Fire Alarms and Sprinkler System

After the incident last week, I was curious about our fire alarms and sprinkler systems. What sets them off? How can we turn them off? I guess it's better to ask these questions now instead of when something happens.

Between research on the Internet, personal experience, and asking Jenni, I think I have a good idea of how this system works.

It seems the smoke alarms and sprinkler systems are on two different systems. The smoke alarms sense smoke and alert you, but do not set off the sprinklers. The sprinklers are activated by heat. The little red glass tubes, that you see in the picture, will break when heated by flame. This releases water onto the fire. Only the areas affected by heat and flames will release water. (I can't say I'm 100% sure of this, but I'm guessing I'm right)

This sets off the building's alarms and alerts the fire department. They are the only ones who can turn off the sprinklers.

Let's face it, almost everything in this building is made of stone, metal, glass or drywall. There's not too much to worry about with fire in this building, but after last week, I guess we do have to think about water damage. It would probably take a good 10-15 minutes before the water is turned off, and in the mean time, all your stuff is soaked.

As Jenni suggested, you might want to carry renter's insurance or condo insurance just to be on the safe side.