Illinois Joins Nationwide Virtual Campaign to Address Home Fire Problem

 

HFSW Logo 2020

Orland Park, IL (May 14, 2020) – According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a home fire can become deadly in as little as two minutes. That is largely due to the fact that today’s common synthetic furnishings burn hotter and faster and produce deadly toxic smoke when compared with the natural-material furnishings of decades ago. Although the number of home fires has come down over the years, residents are more likely to die if they have a home fire today than they were in 1980.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly evident through news coverage that stay-at-home mandates are in direct correlation with an increase in home cooking fires. This emphasizes the importance of the need to educate about fire safety, including fire sprinklers in new homes. Home fire sprinklers can help eliminate these unneeded tragedies.

The Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB), along with other members of the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition, will virtually spread the word about the lifesaving benefits of home fire sprinklers during Home Fire Sprinkler Week, May 17 – 23. The North American-wide virtual campaign is a project of the NFPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC).

Throughout the week, fire departments and fire safety groups across the U.S. will access digital content at the Home Fire Sprinkler Week website and encourage their audiences to read and share daily home fire safety messaging. They will be posting home fire sprinkler videos, graphics and other information on their websites, through social media and via local news outlets.

According to Erik Hoffer, executive director, NIFSAB, home fire sprinklers have been in national model codes since 2009. More than 110 towns and fire districts in Illinois require home fire sprinklers installed in all new construction.

“During the week, we recognize elected officials, fire chiefs and members of the fire service who played a role in requiring fire sprinklers in new homes,” Hoffer said. “We want the public to understand how home fire sprinklers work and why they are vital in protecting residents and first responders. We hope to someday see a day when every new home built in Illinois and nationwide is protected with home fire sprinklers.”

For a list of Illinois towns and fire districts protected with home fire sprinklers visit: https://homelifesafety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NIFSAB-13D-Ordinance-Towns-B.pdf

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2023-06-05T16:07:17-05:00May 14th, 2020|Comments Off on Illinois Joins Nationwide Virtual Campaign to Address Home Fire Problem

Nominations now being accepted for NFPA, HFSC Bringing Safety Home Award

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DEADLINE: April 3, 2020

March 25, 2020 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) are accepting nominations for their Bringing Safety Home Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts by a safety advocate who diligently promotes the importance of home fire sprinklers.

The Bringing Safety Home Award honors members of the fire service and other fire sprinkler advocates in North America who use HFSC educational material, NFPA data, and NFPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative resources to educate decision-makers on home fire sprinklers. These efforts are aimed at educating the public and policy makers to increase the use of home fire sprinklers in new homes. The award winner will receive a $1,000 grant to further fire sprinkler advocacy and educational efforts in their area.

“This year, many communities have successfully taken steps to get fire sprinklers in new homes,” says Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy and HFSC president. “We are progressively seeing more and more jurisdictions embracing this technology thanks to the dedication of fire sprinkler advocates who educate on the life-saving ability of fire sprinklers. These passionate safety advocates are effectively showing the life-saving benefits of fire sprinklers and they should be a necessity in all new homes to protect citizens and first responders alike.”

According to NFPA research, the risk of dying in a reported home fire is 85 percent lower if sprinklers are present.

Visit NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Initiative website for more information. NFPA and HFSC are accepting nominations at Bringing Safety Home Award Form through April 3, 2020.

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2023-06-22T14:45:04-05:00March 27th, 2020|Comments Off on Nominations now being accepted for NFPA, HFSC Bringing Safety Home Award

HFSC Increases Stipend Offer. Now 60 U.S. Fire Departments Will Receive $500 For Local Home Fire Sprinkler Education

Burn Demonstration

Stipends can be used to build or refurbish a side-by-side burn demonstration.

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The deadline to apply is March 6, 2020.

February 17, 2020, Frankfort, IL – The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) has increased the number of $500 stipends offered to U.S. fire departments thanks to additional donations from HFSC founding members American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA). The original program offered 20 stipends through grant funding from State Farm. HFSC’s founding members stepped up their contributions to further support the fire service. The stipends will be awarded to qualifying fire departments to support local community outreach.

The stipends are being rolled out ahead of Home Fire Sprinkler Week, which will take place across North America May 17-23, 2020. Co-Sponsored by HFSC and the NFPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative, the week emphasizes the dangers of home fires to residents and firefighters and promotes the importance of building new homes with automatic fire sprinklers.

The stipends will help fire departments of any size or type conduct educational demonstrations. The funds can be used to build a portable, full-scale home fire sprinkler riser display, build or refurbish a side-by-side home fire sprinkler and flashover unit or produce an educational banner. HFSC has comprehensive online guidelines that describe materials, construction and outreach strategies to create these powerful and reusable teaching resources.

“With fire service activities concentrated on these important points during a single week each year, we are able to significantly boost interest and awareness among the public, the media and local officials,” says HFSC President Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA. “This is essential because eight of 10 fire deaths in the U.S. occur in home fires.”

Although the number of reported fires has decreased over the past 40 years, you are more likely to die in a fire today than you were in 1980. “Today’s home fires burn hotter and faster yet loss can be significantly reduced with sprinklers,” Carli adds. “We could practically eliminate fire deaths in future years if every home had sprinklers.”

To qualify, applicants must be current members of the free Built for Life Fire Department Program (BFLFD), developed by HFSC in the 1990s to help the fire service improve local home fire sprinkler education. They will also be required to describe their plan to use and evaluate their awards. Join the BFLFD Program and apply for a stipend. The deadline to apply is March 6, 2020.

A similar stipend program is under way in Canada, with underwriting from HFSC’s Canadian partner The Co-Operators.

Now in its third year, Home Fire Sprinkler Week has become popular with fire departments in the US and Canada and HFSC anticipates widespread participation again in 2020. “The public education work the fire departments will do with these valuable stipends is essential and it will help make Home Fire Sprinkler Week 2020 an educational and motivational success,” Carli says. “We are appreciative of the strong support of the fire service, the HFSC Board of Directors, and our partners State Farm and The Co-Operators.”

Learn more about Home Fire Sprinkler Week and follow HFSC activities on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HFSCorg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homefiresprinklercoalition/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/HFSCorg and in Canada https://twitter.com/HFSCinCanada

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2023-06-22T14:41:59-05:00February 17th, 2020|Comments Off on HFSC Increases Stipend Offer. Now 60 U.S. Fire Departments Will Receive $500 For Local Home Fire Sprinkler Education
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