Tinley Park, IL (September 2, 2025) – As part of national Fire Prevention Week education initiatives, the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB) will be working with greater Chicago area fire departments throughout September and October to conduct live fire demonstrations at their open house events

Fire Prevention Week is slated for October 5 to 11 and this year’s theme is “Charge into Fire Safety™: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.” The campaign will work to educate everyone about using these batteries, stressing how important it is to buy, charge and recycle them safely.

“Charge into Fire Safety” includes expanded resources, guidelines and information in response to the concerns fire officials have about the growing number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries that power devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters, smaller electronics such as cell phones and laptops, and electric vehicles. As the use of these items has increased in recent years, so too has the number of fires associated with them. Combined with fire safety precautions such as working smoke alarms, well practiced escape plans and lithium-ion battery safety measures, home fire sprinklers can significantly reduce fires, deaths, injuries and property damage. One of the more recent examples of a fire sprinkler save with a lithium-ion battery fire was when the fire sprinkler system in an off-campus apartment in Champaign controlled a fire caused by a charging e-scooter last November.

Nothing proves the effectiveness of sprinklers more convincingly than a live side-by-side demonstration of home fires in two similarly furnished rooms – one with a single fire sprinkler and the other without protection. These dramatic public demonstrations vividly and memorably display how fast a fire can become deadly and the crucial, fast response and life-saving benefits of home fire sprinklers as they control or extinguish a fire. “Today’s home fires can fully engulf a room and become deadly in just two minutes,” said NIFSAB Executive Director Erik Hoffer. “Modern furniture and belongings that are made of plastics and other synthetics contribute to faster growth and emit more toxic smoke, while open-space home designs allow fires to spread more quickly. Lithium-ion battery fires further exacerbate these challenges.”

“With these powerful demonstrations we’ll be conducting with fire departments, audiences can see fire sprinklers in action. Unlike the Hollywood movie stereotype, fire sprinklers do not all activate at once but instead are individually activated by the heat of a fire, stopping a blaze in its tracks and limiting the spread of smoke.”

Today, nearly 120 Illinois communities have adopted national model codes that include fire sprinklers in all new construction homes. Leaders in those communities recognize that fire sprinklers not only help safeguard residents and property, but they also protect the lives of first responders from fire and fire-related, cancer-causing carcinogens.

Below is a list of upcoming fire and sprinkler burn demonstrations*. Please contact NIFSAB or the fire departments for more details.

Saturday, September 6:
St. Charles Fire Department

Tuesday, September 9:
Paul Davis Restoration of NW & SW Cook County (w/ Elgin Fire Department)

Wednesday, September 10:
Cary Fire Protection District

Saturday, September 13:
Inverness Fire Protection District
Lake Villa Fire Protection District
MAAC Foundation (Valparaiso, IN)

Sunday, September 14:
Roselle Fire Department

Saturday, September 20:
Buffalo Grove Fire Department
Des Plaines Fire Department
Elgin Fire Department
Evanston Fire Department
Evergreen Park Fire Department
West Dundee Fire Department
Wheeling Fire Department

Sunday, September 21:
Glenview Fire Department

Saturday, September 27:
Itasca Fire Protection District
Naperville Fire Department
Plainfield Fire Protection District
Pleasantview Fire Protection District

Sunday, September 28:
Batavia Fire Department
Mundelein Fire Department

Wednesday, October 1:
Warrenville Fire Protection District

Thursday, October 2:
Chicago Ridge Fire Department

Saturday, October 4:
Aurora Regional Fire Museum
Carpentersville Fire Department
Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District
Hobart (IN) Fire Department
Hoffman Estates Fire Department (Station 23)
Homer Township Fire Protection District
Homewood Fire Department
Lake Bluff Fire Department
Lansing Fire Department
Lemont Fire Protection District
Morton Grove Fire Department
Northbrook Fire Department
Norwood Park Fire Protection District
Palatine Fire Department
South Elgin & Countryside Fire Protection District

Sunday, October 5:
Lake Zurich Fire Department
Lakes of the Four Seasons Volunteer Fire Force (IN)
Lockport Township Fire Protection District
McHenry Township Fire Protection District
Roberts Park Fire Protection District

Monday, October 6:
Moraine Valley Community College – Fire Science Program
Westchester Fire Department
Western Springs Fire Department

Wednesday, October 8:
Fermilab Fire Department
La Grange Fire Department

Friday, October 10:
Beecher Fire Protection District

Saturday, October 11:
Broadview Fire Department
Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District
Hammond (IN) Fire Department
Hinsdale Fire Department
Hoffman Estates Fire Department (Station 24)
La Grange Park Fire Department
Oswego Fire Protection District
Rolling Meadows Fire Department
Romeoville Fire Department
Schaumburg Fire Department
Streamwood Fire Department

Sunday, October 12:
Wauconda Fire Protection District

Saturday, October 18:
Berwyn Fire Department
Bloomingdale Fire Protection District

Monday, October 20:
Hampshire Fire Protection District

Saturday, October 25: 
Highland Village Fire Department

Sunday, October 26:
Forest View Fire Department

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