The firefighter safety initiatives, from the "Everyone Goes Home" organization, are an important step in reducing the fatalities and injuries to firefighters. But at best they are a stop gap measure. The solution that is desperately needed are residential fire sprinkler systems everywhere, period. Any firefighter who obtains any education about fire and its inevitability realizes this fact. R. David Paulison of FEMA was recently named to the new position of director. His previous fire experience gives the fire service an ear in the White House. This advantage must be exploited to make fire sprinkler systems the new house hold buzzword. Additionally, the following grassroots measures can be taken by all fire departments:

1. Place signs about fire sprinkler systems for the home in front of fire stations. Many of the public drives by fire stations everyday going to and from work. If they read the signs everyday some of them will start asking about what fire sprinklers are and how can they install them. Politically that cannot be bad either as far as obtaining support for fire sprinkler legislation.
2. Place bumper stickers on all apparatus stating "fire sprinklers save lives, firefighters and civilians". Who does not read bumper stickers sitting in traffic?
3. During fire scene news interviews, remember to add fire sprinklers to the discussion. Many people watch the evening news, especially when they cover local fires.
4. Sponsor a billboard on the highways, on the walls at the ball fields and baseball stadiums with the message about fire sprinklers.
5. Emphasize their use in the home.

These are but a few ideas, and I am sure there are many more good ideas out there. We all believe that we are doing a good job protecting firefighters. But until we stop fires where they are occurring, human nature and the macho image of firefighting, speeding to fires, and falling through floors are going to continue to kill our own and the public. The fire service must protect its own by preventing the known, fire, in a more extensive, comprehensive, and effective manner. Residential fire sprinklers must become a common part of all structures, as common as toilets. And unlike smoke detectors, toilets are never out of service. Please read the following article for the future safety of our firefighters.

-Bill Scholl, Retired Firefighter, Florence, Montana

There is more that we can do to educate the public about the dangers presented by living in a combustible home without residential fire sprinkler systems (RFS). The number of fire service personnel with the ability to advocate and educate the public about their benefits is larger than the service realizes. Enlightening the cause does not need to stop at the entrance doors of the conference halls, the training classrooms, and the scientist's desks. There is more that we are obligated to do, failure to take advantage of the opportunities is a crime.

Municipal, county, and other governmental motorized units can educate the public through bumper stickers saying "residential fire sprinklers save lives" and underneath have the web site in large letters. Statistically speaking, some of the public is going to wonder about residential fire sprinklers. These people may be building a new home. They may investigate the web site. They will then ask about them and that is more than is happening now!

There is much the visible line fire fighters can do. Fire apparatus bumper stickers are going to be seen showing support and educating again the words and web site. During station tours, the public (especially the children) can be educated about the presence, advantage of, and other information about residential fire sprinklers. When the fire department public information officer speaks to the local news during the dramatic part of the interview about the "big fire", that is a prime time to mention the good that residential fire sprinklers do. Nearly everyone at home watching the 11 PM news "repeats" from the 6:00PM report would hear about RFS twice! Whenever fire marshals give interviews to the news, the mention about RFS could be made, again being repeated twice by the local news would contact many people who would then become knowledgeable of their existence.

Insurance companies could offer more information about them. Builders need to offer them to new home builders. Most of the time, residential fire sprinklers are not even mentioned. There should be billboards along major interstate highways, television ad spots, newspaper, magazine, and other media campaigns to teach the public about them.

Yes, there is legislation currently stalled in the House about tax benefits for installing them. Many communities have laws that mandate them. But the fire service is missing many opportunities to educate the public so there would be a larger demand for them, at least more than exists now.

My background is over 30 years as a fire officer and paramedic with hazardous materials, shipboard firefighting, and fire instruction experience. My career changed in 1999 with a paralyzing on-the-job injury. Since the injury, with the beloved assistance from my wife, Katie, and service dog, Zeb, education has been my pursuit. I hope to become a fire protection engineer. Throughout my career, I advocated residential fire sprinkler systems. I always promised that when I built my home it would be protected by them. It became possible and RFS installation occurred during the construction of my home after I was injured. I regularly found the firefighters I worked with resistive to the idea of fire sprinklers in homes. What an absurd idea! They were actually afraid of the fire department becoming downsized because of lower number of fires!

I attended a conference, entitled "You Do Not Have to Die in a Structure Fire," that was attended by many central Florida fire chiefs, other line officers, and firefighters. I brought the subject up with the anticipated response from the majority which was a negative attitude towards the topic of residential fire sprinklers. Therein lies the problem. It seems criminal to not advocate at every opportunity that which will make a difference.

-Azarang (Ozzie) Mirkhah, P.E., EFO, CBO Fire Protection Engineer, Las Vegas (NV) Fire & Rescue