According to TheStar.com, Vaughan, Ontario developer Tony Guglietti, president of Townwood Homes has been including innovative features in an estimated 10,000 homes he has built during the past 40 years; but after he watched his 26 year old house burn to the ground, he decided to install fire sprinkler systems in all of his new projects. Recently unveiled McKenzie Ridge Terraces will include 136 executive townhomes and six semi-detached single family homes. They are the first production (spec) home project to include fire sprinklers as a standard feature in Ontario. The homebuilder added that the fire sprinklers did not increase... Continue reading

An investigative report by NBC Chicago highlights a battle raging in Illinois as State Fire Marshal Larry Matkaitis is working to update the state fire code, unchanged for the past twelve years. According to the report “the one he's proposing is a big one: a first-ever requirement for fire sprinklers in all new single-family homes, including those built in Chicago.” "As far as I'm concerned, everyone in Illinois deserves safe housing," Matkaitis told NBC Chicago. "Every state fire marshal in the country is trying to do the same thing that I am, for the same reason." The report also focused... Continue reading

The Faces of Fire public service announcement (PSA) featuring Princella Lee-Bridges was nominated for a regional EMMY® award. The winners were announced last week, and although our entry did not win, it was definitely an honor to have been selected for nomination among hundreds of other entries. It also provided the opportunity to bring the home fire sprinkler message to a large and diverse audience. The Southeast EMMY® awards celebrate excellence in media at the local and regional level. The Faces of Fire PSA was nominated for television spot announcements excellence in the community/PSA campaign category. Our PSA was one... Continue reading

During a presentation at the 2013 NFPA Conference and Expo in Chicago, Ron Farr, lead regulatory engineer for UL, emphasized the need to consider smoke alarms as a vital component of life safety; together with fire sprinklers and home escape plans. Mr. Farr discussed the characteristics of new home construction and several UL studies, emphasizing the importance of having the “right” smoke alarm to provide early warning. Mr. Farr said; “Alerting people to the fire and giving them enough time to escape become important. It is an educational issue…homeowners need to be aware of the dangers and the importance of... Continue reading

The non-profit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) reports on its blog that more than 200 members of the homebuilding industry have evaluated its online 3D interactive homebuilder education program. HFSC updated the series with grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Fire Prevention & Safety Grant award program. HFSC’s evaluation showed strong interest from homebuilders and favorable response: 88% said the program was worth watching; 85% said it improved their knowledge about home fire sprinklers; and nearly three-quarters said they are more likely to recommend fire sprinklers after seeing the program. HFCS informs that Anthony Palladino, Building Designer... Continue reading

As reported by Fire Engineering, the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), has issued a commendation to State Farm Insurance “for reminding its homeowner policy holders that fire sprinkler systems are the only proactive form of fire protection,” noting that “State Farm is one of the few insurance providers that are helping to educate homeowners on the life and property saving benefits of home fire sprinklers.” A recent article on State Farms' website titled "8 Reasons to Install a Home Fire Sprinkler System," provides its policy holders with the facts on home fire sprinklers. "State Farm's decision to educate their customers... Continue reading

Massive fire at Meadowood Ct. in Loudon, VA changed four firefighters' lives forever CBS-DC recently ran a story about the raging home fire sprinkler debate between the contractors who build the homes and firefighters who say they (new homes) are akin to living in a matchbox. Documenting the “extensive urban sprawl” where “homes are being constructed at a blinding pace to keep up with the increasing number of people moving into the D.C. region,” the report highlights the threats of lightweight construction as a major safety hazard, and features a massive 2008 fire on Meadowood Court in Loudon County “as... Continue reading

Bill Kirkpatrick is an Engineering Manager at East Bay Municipal Water District in California (EBMUD), a public utility company that supplies water to 1.3 million people in 20 cities in northern California. During the "Bringing Safety Home" fire sprinkler summit in Chicago, Mr. Kirkpatrick presented a water purveyor’s perspective on home fire sprinklers, taking into account the balance between water supplier reliability issues and the issues of service, cost and liability. Video: Bill Kirkpatrick says that most communities in the United States would not need to upgrade their water infrastructure systems because of home fire sprinkler requirements. Video: Bill Kirkpatrick... Continue reading

Eileen Byrne, a burn nurse, offered a unique perspective on the effect that residential sprinklers can have on burn injuries and deaths at NFPA's "Bringing Safety Home" fire sprinkler summit in Chicago "You don't want to be where I work," she told summit attendees. Ms Byrne, a registered nurse for more than 16 years, has spent the past five years as Burn Community Educator for the Burn Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ, and is a member of the New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Coalition. Ms Byrne says; “From the medical perspective, we don’t understand why this (requirements... Continue reading

"The fire safety community must address the fire safety needs of older adults or be faced with the potential of a severe public health problem" A new report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)- Impact of an Aging Population on Fire and Emergency Medical Services - contains information about the expansion of the older adult population and its impact on fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) The report explains that “this expanding older adult population may require ever-increasing amounts of public services, health care, and additional services." Of particular importance to fire and emergency medical services (EMS) is finding... Continue reading

Urbandale Patch reports that as part of its Citizen’s Fire Academy the Urbandale Fire Department held a live burn to demonstrate the value of home fire sprinklers. The side by side demonstration included two rooms furnished exactly the same; the only difference was that one of the units was fitted with a smoke alarm and the other with a smoke alarm and protected with a single fire sprinkler. The unprotected structure filled with black, billowy smoke as the synthetic furnishings began to burn, according to the article. “Completing their eight-week training, participants in the Urbandale Citizen’s Fire Academy rushed in... Continue reading

An early evening fire at a home in the Town of Nolensville, TN was controlled by two sprinklers. The fire sprinklers prevented major damage to the home, as posted on the Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association’s Facebook page. A mother and her four children escaped unharmed. Nolensville adopted fire sprinklers in new home construction by ordinance, in April of 2004. According to the post, Jim Finley, fire marshal for the town said that it is the first known fire sprinkler save. Fire Marshal Finley stated the initial report of the fire was of flames showing from the second floor windows.... Continue reading

New homes built in Olympia, WA on or after July 1, 2014 will be protected by fire sprinkler systems according to The Olympian. The Olympia City Council decided on the requirement in a preliminary 6-1 vote recently and is expected to take a final vote on the matter next week. The article includes statements by Angela White, government affairs director for Olympia Master Builders, who said her organization opposes the sprinkler requirement because modern homes are safer and have hard-wired smoke alarms. “I think that we may be moving forward on a mandate for something that is not a problem,”... Continue reading

As reported by Cape Coral Daily Breeze, a fire sprinkler kept an early morning fire in a condominium unit from spreading and causing additional harm to residents and property. The fire started in the kitchen, and according to the article, “the response and call for fire services was initiated by the automatic sprinkler and fire alarm systems located throughout the condominium facilities.” Sam Davis, a Cape Coral home builder who includes fire sprinklers in all new homes he builds, stated he knows this complex and “this fire could have had a very sad ending if it were not for fire... Continue reading

KTVB.com reported the Nampa and Caldwell fire departments joined forces to conduct a live side-by-side fire sprinkler burn demonstration. Modeled after the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition fire and sprinkler burn demonstration, one of the cells was equipped with one smoke alarm and one fire sprinkler, the other with just a smoke alarm. In both, the smoke alarm activated around 20 to 30 seconds after the fire start. At 155 degrees (measured at the ceiling), the fire sprinkler went off in one cell and suppressed the fire. The article quotes Nampa Deputy Chief Doug Strosnider:"The intention of these systems is to... Continue reading

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) maintains a web page that provides information on residential fire civilian fatalities found on U.S. news media reports. Complete information is not available because investigations may not be complete; thus the statistics found on the page “are only preliminary and should be viewed as such.” However, it is still a good source of information for further follow up, and an additional reference that may be used to advocate for home fire sprinklers. USFA estimates approximately one-third to one-half of the total number of residential fire fatalities that occur each year are captured on its page.... Continue reading

The Manhattan American reports that the Manhattan Fire Protection District (MFPD) was honored as a fire-safe community at the recent Illinois Residential Fire Sprinkler Symposium in Addison. The district was recognized for passing a fire sprinkler ordinance for newly constructed homes in 2012. MFPD is one of 91 jurisdictions in Illinois to have such an ordinance. The award was presented by state fire service organizations; including the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, Illinois Fire Inspectors Association, the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition and the nonprofit Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB). "Congratulations to the Manhattan Fire Protection District for recognizing the... Continue reading

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is helping to dispel five common myths about fire sprinklers, and highlighting the benefits of home sprinklers to kickoff Fire Safety and Awareness Week (May 6-12), which is part of National Building Safety Month in May. IBHS dispels the following five myths about home fire sprinklers: When one sprinkler goes off, all the sprinklers activate - The sprinkler heads react to temperatures in each room individually, allowing only the sprinkler closest to the fire to activate. In fact, 90 percent of fires are contained by the operation of just one sprinkler.... Continue reading

In a recent Daily Dispatch column, Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) President Mark Wendelsdorf makes the case for residential fire sprinkler data by citing the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) “unique position to spotlight this life saving technology as part of its reporting system.” Chief Wendelsdorf talks about the importance of USFA reports titled Civilian Fire Injuries in Residential Buildings and Civilian Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings detailing information found in the data from 2009 to 2011, with no mention of civilian injuries, or fatalities, in residential buildings protected with fire sprinkler systems. He guesses that the number of reported injuries... Continue reading

As reported in Ottawa Citizen, Ontario will become the first province in Canada to make fire sprinklers mandatory “in all retirement and nursing homes and residences for the disabled.” These include 4,300 existing "care facilities" that are not currently protected with this life safety measure. The province's technical advisory committee studied the issue and rendered its recommendations to include the change; considered “the most significant safety measure since the introduction of the smoke alarm.” Home operators will have five years to comply with the retrofit requirement from the date the legislation takes force, on Jan. 1, 2014. The article points... Continue reading

Amy is a burn advocate and Executive director of the Phoenix Society. "...the fire sprinkler effort is making a difference and although is a tough battle it is far better than the alternative - the life-long impact of recovering from a devastating burn injury." Alan Breslau, a burn survivor, recognized the value of peer support after visiting a young boy who was a patient at a burn center way back in the late 60’s. After that experience, he wanted to get involved with a national burn survivor organization, but found that none existed. So in 1977, Alan founded the Phoenix... Continue reading

One year ago today, four members of the Sullivan family were killed during a fast spreading fire in their home in Carmel, NY. The blaze killed Larchmont Police Capt. Thomas Sullivan, his wife and their two teenage daughters. The lone survivor of the blaze was Tommy Sullivan Jr. His dad led him to safety before perishing in the fire trying to rescue the rest of his family. What was left of the home has been demolished and an empty lot remains as a reminder of this tragedy. IoHud.com reports that the incident “sounded a warning about how quickly the lightweight... Continue reading

The Modesto Bee reports that home building permits were up nearly 55% in the Sacramento area of California this year compared to the same period last year. The article explains that the Sacramento results mirror a statewide increase in building permits for single family homes; proving that fire sprinkler requirements do not thwart home building. California is one of two states that adopted fire sprinkler requirements in all new one- and two-family homes, effective January 1, 2011. Maryland also adopted the requirement statewide. In other states, opponents of home fire sprinkler requirements – which are included in all national model... Continue reading

Several proposals that would have provided exemptions to the fire sprinkler requirement in the International Residential Code (IRC) were withdrawn by the proponents during the recent committee action hearings in Dallas, Texas. “The effect (of the proposals) was to eliminate the mandate by allowing sprinklers to be optional vs. other features. In one case, the proposals would have allowed a fire extinguisher or sprinklers...,” said Jeff Shapiro of the IRC Fire Sprinkler Coalition. According to Shapiro the proposals would have provided an "easy out" for builders to exclude fire sprinklers from new home construction. Because they were withdrawn, the proposals... Continue reading

Over 25,000 firefighters are gathered at the Fire Department Instructors Conference 2013 (FDIC) taking place this week in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Fire Sprinkler Initiative (FSI) is present. An exhibit, staffed by Eastern Regional Fire Sprinkler Specialist Tim Travers and Maria Figueroa, communications project manager for FSI, emphasizes the threats that lightweight construction, new homes, and modern contents pose to firefighter safety. Home fire sprinklers offset these threats; protecting home occupants and firefighters by providing additional escape time and maintaining a tenable atmosphere. “It is important that firefighters are aware of these dangers and that they support fire sprinkler requirements... Continue reading