The Fortified for Safer Living® program is a national effort developed by the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) to increase newly constructed homes’ resistance to disasters as part of its mission to “reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other property losses.” IBHS urges homeowners to take an active role in their new home’s construction and to open up a dialogue about the Fortified program with their builders. By meeting key disaster-resistant standards, homeowners increase their home's ability to withstand and survive a major disaster. Now, residential fire sprinklers are among those key standards. Following a presentation by HFSC on the benefits of installed sprinklers in new-home construction, the Fortified for Safer Living Advisory Council elected to include installed fire sprinkler systems among the Fortified for Safer Living recommendations for new homes.

“With this action, the Fortified for Safer Living Advisory Council has taken an important step to help reduce the impact of residential fires in communities,” says HFSC Chair Gary Keith. HFSC will exhibit at the 2007 IBHS Conference on Property Loss Reduction in November.