Ashland City, Tennessee Fire Chief Chuck Walker To Receive 2014 Bringing Safety Home Award
Frankfort, IL – The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Fire Sprinkler Initiative have announced that Fire Chief Chuck Walker is the recipient of the 2014 Bringing Safety Home Award, jointly presented by the two organizations. Walker is the fire chief of the Ashland City (Tennessee) Fire Department.
The Bringing Safety Home Award annually recognizes the efforts of fire chiefs who use HFSC’s educational materials and the resources of the Fire Sprinkler Initiative to ensure that decision-makers have accurate information as new or updated residential fire sprinkler codes are considered.
Chief Walker was instrumental in passing a home fire sprinkler ordinance in Ashland City in 2001, educating all key stakeholders with HFSC education materials at “lunch and learn” meetings. The meetings included municipal officials, homebuilders, real estate and insurance agents, and water purveyors. He also conducted numerous side-by-side fire and sprinkler burn demonstrations.
After his success in Ashland City, Chief Walker continued to educate the public about home fire sprinklers and assisted Cheatham County in becoming the first county in the state of Tennessee to pass fire sprinkler requirements in 2005. Every homebuilder who testified at the county adoption process voted in favor of home fire sprinklers.
Chief Walker was also successful at bringing media attention to successful fire sprinkler activations, highlighting each sprinkler save that occurred since the adoption. The media coverage helped the media and his community better understand the life- and property-saving benefits of home fire sprinklers.
“We recognize Chief Walker for his proactive stance and leadership on home fire sprinklers. He understands the importance of educating all stakeholders. The fact that every homebuilder who testified at the county adoption process spoke in favor of home fire sprinklers proves he’s an effective leader,” says Lorraine Carli, speaking on behalf of both HFSC and NFPA. Carli is president of HFSC’s Board of Directors and is vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA. “Chief Walker’s personal and professional efforts to increase residential fire sprinkler protection throughout his own city and county make him a most worthy recipient. We are pleased to honor his work with the 2014 award.”
Representatives of HFSC and NFPA will present the award to Chief Walker at Fire-Rescue International 2014 in Dallas. The presentation will take place during the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Fire & Life Safety Section meeting August 15th.
The nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) (www.homefiresprinkler.org) is a national, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused solely on educational outreach. It is the leading resource for independent, noncommercial information about home fire sprinklers.
NFPA’s The Fire Sprinkler Initiative (www.firesprinklerinitiative.org), in cooperation with many other interested individuals and organizations, encourages the use of home fire sprinklers through increased awareness and adoption of local ordinances or model codes.
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