ABSTRACT
AT or around 1813, the portable fire extinguisher was in-vented by a Virginian named George Manby. In stating his purpose for the invention, he remarked that “a small quantity of water, well directed and early applied, will accomplish what, probably, no quantity would effect at a later period” [1]. This idea embracing early extinguishment, carrying with it the inherent curtailing of the extent of water damage, fostered the idea for the invention of the automatic fire sprinkler. Another American, Henry S. Parmalee, wished to protect his own piano factory. To accomplish this to his satisfaction, he successfully created the automatic fire sprinkler, prior to the existence of automobiles, in 1864.1
The operation of that sprinkler was heat-actuated, as are fire sprinklers today. The sprinkler, tied into a system of piping that holds water under pressure, contains an operating element that will melt or burst when its temperature is raised to a specific point (usually around 160◦F). Water from that sprinkler is then released directly over the heat source. Today, in step with the original theory, “depending on the intensity of the fire, a sprinkler head will activate in one minute or less, containing the fire . . .” [2].
