Advocacy must be strengthened for the enforcement of codes and the installation of home fire sprinklers.
The term “fire prevention,” as used here, means preventing accidental fires from starting and, when they do start, minimizing their growth or extinguish them prior to human intervention. A successful effort in fire prevention will mean fewer fire responses by firefighters because of a reduction in fires, and less dangerous working conditions on the fire ground as a result of smaller, contained fires. With fewer fire responses and smaller, contained fires, and a better protected public, it is clear that there will be fewer firefighter injuries and fatalities – which is the goal of our overall efforts. The 15th Initiative asks us to advocate for stronger codes and laws which will decrease the number and severity of structural and residential fires to keep our firefighters out of harm’s way.
Initiative 15 Resources
Initiative 15 Research
- Leading and Living Life Safety Lessons Learned
- Lessons Learned From Unsatisfactory Sprinkler Performance: An Update on Trends and a Root Cause Discussion from the Investigating Engineer’s Perspective
- Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems: What do you know?
- Fire Sprinklers Save Lives–And Firefighters
- Fire Sprinklers
Latest Initiative 15 News
- Read the Latest Truman Fire Forum Report – The fourth and final Truman Fire Forum convened in August of 2022 to mark the 75th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s National Conference on Fire Prevention. The various strategies implemented since 1947 have significantly reduced deaths in all occupancies, except residences. Outreach efforts to reduce civilian home fire deaths are making a difference but fall short of saving more lives. The 2022 attendees provided recommendations on the next steps at the federal, state, and local levels; they also offered recommendations on the role of private enterprises and non-governmental organizations in community risk reduction efforts. And, perhaps most important of all, the attendees challenged each of us to take individual actions to carry President Truman’s legacy forward for the next generation.
» Truman Report Resources - Fire Stop Tour, January 10-12, 2023 – The U.S Fire Administrator and principal leaders from the American fire service, in partnership with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the Philadelphia Fire Department, and the Washington, D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, will stand together on Jan. 10‑12 to speak with one voice to address the fire problem facing our nation.
» Watch the Summit Replay - NFFF Announces 4th Firefighter Life Safety Summit – This important gathering builds on the advances from previous Life Safety Summits in Tampa (FL) and Truman Fire Forums (2019 and 2022) to move firefighter health and safety strategies forward. A keynote speaker for the event is Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, whose in-depth work on command decision-making revolutionized the British Fire Service’s approach to incident command.
- Safety INsight: Natchez Rhythm Club Fire – The Natchez Rhythm Club fire was the second deadliest building fire in the U.S. when it took 209 lives in 1940. Of course it made headlines, but it faded quickly from the spotlight. It’s a major disaster most people have never heard about. The case has been made it has been overlooked because the fire occurred in a Black community in the deep South. Still, future fire protection engineers are now learning from this tragedy. This episode of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Safety INsight looks closely at important lessons still relevant 82 years later.
- National Fire Service Research Agenda Report Released – Researchers and fire service practitioners met virtually last year for the 4th National Fire Service Research Agenda Symposium resulting in the National Fire Service Research Agenda Report with nearly 300 recommendations.
- National Firefighter Life Safety Summit 2022 Postponed – The National Firefighter Life Safety Summit 2022 Planning Committee has postponed the Summit due to the current impact of the coronavirus pandemic on fire departments across the country. A new date for the Summit will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
- Fire Hero Learning Network Reaches New Milestone – The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is excited to announce that the Foundation’s online learning platform, the Fire Hero Learning Network (FHLN), has reached a milestone of over 130,000 registered users.
- National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Partners with the National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association – The Online Governmental Committee Vote will take place October 15, 2021, through November 1, 2021. If you or your agency possess ICC voting privileges, please review the final proposals and vote in support of these proposals. Doing so will reduce risk to the public and firefighters.
- After the Fire Podcast – Episode 9 – In the third episode of this three-part series on the FDNY Father’s Day Fire, we are joined by the wives of Lieutenant John Downing, Firefighter Brian Fahey, and Firefighter Harry Ford.
- After the Fire Podcast – Episode 8 – In the second episode of this three-part series on the FDNY Father’s Day Fire, we discuss a Queens taxpayer fire that erupted into a 5-alarm fire claiming the lives of three firefighters Lieutenant John Downing, Firefighter Brian Fahey, and Firefighter Harry Ford.
