Home Fire Sprinkler Week Kick-Off
Team NFSA was thrilled to be at Reliable Automatic Sprinkler’s Liberty, SC facility to kick-off Home Fire Sprinkler Week. We executed a flawless fire sprinkler burn demo using a trailer that was then donated to the South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Coalition. The event was broadcast live on YouTube. You can still watch this great initiative in action here. The broadcast begins at minute 11:51.
Our thanks to the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition and NFPA for coordinating outreach and supplying materials for Home Fire Sprinkler Week. We are elated at the amount of Fire Departments and Fire Sprinkler Advocates that are taking part by hosting side-by-side demos and posting fire sprinkler facts on social media. The number of involved departments grows every year, and we sure see this trend continuing.
Thanks also go to the Fee Family and the entire Reliable Team, the South Carolina State Firefighters Association, the Liberty Fire Department, and Common Voices advocate Pam Elliott, who spoke at the demo regarding her experience as a home fire burn survivor and the difference fire sprinklers could have made.
Cleveland School Fire 100th Anniversary
On May 17th, Vickie Pritchett and I were honored to be part of the Remembrance Ceremony of the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland School Fire in Camden, SC.
The Cleveland School was a rural school that was constructed in the early 1900s. The school was two stories and contained three classrooms.
The fire occurred during an annual play that signified the end of the school year. That night, nearly 300 people were estimated to be present on the second floor assembly area when fire broke out. As the only exit, a single stairway became jammed with people and eventually collapsed, many jumped from the windows to survive. 77 people lost their lives. This fire impacted local, state, and national codes regarding school safety.
We joined in a recognition service that was held at the memorial site and a processional to the mass grave site at Beulah Church. SC Governor Henry McMaster, State Fire Marshal Jonathan Jones, Chief Carter Jones and the Superintendent of the SC Fire Academy Jason Pope were among those in attendance.
It truly was a moving experience we won’t soon forget, and also an inspirational reminder of why we do what we do
