Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
Three Decades of Home Sprinkler Education
Thirty years ago, the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) pooled their resources to create the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), a single entity for the sole purpose of educating on the value of home sprinklers. Representatives from the three founding organizations, along with other fire service leaders, celebrated at the Hall of Flame Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. One hundred guests attended the special dinner event, which also commemorated the 40th anniversary of Scottsdale’s groundbreaking passage of an ordinance requiring fire sprinklers in all new homes.
The event featured leaders from the fire service and fire sprinkler industry; HFSC, International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) board members; and leaders from the Scottsdale Fire Department, the City of Scottsdale, and the Arizona fire service.
Unveiled at the celebration was a dynamic new home fire sprinkler exhibit displaying all the components of an NFPA 13D system. It includes messages about how fire sprinklers work and a monitor with HFSC educational videos.
The exhibit features key information from research conducted by the UL Research Institute that demonstrates the effectiveness of residential fire sprinklers on e-scooter fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. Highlights from Scottsdale’s 40 years of home fire sprinkler protection are also showcased in the exhibit.
Lorraine Carli, HFSC president and NFPA vice president of outreach and advocacy, said the display will serve as a lasting way to enhance the mission of HFSC in acknowledging the trailblazing work of Scottsdale. “It’s fitting that we’re unveiling it at this event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of HFSC,” Carli said.
“We have made tremendous progress. More people know about home fire sprinklers, and more communities require them, more fire departments are engaged in our work. We have created new and innovative resources and leveraged digital technology to spread information more quickly and easily,” she added.
John August Denhardt, P.E., FSFPE, AFSA’s vice president of engineering and technical services, spoke at the event. He said AFSA is proud to be a founding member of HFSC. “I come from the great state of Maryland. Since 1990, every condo, apartment, and townhouse has been fully sprinklered. Since 2015, every single house has been sprinklered. Since 1990, every single-family home in Prince George’s County has been sprinklered. That’s 36 years. Not one fatal fire has happened in a Prince George’s County sprinklered house,” Denhardt said.
Scottsdale Recognized for 40 Years of Protecting Homes
Carli presented a plaque to Jim Ford, retired fire marshal, and Kerry Swick, retired assistant fire chief of the Scottsdale Fire Department, honoring their crucial roles in promoting Scottsdale’s long-running record of fire sprinkler success. When Scottsdale passed an ordinance mandating sprinklers in all new homes in 1986, Ford had the foresight to collect and maintain data of all house fires after the requirement was enacted—laying the groundwork for the creation of “The Original Scottsdale Report: Automatic Sprinklers A 10-Year Study,” prepared with HFSC.
The report detailed the requirement’s benefits. In addition to the life and property-savings data, the report documented a $7.5 million infrastructure savings for the water distribution system and compared fires and their losses in homes with and without sprinklers. The report also detailed design freedoms that drove savings to both developers and the city.
The report provided HFSC with the framework to develop vital educational resources. For years, fire departments throughout the country used the report to support home fire sprinkler requirements in their own communities.
HFSC worked with Green Builder magazine to release “Scottsdale: The Case for Residential Fire Sprinklers,” a 20-page eBook that highlights the long-term benefits, design freedoms, and other benefits Scottsdale has experienced since the ordinance was passed.
Today, 53,944 single-family homes are protected with fire sprinklers in Scottsdale, 62% of the housing stock. According to Swick, that 40-year history has resulted in conserving water supplies since sprinklers attack the fire in its incipiency. It has resulted in a lower fire loss per capita that is below national and regional averages. As hazards for firefighters have increased, fire sprinklers protect firefighters, and they protect residents. For a copy of the 40-year report, visit HomeFireSprinkler.org.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Peg Paul is the founder/president of Peg Paul & Associates (PPA), a marketing communications firm that specializes in fire and life safety education and awareness programs. Paul has been the communications manager for HFSC since 1997, where she oversees the development and implementation of educational programs for members of the fire service, local officials, consumers, home building industry, real estate and insurance agents, water purveyors, and other targeted groups. Paul and her team have secured more than $10 million in Federal and corporate foundation grants. Paul serves on the board of the NFPA Research Foundation and the IAFC Life Safety Section. She served on the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors board for 10 years. In 2023, Paul received the CFSI/IFSTA Dr. Anne W. Phillips Award for Leadership in Fire Safety Education. She was named AFSA’s 2014 Fire Sprinkler Advocate of the Year.