Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
Support the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign to Promote Residential Fire Sprinklers
The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) has partnered up with the American Red Cross again in 2019 to support their annual Home Fire Preparedness Campaign.
Launched in 2014, the Red Cross’ Home Fire Preparedness campaign has installed more than one million smoke alarms in homes across the country. Now, AFSA and its Public Education & Awareness Committee will take this one step further by not only educating the public on having life-saving measures in place in the home, but also educating them on home fire sprinklers as the ultimate protection of their lives and property.
Each year, the Red Cross responds to nearly 64,000 disasters, the vast majority of which are home fires. So, the American Red Cross set a goal to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries in the United States by 25 percent by 2020. To date, Red Cross has documented 552 lives saved, 672,885 houses made safer, and over 1.5 million smoke alarms installed! On average:
- Seven people die every day from a home fire – that’s more than 2,500 people a year.
- Thirty-six people suffer injuries as a result of home fires every day – that’s more than 13,000 people a year.
- Over $7 billion in property damage occurs every year.
A critical part of the campaign is “Sound the Alarm,” a series of home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events across the country. Together with fire departments and other community partners, Red Cross volunteers to canvas at-risk neighborhoods, install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms, and new this year, provide fire prevention and safety education, that includes fire sprinklers!
This year’s annual campaign will launch April 27, 2019 through May 12, 2019 in more than 100 cities across the United States. Help AFSA get the sprinkler message in front of millions, and together, we can save lives!
Please help AFSA’s Public Education & Awareness Committee support this life-saving campaign which reaches Red Cross’ over 4.4 million social media followers as well as thousands of volunteers, homeowners, and disaster victims. More than 90 percent of every dollar donated to the American Red Cross is invested in humanitarian services and programs, like the Home Fire Preparedness campaign.
In 2018 AFSA’s goal was to incorporate fire sprinkler language into the annual messaging, and this year, we are proud to say that fire sprinklers are included in the messaging and we are partnering with the Red Cross to support the continued education and promotion of fire sprinklers working together with smoke alarms to drastically reduce the chances of death or serious injury in a residential fire!
Be part of this historic campaign by contributing with your tax-deductible donation online to the American Red Cross on AFSA’s special giving link at redcross.org/afsa-pub.
