Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Continues to Expand Programs & Support

ifsa-brochure-residential-sprinklers

IFSA’s residential fire sprinkler brochure

Many fire-safety-conscious people in Illinois recognize the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) as the organization that runs the annual Camp “I Am Me,” which is a week-long summer camp for burn-injured children. However, the IFSA offers many more programs, education and support in regard to fire safety and burn prevention.
In the last few years, the IFSA has taken big steps in educating the state’s residents about residential fire sprinklers. In addition to the organization’s membership and involvement with the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition, the IFSA worked with the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board to develop an Illinois-specific residential fire sprinkler education pamphlet. The pamphlet teaches homeowners about the benefits of fire sprinklers and dispels myths.
Please read the submitted article below to see other statewide fire safety an burn prevention programs being offered by the IFSA:
illinois-fire-safety-alliance
The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) is a nonprofit organization that has been in existence since 1982 and is dedicated to statewide fire safety and burn prevention efforts as well as supporting survivors of burn injuries. The Mount Prospect-based group has a wide variety of materials, tools, and supplies available to organizations across the state to help educate on how to prevent destructive fires, burn injuries, or worse. For those who have been adversely effected by a burn injury, the IFSA hosts various programs throughout the year to help support both children and adults in their recovery.

IFSA's bath buddy thermometer

IFSA’s bath buddy thermometer

With a volunteer board of 11 individuals and a full-time staff of three, the IFSA works diligently to produce fire safety and prevention pieces and distribute them throughout Illinois. These materials include informational pamphlets on home fire prevention and safety, bath thermometers to help reduce the chances of a scald injury to infants or the elderly, fact cards and public service announcement videos on the dangers of sparklers, booklets designed specifically for older adult safety, plus other resources to meet the needs of other high-risk groups. In the past six months, the IFSA has introduced three new educational pieces, including “The Benefits of Home Fire Sprinklers” pamphlet, “Fire Safety for People with Disabilities” booklet, and online trivia games for younger children to test their fire safety knowledge. The IFSA works closely with groups such as fire departments, associations, hospitals, schools, and assisted living facilities to help distribute material to their constituents at no cost.

2016 Camp "I Am Me" participants

2016 Camp “I Am Me” participants

The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance is most well-known for its programs and services which support burn survivors that reside in the state. As a result of fundraising efforts and donations received throughout the year, these programs are available at no cost to the attendees. Camp “I Am Me,” the organization’s signature program, is a special and unforgettable one-week overnight camp experience for children and teenagers who have suffered injuries from burns. Since 1991, the IFSA has been providing this safe, non-judgmental environment for children to have the opportunity to build their self-esteem as they enjoy the various activities that make up their camp experience. The camp is available for those between the ages of 8-16 and on average, hosts 70 campers annually. Nearly 65 volunteers are at camp for the entire week, interacting with the campers and leading activities and special events. Camp “I Am Me” was the first camp (for burn survivors) to become accredited in the United States through the American Camp Association.

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2015 Family Day participants

The newest support program is the IFSA’s Family Day event, a one-day program for families who have a child that has been affected by a burn injury. In addition to educational presentations, the day allows for both children and adults to meet and network with others who have been through similar situations, all while enjoying family-friendly activities in a fun atmosphere. The program, which was introduced in 2015, is available for survivors between 0-12 years of age and their siblings and parents.
The Young Adult Summit is a three-day retreat developed to prepare and assist attendees for the challenges ahead of them not only as burn survivors, but also as young adults. The summit, which is available to 18-25 year olds, provides life skills and identifies struggles associated with burn injuries through scheduled workshops and activities that support personal growth, emotional healing, relationships, and self-image. The program also allows for a young adult exchange program with the IFSA’s “sister-summit,” a burn survivor foundation located in Burbank, California.
PhoenixSociety-logoLast is a scholarship program, which allows survivors to participate at World Burn Congress, a four-day international conference hosted by the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, bringing together more than 900 burn survivors, their families, caregivers, and burn care professionals. The IFSA facilitates numerous World Burn Congress scholarships, covering 100 percent of the conference, travel, and lodging costs for the scholarship recipients. The conference provides a forum for encouraging and facilitating the sharing of stories, providing support, and increasing knowledge of burn recovery. Through workshops, speakers, and peer-to-peer dialogue, professionals come to better understand the issues that impact the lives of burn survivors.
To learn how the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance can support fire prevention efforts, as well as to receive more information on burn survivor support services, please visit the newly redesigned IFSA website.

 

2023-10-05T11:36:57-05:00January 23rd, 2017|0 Comments

Countryside Fire Protection District Offers Sprinkler Education to Thousands of Students

This article is featured in NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Initiative blog:
Countryside Fire Protection District has supported fire and life safety education since its 1959 inception. Its mission has helped instilled this practice: “The District dedicates its activities to the preservation of human life and the conservation of property. To this end, the District invests its personnel in the education of its public and the maintenance of a safe environment.”

Countryside FPD uses a fire sprinkler demonstration trailer to educate school-aged children about fire sprinklers.

Countryside FPD uses a fire sprinkler demonstration trailer to educate school-aged children about fire sprinklers.

Furthering its mission, the district’s fire chief, Jeff Steingart, created a full-time public education coordinator position with the fire prevention bureau in 2007. Hired by the district in 2000 as a firefighter/paramedic, Tony Rodkey filled the position and eventually increased staffing in the bureau. Among its accomplishments, Countryside FPD has assisted many state-level activities, which includes teaching and hosting a public fire and life safety instructor course. At a time when departments were cutting prevention and inspection programs, Rodkey bolstered staffing. He believes emergency response should not be our first line of defense. Rather, emergency response is the only option after prevention and education fail. Reducing risk via education to the community, according to him, is paramount in saving lives and protecting property. Home fire sprinklers are an important part of this model.

Read the entire article about the Countryside Fire Protection District’s home fire sprinkler education efforts.

2023-10-05T11:24:09-05:00January 20th, 2017|0 Comments

New Lenox Fire Protection District Appoints Dan Turner as Deputy Chief

Article courtesy of a New Lenox Fire Protection District news release:

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Dan Turner has assisted NIFSAB with various projects over the years. The photo above is from a video shoot of a house burn in 2001.

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Newly appointed New Lenox Deputy Chief Dan Turner

On January 16th, the New Lenox Fire Protection District (NLFPD) held a swearing in ceremony during its Board of Trustees meeting to appoint a new deputy chief and promote a fire inspector to fire marshal.
Dan Turner was previously fire marshal in New Lenox and was promoted to deputy chief. He has been with the NLFPD for over 10 years, and in the fire service for 30. In his time with the NLFPD, he has managed the Life Safety Division, acted as fire prevention administrator, and fire code official.

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Left to right: Orland Fire Protection District Lieutenant Bill Leddin, NIFSAB Executive Director Tom Lia, newly appointed New Lenox Deputy Chief Dan Turner, New Lenox Fire Chief Steve Engledow, and Orland FPD Lieutenant Joe Leddin.

In addition to appointing a deputy chief, the NLFPD promoted James Brown to fire marshal. He has been with NLFPD for 25 years as a firefighter/paramedic. The last three years he has worked in the Life Safety Division as fire inspector.
Both Turner and Brown are residents of New Lenox and are active members of the community.

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Dan Turner (center) is sworn in as deputy chief for New Lenox Fire Protection District, pictured here with Fire Chief Steve Engledow (left) and Deputy Chief Adam Riegel (right).

“These promotions are both well-deserved,” stated NLFPD Fire Chief Steve Engledow. “These men have worked extremely hard to get to where they are, and we couldn’t be prouder of them for their efforts.”


 

“As a personal friend of Dan, I naturally am very glad for him. As a former fellow coworker at Orland Fire Protection District I knew he could succeed at anything he put his mind to,” says Tom Lia, executive director for the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board. Dan has the passion and leadership to get things done in fire protection for the benefit of the people and his fellow firefighters.”

2023-10-05T11:33:30-05:00January 18th, 2017|0 Comments

Successful Activations (Spring 2017 Edition)

Download a sprinkler save report to record your fire department’s latest successful fire sprinkler activations.

April 2017

Burbank Police StationBurbank Police Department Activation April 2017

 

Burbank Fire Department

The fire sprinkler system in the police station controlled a small fire in a lower-level locker room and confined it to a couple of lockers. The fire appears to have originated near an electrical outlet inside a locker. No injuries were reported and police functions continued without any issues.

Chicago Sun-Times

March 2017

The Foundry
Aurora Fire Department

A single fire sprinkler in the restaurant/bar fully extinguished a fire on the cooking surface in the kitchen. There was only an estimated $10,000 in damage and no injuries were reported.

Jim Rhodes, Captain,
Aurora Fire Department

E-Jay Plastics
Addison Fire Protection District

The fire sprinkler system activated to control a fire at the building for the thermoset materials manufacturer.

Brian Johnstone
K & S Automatic Sprinkler

February 2017

Residences of Uptown
Park Ridge Fire Department

Four sprinklers in a trash chute extinguished a dumpster fire located in the trash room of a parking garage for the condominium building. The exact cause of the fire was not determined, but improperly discarded smoking materials may have been the cause.

“This was a successful sprinkler activation, limiting damage to maybe $1,000 or less,” said Park Ridge Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen. “It’s definitely proof positive that those systems work — and worked well in this case.”

According to the fire department’s news release, the sprinkler system saved what could have been a large fire loss.  There was only minimal damage and no injuries were reported. The fire sprinkler system was placed back in service within a few hours.

City of Park Ridge website

Chicago Police Academy
Chicago Fire Department

The fire sprinkler system in the building held a fire in check in one room in the basement.
Northern Illinois Fireground Photos

Villas at Vinegar Hill
Springfield Fire Department

A fire sprinkler system put out a suspected arson fire in the Springfield Housing Authority’s 92-unit senior living apartment building, which is still being constructed.
WICS-TV

An estimated $3M in production loss prevented at printing/packaging facility

HUNTLEY, IL (February 4, 2017) — What started as a call to respond to a fire alarm, turned into multiple calls en route for reports of fire inside the H.S. Crocker Co., Inc. Upon arrival, firefighters with the Huntley Fire Protection District found smoke coming from the building. Once inside, crews discovered that six sprinkler heads activated to put out a fire, which started from a printing press. A machine operator noticed the fire while cleaning and attempted to put it out with a fire extinguisher, then exited the building when the attempt was unsuccessful. According to Fire Marshal Ken Madziarek, the sprinkler system did what it was designed to do. “It controlled the fire, kept it from spreading from the machine of origin, and extinguished the fire, keeping the grounds safer,” said Madziarek. The company opened the next day, and an estimated $10 million dollars was saved in potential production losses. There were no injuries.

Source:  Ken Madziarek, Fire Chief, Huntley Fire Protection District

January 2017

Waste Management
DeKalb Fire Department

The fire sprinkler system in the recycling facility controlled a fire in the recycling materials sorting area until fire crews arrived for full extinguishment. No one was injured.
Daily Chronicle

IKEA
Schaumburg Fire Department

A single fire sprinkler contained a fire that was believed to be caused by a shorted electrical cord for a syrup machine in the first-floor food court. The building engineer was able to extinguish the small remaining flames with a fire extinguisher and there was only $4,000 in damage estimated.
Michael Rons, Fire Marshal,
Schaumburg Fire Department

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
Bartlett Fire Protection District

A single fire sprinkler held a fire in place that was caused by a large commercial dryer in the laundry room of the Hindu place of worship. Damage was limited to the dryer and smoke damage was limited to the immediate area. No one was injured and occupants were able to return to the building with little disruption to normal activities.

“The fire sprinkler and alarm system worked the way the systems are designed. The alarm notified the occupants and the fire sprinkler system controlled the fire to keep it from spreading to the structure,” said Bartlett Fire Chief Michael Falese. “The building where the fire occurred is very large and unique. Without a fire sprinkler system, this could have been a very significant fire with millions of dollars of damage and a loss of a landmark facility. The BAPS staff is to be commended for their proper reaction to the activation of the fire alarm and the good maintenance of the fire protection systems.”

Mike Figolah, Assistant Fire Chief,
Bartlett Fire Protection District

State Beauty Supply
Rockford Fire Department

The sprinkler system in the store extinguished a fire caused by incense accidentally left burning. No one was in the store at the time of the fire and damage was limited to only $10,000.

“The damage was very well controlled by the sprinklers,” said arson investigator Mike Schnaper.

Rockford Register Star

Near North Village
Springfield Fire Department

The apartment building’s fire sprinkler system controlled a fire that began when someone set a blanket on fire in a fifth-floor hallway. No one was injured.

State Journal-Register

Crazy Buffet
Galesburg Fire Department

A single fire sprinkler helped extinguish a kitchen fire at the restaurant.
According to Fire Chief Tom Simkins in a news release, “Fire had started in a​ ​wok in the grill area. The manager attempted to extinguish the fire with three hand fire extinguishers. The hood system functioned properly and knocked the fire down on the grill. However, fire had extended outside the grill and was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.”

Register-Mail

Apartment Building
Peoria Fire Department

On New Year’s Day, the sprinkler system in the building fully extinguished a fire from overheated cooking oil, preventing any injuries from occurring.

Journal Star

October 2016

Dawn Foods
Manteno Community Fire Protection District

Before fire crews arrived on scene, a single fire sprinkler activated and contained a conveyor belt fire at the baking ingredients and products company.

Scott O’Brien, Fire Chief,
Manteno Community Fire Protection District

2023-10-05T11:33:04-05:00January 18th, 2017|0 Comments
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