Having and maintaining working smoke alarms and CO detectors are key messages that fire departments disseminate to homeowners throughout the year and during Fire Prevention Week each October. With more homes being built with home fire sprinklers, HFSC Canada is encouraging fire departments and municipalities to dedicate time and resources to educating people about the benefits, myths, and misconceptions around home fire sprinklers during Home Fire Sprinkler Week, May 11-17.
The fire service has been extremely successful with messaging about the awareness and testing of smoke alarms and CO alarms. But an increasing number of single and multi-unit homes are being built with sprinklers in this country. Year-to-year more people are living in properties protected by residential sprinklers; this includes many homes being built with sprinklers due to development incentives – homes that would not have been permitted had they not been sprinkler protected. Many people are unaware of the benefits sprinklers. In some cases, what people do believe is based on movies and television, that the entire system goes off. The fact is only the sprinkler closest to the fire activates from the heat. Misinformation can be deceiving and can lead to a lack of confidence in home fire sprinklers, or worse, the disconnection or failure to maintain them.
Home Fire Sprinkler Week should be a reserved period for social media messaging by every fire department; it is an opportunity to increase awareness and understanding for people already living under sprinklers and those seeking out new homes. (Note that these homes are already being built as multi-unit properties or through development incentives, meaning your council is not required to approve a sprinkler policy.)
Parksville Fire Rescue BC
HFSC Canada has made it extremely easy for fire departments and municipalities to participate in our Home Fire Sprinkler Week social media blitz. We have prepared social media messaging for the entire week; all you need do is click on the link to share through your social media or cut and paste the different, specific messaging for each day. Increasing the awareness around sprinklers by educating builders and home buyers can help spur an even greater number of home starts incorporating home fire sprinklers.
HFSC Canada has other resources including videos, sprinkler hang tags, new home buyer brochures, props, and instructions about side-by-side demonstrations. All these resources are available to order for free from our website www.homefiresprinklercanada.ca and they are shipped for free. If you are not already participating in HFSC’s Built For Life Fire Department program, please consider doing so. Sign up on our website; there’s no cost, and the program provides early access to HFSC resources and involves member departments in planning and development.
Every year more Canadians are living in homes protected by sprinklers. We need your help to get the messaging out about these essential safety systems. Make home fire sprinklers part of your public education messaging campaign starting this Home Fire Sprinkler Week, May 11-17.