The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC)
was founded in 1996 as a joint effort of NFPA, the American
Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) and the National Fire
Sprinkler Association (NFSA).
Although each of the founding organizations
and many others included public information about residential
fire sprinkler systems in their communications, there
had been no single, national organization devoted exclusively
to sustained public outreach on the topic. HFSC was formed
to establish this greatly needed credible and non-commercial
home fire sprinkler advocacy group.
Now in its 10th year, HFSC has legally incorporated
in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and anticipates receiving
formal designation as an independent 501(c)3 organization
before the end of 2007. “This is a procedural change
that won’t change our operational strategy in any
way,” says HFSC Chair Gary Keith. “In fact,
we hope the formal nonprofit status will facilitate our
fundraising efforts.”
HFSC began with a modest effort to increase
residential sprinkler awareness within a handful of states.
In just a decade, it has grown into an ambitious and multi-faceted
campaign to increase awareness and overcome the myths and
misinformation that pervade the industry. HFSC’s
educational materials are in use across the U.S. and in
Canada. |