Courtesy of Gaiser, the local access cable television channel regularly airs “Protect What You Value Most,” from HFSC featuring spokesperson Ron Hazelton from ABC’s Good Morning America. Gaiser is also working with the local Habitat for Humanity to persuade the group’s locally sponsored project to feature home fire sprinklers.

He says that the information from HFSC also updates him on the latest news and issues. The materials help address some of the perceived barriers to home sprinklers including cost, looks, operation and more.

“Using these materials, I’ve opened people’s minds to the possibility of putting sprinklers in homes,” he continues. “The information is user-friendly, accurate, and easy to access,” he says.

Debunking the myths surrounding home fire sprinklers is one of the greatest obstacles, and HFSC materials can turn a story around in no time flat. Christie Knudsen, Public Information Officer for the South Trail Fire and Rescue in Ft. Myers, FL, says HFSC educational materials she uses at community events dispel half-truths about the devices. One of the biggest public misperceptions is that all sprinkler heads discharge during a fire. “People are surprised when they see that sprinklers are individually activated and attractive looking as well,” she says.

Using the Public Educator Kit from HFSC as well as “Protect What You Value Most” helps Jerry Vein, Fire Marshal with the Grand Forks Fire Department, ND, provide information to a variety of groups, including participants at foster care parent training seminars.
Vein says its “all about education. We’ve also used the Home Fire Timeline at an Industrial Technology course at the University of North Dakota.”

“Like other fire service professionals, we don’t have a lot of money to spend,” Vein says. “The HFSC is very good about providing the materials you need for a variety of audiences. There’s so much useful information on the Web site.”

In Glynn County, GA, Glynn County Fire Department Volunteer Chief Joe M. Combs II is taking to cyberspace to get the message out about home fire sprinklers. The Glynn County Fire Department, which launched its Web site this summer, plans to post the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Fact Sheet on its URL, with a link to the organization at www.HomeFireSprinkler.org.

“This is the first time I have been able to locate materials pertaining specifically to residential sprinkler systems,” Combs said. “These materials will help consumers make better educated decisions regarding home fire sprinklers”

For more information on home fire sprinklers, call 1-877-550-HFSC (4372) or visit our Web site: www.HomeFireSprinkler.org.