The Chief Fire Officers’ Association has funded an analysis of the costs and benefits of fitting sprinklers in homes in the UK. The researchers found an economic case in favour of sprinklers for flats (apartments), care homes and most shared housing but not for individual houses. While the effectiveness of sprinklers is similar in many advanced economies, the value of a statistical life used to calculate the benefits of the lives saved varies widely. In the UK the figure is €2.1 million. Higher values are used in France, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The US figure is €6.0 million, at which value there is an economic (as well as moral) case for sprinklers in houses. bre_cba_residential_cfoa