A fire sprinkler is the part of a fire sprinkler system that discharges water when the effects of a fire have been detected, such as when a predetermined temperature has been exceeded.
In 1812, British inventor Sir William Congreve patented a manual sprinkler system using perforated pipes along the ceiling. When someone noticed a fire, a valve outside the building could be opened to send water through the pipes.

Henry S. Parmalee

Henry S. Parmalee

Henry S. Parmalee, a piano maker from New Haven, Connecticut, invented a fire sprinkler system in 1874 to protect his piano factory. While other patents for fire sprinklers predated Parmalee's work, he is credited with the first practical automated sprinkler head.His piano company The Mathushek...

 of New Haven, CT created and installed the first automatic fire sprinkler system in 1874, using solder

Solder

Solder is a fusible metal alloy used to join together metal workpieces and having a melting point below that of the workpiece.Soft solder is what is most often thought of when solder or soldering are mentioned and it typically has a melting range of . It is commonly used in electronics and...

 that melted in a fire to plug holes in the otherwise open water pipes.