External Sprinklers for Wildfire Defense

With the increasing frequency, intensity, and severity of wildfires leading to conflagration, there is a growing need to develop mitigation strategies for homeowners to meaningfully reduce their risk profile. Extensive experimental testing and post-fire analyses have determined the vulnerability of a home from embers, radiant heat, and flames. While mitigation actions have been developed to reduce these vulnerabilities, new alternatives have entered the market employing existing technology for internal fire suppression to protect structures externally from wildfire. These external sprinkler systems have been a topic of much debate, yet limited methodical research exists on their real-world effectiveness. Before their mass adoption, many unknowns about external sprinkler systems as a defense against wildfire need to be addressed with research.