?In 2006, HFSC was awarded a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to support a targeted expansion of HFSC’s public education programs. A highlight of that extension was to develop a new program designed specifically to reach young children, including those already living in sprinklered homes.

?“Up to now the sprinkler message has been largely focused on adults only,” says HFSC Chair Gary Keith. “But children – future homebuyers – need to be trained at an early age to identify fire sprinklers and to understand the very basics of their operation.” To do that most effectively, HFSC opted to design interactive, web-based games to make learning fun and memorable for children.

Introducing: Sprinkler Smarts!
Sprinkler Smarts is a unique set of fire safety games and activities for children in Kindergarten through fifth grade.

The youngest children will find “Fire Safety Scout” a fun introduction to fire safety basics and a helpful way to learn to identify smoke alarms and fire sprinklers. Older children can play more challenging “Monkey See, Monkey Tell” games that also reinforce the importance of treating fire sprinklers as tools, not toys. The vividly illustrated program features the whimsical music of Captain Splash and the Drop-lettes, whose jaunty tunes may help children remember the important messages.

It's important that we not limit the sprinkler message only to adults," says HFSC Board Member Meri-K Appy, who represents the Home Safety Council. “The games help children living in a sprinklered home understand why sprinklers are important and to avoid doing anything that might affect how they operate.”

With this comprehensive approach HFSC expects to reach a large number of families. The program includes activities and presentation guidance to help teachers and fire safety educators incorporate sprinkler education into their outreach to children. It will prove to be especially useful in communities with sprinkler ordinances in place.

Safety Smarts is a timely and novel way to increase the reach of HFSC’s important messages. It is available at no cost to the fire service on HFSC’s Web site and included in the new HFSC Public Education Kit.