FEMA Funds Fire Prevention Grant for Home Sprinklers

The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) was awarded a fiscal year 2016 Fire Prevention and Safety grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which will help fund a national education program on the importance of installing emergency home sprinklers in new construction.

The HFSC will partner with local fire services, homebuilders, developers and planning/zoning boards in 100 markets across the country to promote the importance of home sprinklers, as well as offer incentives for installing them in new homes as fire prevention.

Our program will educate about the value of using trade-ups to achieve community risk reduction. We will supply free resources fire departments can use in any community to improve awareness and increase sprinkler installation,” HFSC President Lorraine Carli said in a news release. “Today’s fires are fast, becoming deadly in less than three minutes. They present a range of injury and health hazards to firefighters, including exposure that can lead to cancer and other diseases. Fire sprinklers quickly control heat, smoke and flames, reducing responder exposure.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. home fires between 2010 and 2014 resulted in $6.7 billion in damages and more than 2,500 deaths.

Find out more about the HFSC home sprinklers education program on Homefiresprinkler.org.