February 25, 2009 – According to the U.S. Fire Administration and the Center for Disease Control, someone dies in a fire about every two hours in America, and someone is injured every 29 minutes. Over 3,000 people die annually. 82% of these deaths occur in the home. Fire Sprinklers are part of the solution. Fire sprinklers can and do make a difference. Simply stated, Fire Sprinklers Save Lives. There is no better way to understand this problem than to LISTEN to those who have been affected by fire. Because of that, the Common Voices Coalition has been formed.
As the song states, there is always someone who serves as “the wind beneath our wings” and in the case of our Coalition, the wind is three NFSA board members. Their vision to create the Advocates’ Coalition of Common Voices, has put into action their dream to give back. The story of this Coalition is really about “Declaring an industry’s commitment” and “Paying It Forward.”
The creation of the Advocates’ Coalition is a key step in taking the NFSA’s Board Vision to the next level. We much never underestimate our experiences nor our ability to influence others with lessons learned.
Turning Tragedy into Advocacy is a choice, and we can learn from those who have made the choice to share. Our challenge is to join them in their quest to PREVENT another TRAGEDY through education and the installation of something as simple as fire sprinklers. Listen to our Common Voices, join us…..together we can make a difference.
To NFSA Board members Aus Marburger, Wayne Gey & Gregg Huennekens….thank you for the vision and your commitment. To the Advocates …. Thank you for opening your hearts and sharing your stories….we dedicate this Coalition to YOU and to those whom we have lost….we know we are doing exactly what they would want us to do…making a difference one day at a time!