NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative team constantly hears comments from the fire service and other safety advocates that in order to create tomorrow's safer homes, we need to better educate our children today. As future homeowners, children can play a crucial role in bolstering demand for home fire sprinklers. The more educated a child gets on home fire sprinklers, the more likely they are to demand this safety feature as adults.
The creative minds at the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition have developed an entire website,SprinklerSmarts.org, crammed with interactive videos, games, and lesson plans on home fire sprinklers. Whether you're a member of the fire service, teacher, or parent (or perhaps all of the above), there are materials and activities catered to your group. The resources are also broken up into two age brackets: Kindergarten to grade 5 & grades 6 to 8. There are informative, "Sprinkler 101" lessons for the younger group and tutorials on the engineering behind sprinklers for the older children that are explained in layman's terms. Having played the games myself, I can attest that they are addictive and informative.
Please do your part to make 2016 The Year of the Fire Sprinkler. VisitSprinklerSmarts.org and incorporate lessons on home fire sprinklers into your outreach and educational endeavors this year. Also, watch this video that gives you an overview of the materials on SprinklerSmarts.org: