Page 24 - Green Builder May-June 2018 Issue

THE EVOLVING ROLE OF ASSOCIATIONS
CREDIT: HFSC

HFSC (Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition)

Where’s the fire? With this group, not anywhere near you or your customers.

HE HOME FIRE SPRINKLER COALITION (HFSC) was formed in 1996 in response to the
tremendous need to inform the public about the life-saving value of home fire sprinkler
protection. HFSC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and the leading resource for independent,
noncommercial information about home fire sprinklers. HFSC offers educational material
with details about installed home fire sprinkler systems, how they work and why they provide
affordable protection.
The Coalition also provides answers to common myths and misconceptions about fire sprinkler
T operation such as:
■ Smoke alarms prevent the need for fire sprinklers. (Nope. Smoke alarms can only detect smoke, not heat.)
■
■ If one goes off, they all go off. (Don’t believe what you see in the movies. They all act independently,
■
with only the one closest to the fire going off intitially.)
“When sprinklers activate, ■ ■ Sprinklers will leak. (Wrong again. Home plumbing systems are more likely to act up.)
they control the heat, flames ■ ■ Water damage is worse than fire damage. (No. Property loss from a sprinklered home is a fraction
of that from a fire.)
and smoke released by a fire, ■ ■ Sprinklers will freeze in winter. (Wrong. The national fire installation standard ensures proper
effectively mitigating the installation in cold areas.)
HFSC also provides free resources to support the installation of home fire sprinklers in single-family
products of combustion. home new construction. Home fire sprinklers protect occupants, firefighters, the community and the
Our research with FM Global environment.
The Coalition’s Board of Directors includes members of elite fire protection groups nationwide, such as
found that home fire the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association (CASA), FM
sprinklers protect the Global, International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM), ROLE MODELS
environment because they National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Fire
reduce greenhouse gas Sprinkler Association (NFSA), National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors,
State Farm Insurance, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the U.S. Fire Administration/FEMA.
emissions by 98 percent,
reduce fire damage by up

to 97 percent, reduce water FACTS
usage to fight fires by as
much as 91 percent, and NUMBER OF MEMBERS: N/A
reduce water pollution.” MEMBER BREAKDOWN: N/A

Lorraine Carli, HEADQUARTERS: Quincy, Mass.
HFSC President WEBSITE: https://homefiresprinkler.org
NUMBER OF ACTIVE SITES: 1

KEY SERVICES OFFERED: Educational
material about installed home fire sprinkler
systems, how they work and why they
provide affordable protection; free
resources to support the installation of
home fire sprinklers in single-family home
new construction.
MISSION STATEMENT: To inform the
public about the life-saving value of home
fire sprinkler protection.

22 GREEN BUILDER May/June 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com

16-43 GB 0518 Associations.indd 22 6/15/18 10:45 AM