First Home Fire Sprinkler Week Set
"Fire sprinklers have been a U.S. model building code requirement since 2009, yet challenges to its adoption still exist. Taking action collectively will send a powerful message that fire sprinklers are widely accepted and must be embraced in every state," said NFPA Vice President of Outreach and Advocacy Lorraine Carli.
The Fire Sprinkler Initiative®, a, NFPA project, and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition® are initiating Home Fire Sprinkler Week™ from May 19 to May 25, 2019. This project asks safety advocates across the United States to host simultaneous events promoting home fire sprinklers.
Home fires claim the lives of seven people each day in the United States, according to NFPA. Home fire sprinklers can help eliminate these tragedies, but legislative barriers and a general lack of awareness of the technology have prevented its use in new homes. The week will help America's fire service and safety advocates take action in unison to raise national awareness of a fire sprinkler's life-saving ability, the backers say. They want to have the fire service and other safety advocates host at least one sprinkler-related activity throughout that week in all 50 states.
"The alarming number of home fire deaths and injuries each year should be on the radar of every decision maker and member of the media," said NFPA Vice President of Outreach and Advocacy Lorraine Carli, who is president of the coalition. "Through these events, we hope to illuminate the fire problem and its solution on a national scale. Fire sprinklers have been a U.S. model building code requirement since 2009, yet challenges to its adoption still exist. Taking action collectively will send a powerful message that fire sprinklers are widely accepted and must be embraced in every state."
NFPA reported that events are also expected to take place in Canada and the United Kingdom. Possible activities include hosting a side-by-side live burn/fire sprinkler demonstration and conducting a fire department open house featuring fire sprinkler information and sprinkler riser display.
The risk of dying in a home fire decreases by about 85 percent if sprinklers are present, and when sprinklers have been present, fires were kept to the room of origin 97 percent of the time, according to NFPA. It report that, in the event of a fire, typically only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire, leaving the rest of the house dry and secure. Roughly 89 percent of the time, just one sprinkler operates.
For more information about the coalition and home fire sprinklers, visit www.homefiresprinkler.org.