Have you ever noticed this fire alarm automatic sprinkler in Plainview? An interesting piece of history.
Frederick Grinnell was born in 1836 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA. In 1855, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Inventor, engineer, and industrialist. Grinnell created the first practical automatic fire sprinkler, which made an enormous contribution to fire safety. Earlier in his career, he was a draftsman, construction engineer, and manager for various railroad manufacturers. He designed and oversaw the construction of more than 100 locomotives. In 1869 he purchased a controlling interest in a company that manufactured fire-extinguishing apparatus. Grinnell licensed a sprinkler device patented by Henry S. Parmalee, then worked to improve the invention, and in 1881 patented the automatic sprinkler that bears his name. He continued to improve the device and in 1890 invented the glass disc sprinkler, essentially the same as that in use today. Such sprinklers are called le Grinnell in France. He secured some 40 distinct patents for improvements on his sprinklers and invented a dry pipe valve and the automatic fire-alarm system. In 1892, Grinnell organized the general fire extinguisher co., an amalgamation of several smaller companies, which became the foremost organization in its field of manufacture. Grinnell died in 1905 in his hometown of New Bedford.
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