FEMA Grant Funds Fire Sprinkler Installation During Beecher Fire Station Renovation

From left to right) Fire District President Margie Cook, Lieutenant Matt Shronts, Firefighter Stef Nolen-Ragland, Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti, Firefighter Brian Reyna, Firefighter Jacob Reece, Firefighter Logan Loughlin in front of the newly renovated Beecher fire station. The fire sprinklers will protect the firefighters and equipment.

Orland Park, IL (April 15, 2021) – Last year, the Beecher Fire Protection District received a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) to fund the installation of a fire sprinkler system, part of a major fire station renovation. Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti, who submitted the grant application, is proud of the new station and its capabilities. He is also relieved that the firefighters and equipment inside the building are protected from fire. This is especially important since it is the only station that serves the entire community and surrounding unincorporated areas of Will County – 54 total square miles

“The renovation was long overdue,” said Falaschetti. “The old station had two small electrical fires in the past three years, prompting a change. It is important to protect those who are ready to respond to calls.”

Built in 1983 as an “unmanned” volunteer station, the 8,500 square foot building was converted to a “paid-on-call” station in 2001. By 2004, the station was staffed 24 hours. The whole renovation project cost $4 million and increased the building to 14,400 square feet. It was a significant savings compared to building a new station at more than $9 million.

Originally, FEMA awarded Beecher $93,109. At the time, Falaschetti said they were working on the renovation plans and that figure had been a rough estimate for the sprinkler system. When the renovation was complete, the final cost for the fire sprinkler system was $127,000. Falaschetti submitted an amendment and was able to receive funds for the balance. Not only was the renovation a savings to the community compared to building a new station, but it also did not result in any tax increases.

Falaschetti also said they have established a new fire prevention bureau. “We are pushing code, inspection, testing, and maintenance compliance,” he said. “As our community grows, we want to see more residential and commercial buildings protected with fire sprinklers. Protecting the fire station and the firefighters who sleep in it is an excellent way to lead by example.”

Nelson Fire Protection installed the dry system.

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

The newly renovated fire station is the only station that serves the entire community and surrounding unincorporated areas of Will County – 54 total square miles

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

The new entrance to the renovated fire station.

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

The entire fire station, including the bay is protected with fire sprinklers.

FEMA Grant Funds Fire Sprinkler Installation During Beecher Fire Station Renovation

Nelson Fire Protection installed the dry fire sprinkler system.

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

Fire sprinkler fitters from Nelson Fire Protection installing the riser.

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

Beecher Fire Protection District Board of Trustees are also protected when they meet in the new conference room.

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti with his crew at the kitchen table. He said the renovation was long overdue. The old station had two small electrical fires in the past three years. Now all the living space is protected with fire sprinklers.

Beecher Fire Department Remodel with Sprinklers

The newly renovated fire station has eight bunk rooms, each protected with a fire sprinkler.

###

About the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB)
NIFSAB is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting progressive legislation, raising public awareness, and educating code officials and governmental policy makers by demonstrating the proven performance of fire sprinklers in saving both lives and property. For more information, visit FireSprinklerAssoc.org.

2021-04-29T11:47:21-05:00April 23rd, 2021|Comments Off on FEMA Grant Funds Fire Sprinkler Installation During Beecher Fire Station Renovation

Tragic Fire Supports Des Plaines Home Fire Sprinkler Requirement

Orland Park, IL (January 27, 2021) – The deadly home fire in Des Plaines where four children under the age of six and their 25-year old mother died today is a sad reminder of why requiring fire sprinklers in new homes is vital, according to Erik Hoffer, Executive Director, Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB).

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that house fires can become deadly in as little as two minutes due to the contents in homes. Furniture and other belongings are now made of synthetic materials that burn fast and produce toxic smoke. People at highest risk are those that have trouble escaping quickly like young children, as in today’s fire, as well as the elderly and people with disabilities.

Just over fifteen years ago, the Des Plaines City Council passed an ordinance requiring the installation of automatic fire sprinklers in all newly constructed one- and two-family homes. Existing homes undergoing major additions are also required to retrofit.

“Today’s fire is so tragic. Our thoughts are with the family, firefighters and the mourning community,” Hoffer said. “People don’t realize how deadly fires can be. It is unfortunate this home was built before the ordinance was passed. But it reinforces why the ordinance is so important for the safety of residents and firefighters. As more homes are built with fire sprinklers, the risk of future fire tragedies will greatly decrease.”

“Smoke alarms are necessary as they are important early warning for occupants, but only fire sprinklers can control or extinguish a fire, allowing occupants the pathway to escape,” noted Hoffer. “They are individually activated by the heat from a fire while it is still small, preventing it from spread beyond the area of origin. Most often, a single fire sprinkler is all that is needed to control the spread of deadly heat and toxic smoke,” he said.

According to NIFSAB, there are more than 110 municipalities and fire protection districts in Illinois that require fire sprinklers in all new construction, regardless of building type, through the adoption of ordinances and model codes provided by the International Code Council and the NFPA.

 

###

 

 

About the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB)
NIFSAB is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting progressive legislation, raising public awareness, and educating code officials and governmental policy makers by demonstrating the proven performance of fire sprinklers in saving both lives and property. For more information, visit FireSprinklerAssoc.org.

2021-01-27T18:26:27-06:00January 27th, 2021|Comments Off on Tragic Fire Supports Des Plaines Home Fire Sprinkler Requirement

Illinois Joins Nationwide Virtual Campaign to Address Home Fire Problem

 

HFSW Logo 2020

Orland Park, IL (May 14, 2020) – According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a home fire can become deadly in as little as two minutes. That is largely due to the fact that today’s common synthetic furnishings burn hotter and faster and produce deadly toxic smoke when compared with the natural-material furnishings of decades ago. Although the number of home fires has come down over the years, residents are more likely to die if they have a home fire today than they were in 1980.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly evident through news coverage that stay-at-home mandates are in direct correlation with an increase in home cooking fires. This emphasizes the importance of the need to educate about fire safety, including fire sprinklers in new homes. Home fire sprinklers can help eliminate these unneeded tragedies.

The Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB), along with other members of the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition, will virtually spread the word about the lifesaving benefits of home fire sprinklers during Home Fire Sprinkler Week, May 17 – 23. The North American-wide virtual campaign is a project of the NFPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC).

Throughout the week, fire departments and fire safety groups across the U.S. will access digital content at the Home Fire Sprinkler Week website and encourage their audiences to read and share daily home fire safety messaging. They will be posting home fire sprinkler videos, graphics and other information on their websites, through social media and via local news outlets.

According to Erik Hoffer, executive director, NIFSAB, home fire sprinklers have been in national model codes since 2009. More than 110 towns and fire districts in Illinois require home fire sprinklers installed in all new construction.

“During the week, we recognize elected officials, fire chiefs and members of the fire service who played a role in requiring fire sprinklers in new homes,” Hoffer said. “We want the public to understand how home fire sprinklers work and why they are vital in protecting residents and first responders. We hope to someday see a day when every new home built in Illinois and nationwide is protected with home fire sprinklers.”

For a list of Illinois towns and fire districts protected with home fire sprinklers visit: https://homelifesafety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NIFSAB-13D-Ordinance-Towns-B.pdf

####

2023-06-05T16:07:17-05:00May 14th, 2020|Comments Off on Illinois Joins Nationwide Virtual Campaign to Address Home Fire Problem

Nominations now being accepted for NFPA, HFSC Bringing Safety Home Award

NFPA-HFSC-LOGO-Headline

DEADLINE: April 3, 2020

March 25, 2020 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) are accepting nominations for their Bringing Safety Home Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts by a safety advocate who diligently promotes the importance of home fire sprinklers.

The Bringing Safety Home Award honors members of the fire service and other fire sprinkler advocates in North America who use HFSC educational material, NFPA data, and NFPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative resources to educate decision-makers on home fire sprinklers. These efforts are aimed at educating the public and policy makers to increase the use of home fire sprinklers in new homes. The award winner will receive a $1,000 grant to further fire sprinkler advocacy and educational efforts in their area.

“This year, many communities have successfully taken steps to get fire sprinklers in new homes,” says Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy and HFSC president. “We are progressively seeing more and more jurisdictions embracing this technology thanks to the dedication of fire sprinkler advocates who educate on the life-saving ability of fire sprinklers. These passionate safety advocates are effectively showing the life-saving benefits of fire sprinklers and they should be a necessity in all new homes to protect citizens and first responders alike.”

According to NFPA research, the risk of dying in a reported home fire is 85 percent lower if sprinklers are present.

Visit NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Initiative website for more information. NFPA and HFSC are accepting nominations at Bringing Safety Home Award Form through April 3, 2020.

# # #

2023-06-22T14:45:04-05:00March 27th, 2020|Comments Off on Nominations now being accepted for NFPA, HFSC Bringing Safety Home Award

HFSC Increases Stipend Offer. Now 60 U.S. Fire Departments Will Receive $500 For Local Home Fire Sprinkler Education

Burn Demonstration

Stipends can be used to build or refurbish a side-by-side burn demonstration.

Sign up Today!

The deadline to apply is March 6, 2020.

February 17, 2020, Frankfort, IL – The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) has increased the number of $500 stipends offered to U.S. fire departments thanks to additional donations from HFSC founding members American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA). The original program offered 20 stipends through grant funding from State Farm. HFSC’s founding members stepped up their contributions to further support the fire service. The stipends will be awarded to qualifying fire departments to support local community outreach.

The stipends are being rolled out ahead of Home Fire Sprinkler Week, which will take place across North America May 17-23, 2020. Co-Sponsored by HFSC and the NFPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative, the week emphasizes the dangers of home fires to residents and firefighters and promotes the importance of building new homes with automatic fire sprinklers.

The stipends will help fire departments of any size or type conduct educational demonstrations. The funds can be used to build a portable, full-scale home fire sprinkler riser display, build or refurbish a side-by-side home fire sprinkler and flashover unit or produce an educational banner. HFSC has comprehensive online guidelines that describe materials, construction and outreach strategies to create these powerful and reusable teaching resources.

“With fire service activities concentrated on these important points during a single week each year, we are able to significantly boost interest and awareness among the public, the media and local officials,” says HFSC President Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA. “This is essential because eight of 10 fire deaths in the U.S. occur in home fires.”

Although the number of reported fires has decreased over the past 40 years, you are more likely to die in a fire today than you were in 1980. “Today’s home fires burn hotter and faster yet loss can be significantly reduced with sprinklers,” Carli adds. “We could practically eliminate fire deaths in future years if every home had sprinklers.”

To qualify, applicants must be current members of the free Built for Life Fire Department Program (BFLFD), developed by HFSC in the 1990s to help the fire service improve local home fire sprinkler education. They will also be required to describe their plan to use and evaluate their awards. Join the BFLFD Program and apply for a stipend. The deadline to apply is March 6, 2020.

A similar stipend program is under way in Canada, with underwriting from HFSC’s Canadian partner The Co-Operators.

Now in its third year, Home Fire Sprinkler Week has become popular with fire departments in the US and Canada and HFSC anticipates widespread participation again in 2020. “The public education work the fire departments will do with these valuable stipends is essential and it will help make Home Fire Sprinkler Week 2020 an educational and motivational success,” Carli says. “We are appreciative of the strong support of the fire service, the HFSC Board of Directors, and our partners State Farm and The Co-Operators.”

Learn more about Home Fire Sprinkler Week and follow HFSC activities on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HFSCorg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homefiresprinklercoalition/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/HFSCorg and in Canada https://twitter.com/HFSCinCanada

####

2023-06-22T14:41:59-05:00February 17th, 2020|Comments Off on HFSC Increases Stipend Offer. Now 60 U.S. Fire Departments Will Receive $500 For Local Home Fire Sprinkler Education
Go to Top