In The News

S.C. Firefighters and NFPA Kick Off "Faces of Fire" Campaign

May 16, 2012

South Carolina Firefighters Partner with NFPA to Kick Off Public Safety Campaign on May 22, 2012 NFPA sponsors campaign to highlight importance of home fire sprinklers May 18, 2012 – Fire in the home poses one of the biggest threats to the people of your community. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average 380,000 home structure fires per year during 2006-2010. These fires caused:

Over 2,700 civilian fire deaths
Nearly 13,000 civilian fire injuries
$7.6 billion in direct damage
A dozen firefighters killed

On average, 7 people a day die in U.S. house fires. Ninety-two percent of all structure fire deaths resulted from one- or two-family dwelling fires. Home fire sprinkler systems are designed to reduce these tragic statistics. Firefighters from around the state will gather at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at the Irmo Fire Department, 6017 St. Andrews Road, Columbia, SC, to kick off “Faces of Fire” of South Carolina. This is a state wide campaign to educate the public on the life safety and other benefits of the required fire sprinkler protection for single family dwellings in all national model codes, A public campaign, featuring South Carolinians telling their story of fires, loss, and recovery resulting from fire incidents in their homes, and consisting of billboard and video public service announcements, side-by-side burn demonstrations, and other events, will be unveiled. As a way of showing how quickly fire spreads and the life and property saving value of fire sprinklers, South Carolina Fire and Life Safety Education Association (FALSE) will intentionally light two fires in front of a live audience. Each room will contain common furnishings, window treatments and a working smoke alarm. Only one of the rooms contains a fire sprinkler. What: Public safety campaign kick-off and live fire demonstration Where: Irmo Fire Department, 6017 St. Andrews Road, Columbia, SC When: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - 2:00 PM Facts about home fire sprinkler systems:

Your risk of dying in a home fire decreases by 80% when fire sprinklers are present.
Fire sprinklers are supplied by household water – usually off the existing domestic water supply. Just like ordinary plumbing, sprinkler system piping is hidden behind walls and ceilings.
Sprinklers are activated only by the high temperature of a fire – typically between 135°-165°F.
Burned toast or other smoke cannot set off a sprinkler; neither can a smoke alarm that activates.
Sprinklers are designed to flow between 10-25 gallons of water per minute. That’s about 10-15 times less water flow than fire department hoses, and under far less pressure.
Fire sprinklers control or extinguish a fire often before the fire department arrives.
Fire sprinklers give family members more time to get out safely, saving lives.
Fire sprinklers significantly reduce property damage.

NFPA is proud to work in partnership with the South Carolina State Firefighters Association, the South Carolina Sprinkler Coalition, the Fire and Life Safety Educators Association of South Carolina, to bring this important educational opportunity to South Carolina. (The Public Information Officer for this event is Joe Palmer. He may be reached at (803)454-1808) About the Fire Sprinkler Initiative: Bringing Safety Home The Fire Sprinkler Initiative, a project of the National Fire Protection Association, is a nationwide effort to encourage the use of home fire sprinklers and the adoption of fire sprinkler requirements for new construction. About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building, and life safety. The mission of the international nonprofit organization founded in 1896 is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s website at www.nfpa.org for more information.