By Sean Tracey, Deputy Chief (retired)Chair HFSC CanadaFire safety is an essential component of community safety. But years of experience has taught me that the vast majority of the public take fire safety for granted. As a framework for public
By Sean Tracey, Deputy Chief (retired)Chair HFSC Canada In order to advance its 17 Sustainable Development goals, the Government of Canada notes that their achievement “requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society effort to build stronger, safer, and more inclusive communities
In previous blogs we’ve discussed the obvious life-safety and property-saving benefits of home fire sprinklers. Fires have evolved in the past two decades. They are faster and more toxic due to the synthetic content in homes and emerging technology such
When the Canadian fire service proposed changes to the 2010 edition of the National Building Code of Canada to mandate sprinklers in all new homes, opponents claimed the installation costs were not warranted, based on an over-simplified analysis – cost
Home fire sprinkler incentives can open new doors figuratively and literally. Numerous examples have shown how fire service leadership has collaborated with planners and developers during the pre-planning stages of development, resulting in protected homes and cost-savings. This approach is
One does not need to look far to see that a major concern facing consumers across Canada is housing availability. It’s important for fire and life safety advocates to understand how the installation of fire sprinklers can help. Because sprinklers
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire Sprinkler Initiative and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) have awarded the U.S. and Canadian Bringing Safety Home awards to Chief David Pendleton, Saco (Maine) Fire Department and Chief Ryan Schell, Central York
A fire department’s master plan is a public document that lays out how the department intends to protect its community over the next 5-10 years. It covers what the fire department understands the community’s growth is expected to be, what
For decades we have promoted the need for smoke alarms in homes with great success, however, the number of fire fatalities has plateaued and is beginning to increase in some cases. Home fires can become deadly in as little as
A recent survey of Canadian fire chiefs found that misconceptions about home fire sprinklers is a major hurdle in increasing awareness and acceptance. Part of this is due to how sprinklers are misrepresented in the media, TV and movies. It