Nearly 104,000 homebuilders, developers and other housing professionals took part in the 2007 International Builders’ ShowÆ (IBS) in Orlando, FL February 7-10. The annual gathering also boasted the largest IBS Exhibit, which netted one million square feet of space.

As it has done each year since 2000, HFSC coordinated a collective residential sprinkler education booth. With participation from six sprinkler industry manufacturers – each in their own kiosk within the booth – HFSC was able to present its most comprehensive exhibit ever with 2000 square feet of display space.

Although the public safety community unanimously recognizes fire sprinkler systems as the future of fire protection, and the best opportunity to cut the fire death rate down, there remains a lack of information about the technology within the homebuilding industry. HFSC is working to overturn that misinformation with the facts about home fire sprinklers. (Read more about sprinkler).

Fire sprinkler systems provide the ultimate protection from home fires, which take some 3,000 lives every year. Fires become deadly in as few as three minutes, so fast action makes the difference between life and death. While household smoke alarms are essential in every home, they can only signal a fire; they cannot extinguish it. Their life-safety success depends on the occupants’ ability to receive that signal and appropriately and immediately act on it. Fire sprinklers automatically put water right on the flames while a fire is still small. That fast action controls deadly heat and smoke, giving occupants more time to safely escape – even if they did not properly respond to the smoke alarm signal.

HFSC was joined in the booth by sprinkler manufacturers Globe, Reliable, Tyco and Viking, and pipe and fitting manufacturers BlazeMasterÆ and Victaulic. Members of HFSC’s Steering Committee and representatives from the participating sprinkler companies staffed the booth, answering questions and sharing free educational materials with attendees.

On display were examples of residential fire sprinklers and pipe, free print and video/DVD educational materials and tools, and a 5’ x 9’ cut-away miniature sprinklered home model that allows builders to visualize how sprinkler systems are installed in homes.

The center attraction of the HFSC Booth was the “Built for Life” game, hosted by HFSC’s celebrity spokesperson Ron Hazelton, best known as the home improvement editor on ABC TV’s Good Morning America program. Hazelton – who has fire sprinklers in his own home – served as emcee. The game gave Show attendees the opportunity to answer a question about home fire sprinklers. Correct answers were rewarded with a chance to spin the wheel and claim a valuable prize. HFSC gave away ten Tom-Tom portable GPS systems, 15 Kodak digital cameras, 59 Letherman tool kits and 368 "Built for Life" caps..

In addition to the “BUILT FOR LIFE” game, HFSC held two drawings each day, giving visitors to the Booth the opportunity to win a $200 BEST BUY gift certificate.

By teaming up with members of the fire sprinkler industry in this collective exhibit, HFSC is able to provide homebuilders and developers with the facts they need at their convenience. “We want to bring our public safety message directly to the homebuilding industry,” says HFSC Chair Gary Keith. “We recognize that the concept of offering sprinklers to customers is still new to many homebuilders. By exhibiting at IBS along with our partners from the sprinkler industry, we can help homebuilders gain the information they need about the fire protection technology while helping them separate out the fiction that is so pervasive.”

Over the years, HFSC’s IBS exhibits have also provided the opportunity to poll homebuilders to better understand their interests, concerns and misconceptions about offering home sprinkler systems to their customers. HFSC has utilized these findings to improve its educational outreach. In fact, the “BUILT FOR LIFE” program was designed specifically to respond to the types of questions HFSC has received through years of exhibiting at the IBS.

For builders who routinely install sprinklers in the homes they build, HFSC now offers a new set of educational materials called “Living with Sprinklers.” This free kit is being utilized by homebuilders as a leave-behind to help new homeowners understand the value of their installed fire sprinkler system and learn usage and simple maintenance tips.

“HFSC’s sole purpose is to educate the public about the value of installed fire sprinkler protection,” adds Keith. “We know that a powerful and strategic partnership with (outreach to) the homebuilding industry is a critical component of effective public education. As builders begin to understand that a more fire-safe home is a more valuable product, more systems will be installed every year. That’s going to improve the infrastructure of the community and ultimately save lives.”