In the event of a fire, every minute counts. The current extinguishing system statistics from the bvfa – Federal Association of Technical Fire Protection eV for 2025 once again show the high efficiency of automatic extinguishing systems. In 84 percent of reported cases, one or two sprinklers were sufficient to extinguish fires, and another 6 percent were extinguished with three to five sprinklers. This clearly refutes the often widespread assumption that sprinkler systems trigger across the board.
Precise technology minimizes damage
Selective triggering of the systems is crucial for success. In the event of a fire, only the sprinklers in the immediate vicinity of the source of the fire open. This means that water consumption remains low – significantly lower than in a classic firefighting attack. At the same time, the statistics show: 93 percent of the systems activated automatically, 78 percent of them during working hours. This underlines the ability to react quickly when fires occur and the high reliability of the technology.
Growing importance in timber construction
The advantages of sprinkler technology are becoming particularly important in modern timber construction. In multi-storey wooden residential buildings and special buildings, they make it possible to meet regulatory requirements arising from the combustibility of the material. A prominent example is the wooden hybrid high-rise “Roots” in Hamburg, which could only be approved thanks to a redundant sprinkler system. At the same time, architectural scope opens up for visible wooden surfaces in the interior.
Industry remains a high-risk area
The distribution of fire risks remains largely constant. Computer systems, electrical switchgear and machine tools are particularly affected. Accordingly, the risks are concentrated in metal processing at 30 percent and the automotive industry at 18 percent. The choice of extinguishing systems is differentiated: carbon dioxide extinguishing systems dominate with 64 percent in protecting machines, inert gas systems with 30 percent in room protection. In addition, synthetic extinguishing gases are used in sensitive IT environments.
Long-term data basis with meaningful information
Since 2006, the bvfa has been recording reported extinguishing successes of stationary extinguishing systems (in comparison, the 2022 statistics). The data is based on voluntary reports from operators, installers and manufacturers and does not represent complete monitoring. Nevertheless, continuous data collection allows reliable conclusions to be drawn about typical fire risks, areas of application and the effectiveness of modern extinguishing technology.