What is the primary purpose of a fire sprinkler system?

The primary purpose of a fire sprinkler system is to extinguish fires. Fire sprinklers are designed to activate automatically when exposed to heat from a fire, releasing water to control or suppress the flames. This immediate response helps to mitigate fire damage, protect lives by providing occupants with more time to evacuate, and can often significantly reduce the need for extensive firefighting efforts by emergency services.

While containment, providing illumination, and alerting occupants are important aspects of overall fire safety, they do not represent the primary function of a fire sprinkler system. For example, some systems may be designed to contain fires by restricting the spread of flames, but they do not actively put the fire out like sprinklers do. Similarly, while fire alarms may alert occupants, they do not extinguish fires or suppress flames, which is fundamentally what a fire sprinkler system is engineered to do.