Maryland Leads by Example:

What 16 Years of Fire Data and 20 Years of National Research Say About Residential Automatic Fire Sprinklers

Terin Hopkins

NFSA Manager of Public Fire Protection

Across the country, residential fires remain one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the home. But one state stands out for its bold legislative action, consistent leadership, and clear data: Maryland.

In 2012, Maryland enacted a statewide residential fire sprinkler mandate for all new one- and two-family dwellings. The results since then have been profound, and they mirror national findings that make the case for automatic residential fire sprinklers in homes as powerful as ever.

🔥 What Maryland’s Fire Fatality Reports Reveal

Maryland’s 2024 Fire Fatality Report shows an encouraging trend: fire deaths are decreasing, with seventy-three deaths reported in 2024 compared to eighty-four in 2023, a 13.1% drop. But 79% of those deaths still occurred in residential properties, and the vast majority happened in older homes built before the 2012 mandate that did not have residential fire sprinklers.

More alarming:

• Working smoke alarms were present in 14 Maryland fatal fires!
  • Today’s modern-day fires are burning faster and producing two hundred times the amount of toxic smoke than legacy fires.
  • Approximately seventy of the seventy-three deaths were caused by smoke and/or thermal burns.
• The 2024 Maryland Fire Fatality Report does not show any fire fatalities occurring in sprinkled residential structures.

This distinction is critical. The law is working but only for homes built after the 2012 mandate.

📊 A National Perspective: Two Decades of Data

To put Maryland’s experience in context, we turn to the national data compiled by the United States Fire Administration’s (USFA) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), from 2004 to 2023 on fire sprinkler performance in one- and two-family homes, the very dwellings targeted by Maryland’s law.

Here is what the national data shows:

• From 2004–2023, there were 6,512 documented residential fires in sprinkler-equipped homes.
• In 2,841 cases, the sprinklers operated and effectively controlled the fire.
• Another 2,040 fires were so small that sprinklers were not needed, and they never activated.
• In homes where sprinklers operated, 87% of fires were confined to the object or room of origin, preventing flashovers, a non-survivable event, and allowed time for safe escape.

Critically, sprinkler-controlled fires activated just one or two sprinkler heads 91% of the time, dispelling the myth that sprinklers soak entire homes unnecessarily.

💥 The Life-Saving Difference: 92.6% Reduction in Fire Deaths

The national data reveals the most compelling fact yet:

Automatic residential fire sprinklers reduce fire deaths by more than 92% when present and operational.

• Without sprinklers: one death per 104 fires
• With sprinklers: one death per 1,421 fires

This is not a minor improvement; it is a transformational breakthrough.

Once again, Maryland stands out as a national leader in fire safety. Over the past two decades, the state has recorded 367 confirmed residential sprinkler activations in one- and two-family homes, second only to California. Notably, California and Maryland are the only two states to adopt the International Residential Code (IRC), a minimum safety requirement mandating fire sprinklers in all newly constructed homes.

Maryland’s impressive performance reflects its early adoption of local sprinkler ordinances, which laid the groundwork long before the 2012 statewide mandate took effect.

👩‍🚒 Firefighter Safety

From 2019 to 2024, Maryland experienced several tragic firefighter fatalities that occurred while battling unsprinklered residential structure fires, highlighting the significant risks these environments pose not only to residents but also to emergency responders.

However, the 2024 Maryland Fire Fatality Report focuses solely on civilian fire deaths and does not account for firefighter fatalities during this period. This gap in reporting presents an incomplete picture of the full cost of residential fires. Including firefighter fatalities, injuries to both civilian and emergency responders, property loss, and the cost of these devastating fires.

Future analyses should provide a more accurate assessment of fire-related risks and further emphasize the importance of Automatic residential fire sprinklers, which reduce fire intensity, improve visibility, and significantly enhance firefighter safety during operation.

Property Protection

While automatic residential fire sprinklers are primarily designed to protect lives, their property protection benefits are equally significant, and the data proves it. Between 2014 and 2023, homes equipped with automatic residential fire sprinklers experienced an average property loss of just 3.6% of the home’s value, with a remarkable 96.4% save ratio, meaning all of the home’s value remained intact after a sprinkler-controlled fire. During that same period, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) reported 2,285,800 fires in one- and two-family homes, resulting in 21,950 deaths and 71,350 injuries, equating to one death for every 104 fires.

However, in homes where sprinklers were present, activated, and effective, only two fire deaths were recorded, representing a 92.6% reduction in fire fatalities. These figures underscore that fire sprinklers are not only essential for life safety but also critical for preserving property and minimizing overall loss.

🔥 Maryland’s Fires Without Sprinklers: A Case Study in Missed Opportunity

Based on the 2024 Maryland Fire Fatality Report, it is clear that residential fires in homes without fire sprinklers continue to be the deadliest across the state. Despite progress in public education and smoke alarm outreach, the absence of residential fire sprinkler systems remains a critical factor in fatal outcomes. The report highlights the following:

• Seventy-nine percent of all fire fatalities in 2024 occurred in residential properties, primarily in one- and two-family dwellings with the remaining twenty-one percent in non-residential structures.
• No reported fatalities occurred in sprinkler-protected homes built after Maryland’s 2012 statewide mandate for residential sprinklers.
• Working smoke alarms were confirmed in thirteen fatal fires, further emphasizing the need for layered protection.
• They occurred entirely in homes without sprinkler systems.

This pattern, paired with the national performance data, reinforces the urgent need to retrofit older homes or at minimum, to ensure that future construction does not reverse the progress made under Maryland’s landmark 2012 legislation.

🚫 Why Are We Not Doing More?

Despite the overwhelming evidence, challenges remain:

• Myths persist, including fears about accidental activation and water damage.
• Upfront costs, even when modest, can deter voluntary retrofits.
• Older homes, where the risk is highest, are exempt from the 2012 law unless they undergo major renovations.

Yet the solutions are within reach. Local jurisdictions can:

• Offer incentives for retrofitting, such as rebates, reduced tax rates, or insurance premiums.
• Include sprinklers in affordable housing projects and rebuilds.
• Use education campaigns to debunk myths and show real-world success stories, especially from Maryland’s own record.

✅ The Path Forward: Making Maryland a National Fire Safety Model

Maryland already leads sprinkler adoption, but the goal should now be universal protection.

The data is clear:

• Residential fires are the deadliest type of structure fire.
• Fire sprinklers are the most effective tool to prevent fire deaths.
• Maryland’s law is working, but it only applies to homes built since 2012.

We must:

• Expand awareness and enforcement of sprinkler mandates.
• Support retrofits in existing homes, particularly in vulnerable communities.
• Improve data collection to document sprinkler presence, activation, and effectiveness.
• Continue investing in layered approaches to life safety with smoke alarm programs, education but not as a substitute for automatic residential fire sprinklers.

Together, these efforts will ensure that every Marylander, regardless of when their home was built, has the best possible protection from fire.

🔚 Final Thoughts

Maryland’s data, when viewed alongside national trends, makes the argument stronger than ever: residential sprinklers save lives. They work. And it is time we treat them as essential, not optional.

More about the Author:

Terin Hopkins has over 40 years of experience in public safety and is currently the Manager of Public Fire Protection for the National Fire Sprinkler Association. He represents NFSA on many NFPA and UL technical committees, including NFPA 14 Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems.

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