PRESS RELEASE
QUINCY, Mass. — In every community, home fires pose severe threat to residents as well as responding firefighters. Home fires can become deadly in as little as two minutes, allowing occupants minimal time to escape toxic smoke and intense heat. In response to this persistent public safety challenge, fire departments and safety advocates across North America will join forces from May 11-17 for Home Fire Sprinkler Week. Together, they will amplyfiy the critical message that fire is fast, sprinklers are faster.
The week will wrap up with the SprinklerSmarts live-stream event, scheduled for Friday, May 16, 10 am PT, 1 pm ET. National fire safety leaders will discuss the reasons why home fires are a threat to residents and responding firefighters, why it is vital to protect all new homes with fire sprinklers and the cost to communities when new homes are not protected, the effectiveness of fire sprinklers and fire safety hazards such as lithium-ion batteries and free resources to support the fire service.
The event is sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) and Fire Safety Research Institute, part of UL Research Institutes (FSRI). Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board of Puget Sound is supplying the demonstration trailer. The Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority will provide the fire suppression crew and equipment. The speakers include:
- James Boulanger, Patriot Fire Protection, NFSA Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Lorraine Carli, HFSC President/NFPA VP of Outreach and Advocacy
- Nicole Sanders, Research Amplification Lead, Fire Safety Research Institute, part of UL Research Institutes (FSRI)
- Chief Josh Waldo, Bozeman Fire Department, IAFC President
- Vickie Pritchett, Vice President, Advocacy & Outreach, NFSA, Host
NFSA President Shane Ray will conduct a live fire and sprinkler demonstration, highlighting how quickly a fire becomes deadly in the unsprinklered room compared to the room protected with a fire sprinkler. The winner of the SprinklerSmarts Feed the Firehouse drawing will be announced. The winner will be awarded a meal of their choice, valued at $1,000, to feed the firehouse.