee automatic sprinkler system was installed with a single riser to feed all floors, with the right size pipe, large enough to supply the greatest number of heads on any floor. Another principle still used today is the use of an alarm bell to tell when the sprinkler system is discharging. The alarm valve consisted of a check valve installed in the main riser with a lever connected to the hinged end of the check valve clapper. When water would flow through the check valve, the clapper would move the lever and set off the alarm. .
A building with a fire sprinkler system has many benefits and that is why sprinkler systems are so widely accepted. The biggest benefit of all is money. The cost for a sprinkler system in many office and institutional occupancies is about equal to what is spent on carpet and floor coverings. That averages out to $1.00 to $1.20 per square foot with the investment of a sprinkler system into a newly constructed building, you will gain many benefits. The first, and probably the most important, is the savings on insurance premiums. The International Organization of Standards says that a sprinkled high-rise would pay 47% less for building insurance premiums, and 43% less of insurance on its contents.
