The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Reliable Sprinkler Heads in Detention Centers

2002

Hello,

I work at the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Richmond, Virginia, in the Maintenance Department. We have juvenile inmates in the cells which have Reliable Sprinkler Heads (25ZXQR) in each cell. The problem is, the inmates keep knocking off the heads and causing a flood in the rooms. We are unable to put a screen or a cage around the head because it would provide a suicidal object and would decrease the water flow. Is there a special head that we could use or a special device or guard to cut back on the amount of heads knocked off?

Thank you,

Jennifer Cline
Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center - Richmond, Virginia, USA

---

Recess the heads into the ceiling as much as possible. Consider a floor flange for say 2" pipe milled down as required for a safe spray. This would be screwed to the ceiling with long screws or Tapcons for concrete.

A strong deterrent would be to shut the heat off for safety precautions and open all of the outside doors to properly dry the floors--Safety you know! The wet little darlings will think twice before doing it again as it surely is cold in VA most of the time now. Set up a fan outside of the cell. No sense risking a guard on a wet floor to mop up and you certainly could not give a weapon (mop handle) to an inmate dumb enough to break a safety device. If it is really cold, most of them will wait for summer before getting carried away any time soon.

Name Witheld
- FL
2003

Can the heads be installed higher so as to make it more difficult for the inmates to reach and damage them. Mr. Withheld's advise of recessing the heads is a good one also. However, I hope you disregard his deterrent measure. Risking intentionaly giving a serious illness to one of the misguided souls is not humane..nor is it the answer to your problem. Especially when you are named in the lawsuit that will surely follow such inexcusable action.

Benjamin Mathis
- York, Pennsylvania
2003