March 23, 2011

Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), a nonprofit that collaborates with NFPA and other coalition members to disseminate information on home fire sprinklers, has received the 2011 Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Safety Leadership Award.

Presented by the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), the award recognizes organizations for their outstanding contributions to firefighter health and safety. Gary Keith, HFSC board chair and NFPA’s vice-president of Field Operations and Education, accepted the award during a CFSI banquet April 7 in Washington, D.C.

"The fire service has always been our most active and most important partner," says Mr. Keith. "They have the desire to increase fire protection in their communities, but they rarely have all the resources necessary to do that. HFSC has worked with fire departments to provide them with the free materials they need. We look forward to partnering with them for the next 15 years."

Sarbanes, the award’s namesake, is the retired U.S. senator from Maryland who drafted the legislation that established the NFFF, which honors fallen firefighters through scholarships, programs, and commemorative events.

"HFSC’s focus is on [residential] sprinklers, and that’s a big challenge for the fire service," says Bill Webb, CFSI’s executive director. "Since sprinklers are such an important component of firefighter health and safety, the selection committee felt they were very deserving of the award."