NFPA highlights fire sprinkler awareness and retrofit gaps during Home Fire Sprinkler Week 2025

Campaign to promote fire sprinkler awareness returns in May 2025

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has reported that Home Fire Sprinkler Week 2025 will take place from 11 to 17 May, with a renewed digital campaign aimed at informing the public about the benefits of home fire sprinklers.

According to NFPA, fire departments and safety advocates across North America will take part in the initiative through online messaging and local events.

The goal is to raise public understanding of how home fire sprinklers reduce fatalities, injuries and property loss.

The NFPA reported that home fires are responsible for over 80 percent of civilian deaths in structure fires.

Modern construction methods, synthetic furnishings and lithium-ion batteries contribute to fires that burn faster and hotter, leaving little time for escape.

Sprinkler systems offer early response and reduced damage

The NFPA has stated that home fire sprinklers can activate in less than two minutes and often control or extinguish fires before emergency responders arrive.

Only the sprinkler closest to the heat source activates, using less water than fire hoses.

The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), which works in partnership with the NFPA, will lead the digital outreach.

Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy and president of HFSC, said: “Home Fire Sprinkler Week is a great opportunity for us to bring together our digital voices and amplify the message of the tremendous benefits of fire sprinklers across our continent.”

Each day of the campaign will include different themes distributed through social media and websites.

The themes include how fast fires spread, costs to communities without sprinklers and the ease of living with sprinkler systems.

Outreach and resources to support local engagement

The NFPA said that fire departments and other participants are encouraged to hold public outreach events, including live demonstrations and community displays.

Free resources will be made available through the HFSC Studio to help design educational materials.

Available tools include social media templates, flyers, videos and proclamations for use during the campaign week.

According to NFPA, the materials are designed to require minimal effort and to maximise reach through online sharing.

Visitors can find daily content and media resources on the Home Fire Sprinkler Week section of the HFSC website.

Residential high-rises in Chicago remain unsprinklered

In a related post, Lorraine Carli from NFPA commented on the continued lack of sprinklers in residential high-rise buildings in Chicago.

On 25 January 2023, a fire in the Harper Square high-rise killed one resident and displaced more than 200 others.

The building did not have a sprinkler system installed.

This fire was the first of 17 fires in unsprinklered residential high-rises in the city during 2023, Carli reported.

Ken and Rita Harris, long-time residents of the building, described the personal and financial impacts of the fire during a media briefing on its second anniversary.

They reported that over 80 residents are still waiting to return home.

Local policies have not mandated residential retrofits

Following a 2003 fire in the Cook County Administration Building that killed six people, Chicago required sprinklers in unsprinklered commercial high-rises.

However, the same requirement was not extended to residential buildings.

Carli stated that more than 600 residential high-rises in Chicago remain without sprinkler protection.

According to Harper Square residents, the cost of post-fire recovery has already exceeded $20 million.

She questioned the decision to omit residential buildings from retrofit requirements: “What is the cost of not protecting these buildings?”

Minneapolis adopted a full retrofit approach after fatal fire

In contrast, Carli pointed to the response of Minneapolis officials following a 2019 high-rise fire that killed six people.

Local, state and federal funding was used to retrofit all 42 public housing high-rises in the city.

The final retrofit was completed in August 2024.

Carli noted that sprinkler systems are often easier to install in high-rises than assumed because standpipes and fire pumps are typically already present.

Erik Hoffer, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, participated in the Chicago media event and supported the call for renewed attention to fire safety in high-rises.

Campaign seeks to shift public understanding and policy

The NFPA and HFSC aim to increase public awareness of the role fire sprinklers can play in both new and existing buildings.

According to Carli, modern homebuyers are more informed and are likely to favour homes with sprinkler protection once they understand the technology.

She said: “The campaign is simple and really works well. Today’s homebuyers are savvy about safety and when they learn about fire sprinklers, they want them.”

The HFSC is providing digital content, including virtual reality tools, to assist communities and advocates in communicating the benefits of sprinkler installation.

Events and outreach planned across North America

Throughout Home Fire Sprinkler Week, daily content will be distributed online and through community partners to support education about sprinklers.

Fire services across North America are expected to take part in outreach events to demonstrate how sprinkler systems operate and why they are effective.

Further information and resources are available on the HFSC website, including the daily themes and downloadable content.

NFPA highlights fire sprinkler awareness and retrofit gaps during Home Fire Sprinkler Week 2025: Summary

The National Fire Protection Association has announced that Home Fire Sprinkler Week 2025 will take place from 11 to 17 May.

The campaign, led in partnership with the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, promotes awareness of the role fire sprinklers play in reducing deaths, injuries and property loss in home fires.

Modern home fires burn faster and more intensely due to materials and construction methods.

Sprinkler systems activate quickly and can suppress fires using less water than hoses.

The HFSC is providing digital resources and outreach tools to support the campaign.

In a related commentary, Lorraine Carli highlighted that over 600 residential high-rises in Chicago remain without sprinkler systems.

She referenced the Harper Square fire, which killed one person in 2023, and stated that post-fire costs have already exceeded $20 million.

Chicago currently mandates sprinklers for commercial but not residential high-rises.

Minneapolis has completed retrofits for all public housing high-rises after a fatal 2019 fire.

Daily themes, educational materials and resources are available on the HFSC website.