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 two minutes because they burn faster, produce toxic, hot and fast-moving smoke, and the structures fail quicker, even collapsing. This is largely due to modern home furnishings, more open spaces, unprotected lightweight wood construction and the increased presence of emerging technology, including lithium-ion batteries.
Even when working smoke alarms are installed in homes and when escape plans have been developed by occupants, alarms can only alert residents to a fire. Survival depends on the residents’ response. Many people are simply not able to get out in such a short time. That is why there is a need to increase awareness about the life-saving benefits of installing home fire sprinklers in new home builds. To support fire departments in this effort, the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) has established the Built For Life® fire department program.
Choosing to become a Built For Life® fire department is a declaration of your department’s support for home fire sprinklers. Registration is simple and there is no cost. It should not be a difficult decision to support protecting new homes with fire sprinklers. It wasn’t for the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) who have supported home fire sprinklers since 2004 and has been a partner with HFSC Canada since 2020.
Unfortunately, not a lot of Canadian fire departments have signed up for the program. As of 2023, there were 192 Canadian Built For Life® fire departments. This is far short of the 3,200 fire departments CAFC estimates are in Canada. CAFC’s recent Fire Sprinkler White Paper further supports and promotes utilizing developer incentives when entire developments are protected with fire sprinklers to broaden the installation of fire sprinklers in new home construction. During the preparation of the CAFC White Paper on residential fire sprinklers, a survey of CAFC members identified that the number one perceived impediment to broader acceptance of residential fire sprinklers was a lack of public awareness about home fire sprinklers – a whopping 81%! The overwhelming majority of respondents had an understanding of the benefits of residential fire sprinklers yet the same proportion were not aware of public education materials available through HFSC Canada. This is part of the purpose in becoming a Built for Life® fire department. We provide your department with tools and resource to help educate your own members and the public. All Canadian fire departments that make home fire sprinklers an educational focus are recognized as Built For Life® fire departments. That could be as simple as adding sprinkler messages and materials to your existing outreach, or as comprehensive as establishing an outreach program for local builders and developers. HFSC has prepared educational materials to support you and can even sponsor lunch and learn sessions with builders in your community.
One of the greatest benefits of becoming a member is that your fire department can apply for one of the twenty (20) $500 annual stipends. These stipends can be used for any number of means to support your sprinkler public education campaign. Past recipients have used funding to purpose props for side by side burns, sprinkler riser displays, tv monitors, displays, tents, as well as fund social media activities. East Gwillimbury, ON Fire Prevention Open House had 1,100 attendees including several local Council Members that included a side-by-side sprinkler display. The Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal held an Open House with 600 attendees that included a sprinkler display with purchased VR headsets. Caledon Fire & EMS, created a tent with the Educational Prop Box House as the HFSC backdrop that was visited by 300 families. Public education events made more effective by props and materials funded via our annual stipends.
Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal VR headset
Built For Life® fire departments are invited to review and provide feedback about new resources and are the first to learn about information such as updates on research reports, sprinkler best practices and new consumer education.
Please take the time to show your support for home fire sprinklers and join the growing number of fire departments that chose to register as a Built For Life® fire department.
Click here to sign up for this no cost program: Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Canada – BUILT FOR LIFE® Fire Department Program (homefiresprinklercanada.ca)