With the recent release of the James Bond blockbuster “Casino Royale” on DVD, fire and life safety educators will have their work cut out for them once again. In the movie, a villain being chased by the famed secret agent pushes a button that sets off the entire airport fire sprinkler system. Of course, it's pure fantasy since no such button exists. However, moviegoers often take preposterous scenarios like this as real, fueling stubborn myths about fire sprinklers. “Every year we can count on Hollywood to produce yet another movie with special effects that misrepresent fire sprinkler technology and mislead audiences,” says HFSC Communications Manager Peg Paul. “The recurring myth that all sprinklers will go off at once is the most common of several misconceptions about home fire sprinklers.”

Before Bond, it was “The Incredibles” and before that, fake sprinkler action played a cameo role in a long list of big-budget movies: “Changing Lanes” with Ben Affleck, “The Matrix” with Keanu Reeves, “Die Hard” with Bruce Willis, Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” and “Sponge Bob Square Pants.”

The outlandish sprinkler stunts are intended to be humorous or heighten drama, and the scenes typically do draw laughs or gasps. But Paul says HFSC’s concern is when the phony scenes confuse the public, or even turn off homebuilders and homeowners who otherwise would be interested in the life safety technology for their homes.

Ironic “Bond-fire”
In an ironic twist to this particular Hollywood gaffe, a 45,000 sq. ft. Pinewood Studios film stage for “Casino Royale” was completely destroyed by fire in 2006 while the movie’s elaborate Venice set was being dismantled. The set was gutted and had to be rebuilt. The company unveiled the new stage in March 2007. According to BBC News, the fire was the second for the ill-fated set, which was originally built for a previous Bond thriller in 1977. The set structure was not equipped with fire sprinklers, BBC says.