Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
Free Resources Available to Fire Service
The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Fire Sprinkler Initiative and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) awarded the Maryland State Firemen’s Association with the 2016 Bringing Safety Home Award, presented at the Fire Sprinkler Coalition Chair Summit and HFSC May Board Meeting at NFPA Headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts.
The award recognizes fire service members and other safety advocates who use HFSC’s home fire sprinkler educational materials and Fire Sprinkler Initiative resources to ensure that decision-makers have accurate information as new or updated home fire sprinkler codes are considered.
Accepting the award on behalf of the association was Stephan Cox, chair of the association’s legislative committee, and Vice Chair Richard Smith. Both were influential in helping defeat a legislative bill that would have weakened the state’s sprinkler requirement. Under Cox’s leadership, Smith brought the Maryland fire service and interested parties together to defeat this legislation. Additional efforts were made to convene numerous panels at the bill’s hearing. Their willingness to work both sides of the legislative aisle while educating legislators on the importance of home fire sprinklers is a lesson in effective sprinkler advocacy.
This is the second time in five years that Maryland fire officials have received the Bringing Safety Home Award. In 2012, the first annual Bringing Safety Home Award was given to then-Maryland State Fire Marshal Bill Barnard who advocated for the adoption of Maryland’s statewide fire sprinkler requirement for all new one- and two-family homes.
Free Resources
For 20 years, HFSC has developed and provided comprehensive, non-commercial, educational materials that highlight the life safety benefits of protecting homes with fire sprinklers. HFSC’s mission is solely educational and its materials are available to everyone at no cost through HFSC’s website.
Free resources include a fire and sprinkler burn demonstration kit, fire safety education and presentation materials, a quick and easy guide to home fire sprinklers, fire safety and fire sprinkler technical reports, a vocational student program guide and course, and the Built for Life. Fire Department program tools.
All United States and Canadian fire departments that make home fire sprinklers an educational focus will be recognized as Built for Life Fire Departments. That could be as simple as adding sprinkler messages and materials to a department’s existing outreach, or as comprehensive as establishing an outreach program for local builders and developers. With the right information and tools, more fire departments can teach about sprinklers. HFSC has developed new resources to simplify any department’s sprinkler outreach – and they’re free of charge. Every Built for Life Fire Department will receive a fire and sprinkler burn demonstration kit, educational outreach materials, and a certificate of participation.
For a listing of previous award winners who were influential in their efforts to promote sprinklers, visit the Fire Sprinkler Initiative site at firesprinklerinitiative.org/advocacy-tools/safety-award.aspx. For more information about the Built for Life program and resources for the fire service industry, visit HFSC’s website at homefiresprinkler.org. For details about the Fire Sprinkler Initiative., a nationwide effort to require the use of home fire sprinklers and the adoption of fire sprinkler requirements for new construction, visit firesprinklerinitiative.org.
