April 15, 2010 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) received a $746,438 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a national home fire sprinkler awareness campaign, "Faces of Fire," which will demonstrate the true impact residential fires have on individuals and families, and encourage people to take action to prevent fire deaths in their communities by advocating for home fire sprinklers requirements for new construction.
The goal of the project is to reduce the number of home fire deaths, which account for more than 80 percent of fire deaths. By working with and providing resources to the fire service and consumers, the campaign will educate communities on the live-saving impact of home fire sprinklers and offer a set of tools that can be used at the local and state level to make the case for sprinkler requirements in communities. The grant was awarded under the 2009 Assistance to Firefighters – Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Program.
"Sadly, home fires kill nearly 3,000 people a year, yet sprinklers could greatly reduce these losses," said James M. Shannon, president and CEO of NFPA. "We have long known the life-saving benefits of sprinklers in many types of buildings. It is critical to bring this technology into homes where the vast majority of fire deaths occur."
In 2009, NFPA launched the Fire Sprinkler Initiative®: Bringing Safety Home, a nationwide effort to increase the use of home fire sprinklers through the adoption of sprinkler requirements in new one- and two-family homes.
Funds from the FEMA grant will greatly expand the reach of information on the life-saving benefits of sprinklers and resources available for people interested in adopting the use of sprinklers in their community. The Fire Sprinkler Initiative Web site will be enhanced to feature a special toolkit containing media materials, fact sheets, and other content to support sprinkler advocacy at the local level. Other campaign initiatives include paid advertisements in traditional media; social media components, such as a YouTube video campaign featuring actual fire victims; and a social media outreach.
NFPA will also host representatives from each state for a training meeting, which will include public safety educators, fire officials, and building officials, among others.
For more information and resources on home fire sprinklers, visit www.firesprinklerinitiative.org.
About the Fire Sprinkler Initiative®: Bringing Safety Home
The Fire Sprinkler Initiative, a project of the National Fire Protection Association, is a nationwide effort to encourage the use of home fire sprinklers and the adoption of fire sprinkler requirements for new construction.
About NFPA
NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org.
