New Educational Tool Kit Helps Fire Departments with Electrical House Fire Prevention
Arlington, Va. – Each year, the U.S experiences on average 46,000 residential electrical fires that can be attributed to electrical failure and malfunction, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Fire departments, fire chiefs and firefighters are among the first to respond and are important communicators in helping to prevent and protect the public from these potentially devastating fires that often cause bodily harm and/or property damage. Electrical experts from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association’s (NEMA) Low Voltage Distribution Equipment (LVDE) Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) Task Force have now assembled important fire safety and prevention resources to help support crucial public education.
“Fire departments play a critical role in communicating fire prevention awareness in their communities, so we wanted to provide them with an easily accessible resource with current facts, tips and information specifically related to electrical fires,” said Ashley Bryant Kees, NEMA LVDE AFCI Task Force chair and product manager, Siemens Industry. “This free resource kit is adaptable to meet the various communication needs of fire service professionals. Whether it’s educating the public before a fire about fire prevention technology like AFCIs or helping reinforce safety to the community overall following an incident, the information will now be at their fingertips and hopefully helpful.”
The free online fire service resource kit offers a customizable news release, fact sheet, digital infographic, social media content, photos and more that fire department public information leaders can easily use or integrate into their existing materials as they see fit. The downloadable toolkit link for the materials is https://tinyurl.com/2vrwke6e.
Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters or AFCIs detect and prevent dangerous arcing in damaged wiring behind walls. The Consumer Product Safety Commission determined the devices can prevent more than 50% of electrical fires that occur on branch circuits that also supply devices, lighting and appliances. This year, AFCIs mark 25 years as a National Electrical Code® requirement in new home building and renovation. For more information visit www.AFCISafety.org.
NEMA LVDE AFCI Task Force is comprised of member companies that manufacture AFCIs for use in the electrical and construction industries.
About NEMA
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) represents over 300 electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers that make safe, reliable, and efficient products and systems. Together, our members contribute 1% of U.S. GDP and directly provide nearly 460,000 American jobs, contributing more than $250 billion to the U.S. economy. Learn more at www.nema.org.
