On June 14, the nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition’s (HFSC) spokesperson Ron Hazelton narrated a side-by-side fire sprinkler demonstration for attendees at the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) annual Conference & Expo in Las Vegas to celebrate the organization’s 20th anniversary. The demonstration was held at Desert Fire Protection, a local sprinkler contractor.
HFSC Board President Lorraine Carli recognized the founding members, the NFPA, American Fire Sprinkler Association, and National Fire Sprinkler Association, for having the vision to improve awareness of home fire sprinklers and organize HFSC. She also acknowledged all the Board members for their continued support and commitment. Now, the organization not only comprises the three founding members, but also the Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association, FM Global, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of State Fire Marshals, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, National Volunteer Fire Council, Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, State Farm Insurance, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and the United States Fire Administration.
“None of us could do this alone. Everyone brings their expertise and insight to the table allowing HFSC to maintain its credibility as the only national organization that focuses solely on educating consumers and all the other stakeholders about the life-saving benefits of fire sprinklers,” Carli said.
Carli also recognized home improvement expert Hazelton for his role in support of HFSC’s mission over nearly two decades. Since HFSC was organized, Hazelton featured stories on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” appeared in many of HFSC’s educational videos, hosted side-by-side fire and sprinkler burn demonstrations, worked in the HFSC booth at the International Builders’ Show and conventions, and retrofit his own home.
“Ron, you are a true advocate for home fire sprinklers. You have helped us reach millions of people. We thank you for that,” she added.
Since 1996, HFSC has focused exclusively on noncommercial education about the dangers of home fires and the unparalleled life-safety benefits of installing home fire sprinklers. More than eight out of 10 fire deaths occur in one- and two-family homes (NFPA). Home fires are also most lethal for responding firefighters.
HFSC’s far-stretching, free educational tools have helped educate the fire service, consumers, builders, real estate agents, insurance agents, water purveyors, and building and local officials nationwide, with funding made possible by the organization’s board and grants that it received for 10 consecutive years. HFSC used these funds over the years to educate target audiences at conventions and on television, through the printing and distribution of educational brochures and videos, and many more methods.
From its earliest days, the fire service has been a core partner to HFSC. As the Coalition grew, the commitment deepened to include the BUILT FOR LIFE Fire Department (BFLFD) program to increase the number of fire departments making home fire sprinkler education a focus in their service areas. The program now totals over 2,600 fire departments in the U.S. and Canada.
With an eye toward the future, HFSC has also just launched its new, mobile-friendly website that allows visitors to more easily access its comprehensive library of free teaching tools no matter the device they are using. Everything from digital brochures to videos is available at visitors’ fingertips.
All HFSC materials are available at no charge at www.homefiresprinkler.org. Follow HFSC through your favorite social media outlets: on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HFSCorg, on Twitter at @HFSCorg, on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/hfsc/ and join HFSC’s networking group on LinkedIn.