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Bartlett Offers Grant Program to Increase Building Safety and Help Local Businesses Thrive

Bartlett, IL – In an effort to attract new businesses, help existing businesses expand, and provide safer buildings, the village of Bartlett offers grants through its Bartlett Economic Development Assistance (BEDA) Program.

Developed in 2018 through video gaming revenues, BEDA provides matching grants up to $50,000 to both new and existing sales tax-producing businesses within commercially zoned areas of Bartlett that meet specific criteria. Among other interior and exterior building improvements, eligible projects include code compliance-related items such as fire sprinklers and fire suppression systems. Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and, if approved, the incentive amount is determined based on the project’s scope. The BEDA grants are available on a first-come, first-served basis until allocated funds are depleted or the program ends.

Village Economic Development Coordinator Tony Fradin says the grant program was developed to address aging buildings in Bartlett, and to reduce the business owners’ costs of bringing them up to code. “The village created it to have an incentive program where we could both compete with other communities’ efforts to attract business, and also assist some of our smaller mom-and-pop, homegrown businesses here in Bartlett with paying for the improvements of these buildings,” he states.

“Right now, the largest project we have going with this grant program is a restaurateur who is converting a 140-year-old barn into a restaurant,” Fradin notes. “Not only do they need to upgrade and put in the fire suppression and sprinklers, but this building also didn’t have water and sewers. So with a big project like that, we know it isn’t likely to move forward without this BEDA grant. It’s easy to get people to inquire about the grant, but it’s harder to implement it.”

Erik Hoffer, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, commends the village of Bartlett for offering the grant program and recognizing the vital role building safety plays in economic development. “The grants will help business owners make the right decision in putting safety first, allowing the community to become more fire-safe one project at a time.”

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village of bartlett

Bartlett-city-hall

Lisa2023-02-21T12:10:48-06:00January 9th, 2023|Comments Off

Fire Departments Use Live Fire Demonstrations to Increase Awareness about Fire Prevention

Tinley Park, IL (September 20, 2022) – The Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB) is partnering with local fire departments throughout Chicagoland to conduct live burn demonstrations at their open house events. The burn demonstrations will educate the public about how quickly fires can become deadly, as well as the important life- and property-saving benefits of fire sprinklers. The events are centered around national Fire Prevention Week, which runs October 9 to 15. This year’s theme is: “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape.”

The demonstrations provide a side-by-side comparison with two similarly furnished rooms; one room has a single fire sprinkler installed, while the other does not. Both have smoke alarms. Attendees will be able to feel the extreme heat and view the quick growth of fire in the room without the sprinkler and compare it with the quick response and cooling action of the fire sprinkler in the other room. The demonstrations also allow fire departments to talk to attendees about typical fire department response times, the importance of working smoke alarms for early warning, and well-practiced escape plans.

“A house fire can become deadly in as little as two to three minutes because the furniture and other contents in today’s homes are made out of petroleum-based plastics and synthetic materials, which produce toxic black smoke and burn hotter and faster than ever before,” said NIFSAB Executive Director Erik Hoffer. “With these live demonstrations, people can see how quickly everything in the room can burst into flames. They can also see how heat from the fire activates the fire sprinkler, stopping the fire from becoming deadly, so people have time to escape.” More than 110 Illinois communities require fire sprinklers in new construction homes — and many more require them in new multifamily and commercial buildings. Fire sprinklers not only protect occupants and property, but they also protect the lives of first responders arriving on the scene.

Below is a list of upcoming fire and sprinkler burn demonstrations. Contact NIFSAB or the fire departments for more details:

Saturday, Sept. 24:
Lake Villa Fire Protection District
Plainfield Fire Protection District
Pleasantview Fire Protection District

Saturday, Oct. 1:
Aurora Regional Fire Museum
Berwyn Fire Department
Clarendon Hills Fire Department
Des Plaines Fire Department
Fox River Grove Fire Protection District
Hammond Fire Department (Indiana)
La Grange Park Fire Department
Palatine Fire Department

Sunday, Oct. 2:
Roberts Park Fire Protection District

Monday, Oct. 3:
Moraine Valley Community College

Wednesday, Oct. 5:
Warrenville Fire Protection District

Saturday, Oct. 8:
Elk Grove Village Fire Department
Hinsdale Fire Department
Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District
Rolling Meadows Fire Department
Roselle Fire Department (Founders Day Festival)
Wauconda Fire Protection District

Sunday, Oct. 9:
Countryside Fire Protection District
McHenry Township Fire Protection District

Monday, Oct. 10:
Western Springs Fire Department

Tuesday, Oct. 11:
La Grange Fire Department

Wednesday, Oct. 12:
Westchester Fire Department

Friday, Oct. 14:
Beecher Fire Protection District

Saturday, Oct. 15:
Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District
Hillside Fire Department
Hinsdale Fire Department
Hobart Fire Department (Indiana)
Itasca Fire Protection District
Lansing Fire Department
Northbrook Fire Department
Richton Park Fire Department
Romeoville Fire Department
St. Charles Fire Department
Streamwood Fire Department

Sunday, Oct. 16:
Lockport Township Fire Protection District

Wednesday, Oct. 19:
Harper College

Saturday, Oct. 22:
Bloomingdale Fire Protection District
Oswego Fire Protection District

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Lisa2023-06-22T14:24:21-05:00September 21st, 2022|Comments Off

Roselle Grant Program Offers Opportunities for Business Owners to Boost Fire Protection

Roselle, IL – The village of Roselle has announced that local business owners are eligible to apply for a new grant program funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The grant program is designed to assist village of Roselle businesses recovering from COVID-19 pandemic impacts. Funding can be used toward code compliance and fire protection/suppression systems among other improvements.

There are two grant categories: the COVID-19 Business Reimbursement Grant and the Business Resiliency Grant. Upon approval, each category offers businesses a maximum of $10,000 with a 50/50 cost share.

Fire Chief Mark Bozik offered praise for the grant program, noting it will help keep Roselle business owners, employees, and residents safer. “The grants will be crucial to the village. For example, we know that in the case of a fire there’s a significant impact to that business owner and to the employees of that business. Also, it eventually affects the entire community because it takes away the tax revenue that the village so much depends on. Updating to code compliance and improving the fire protection of a building are improvements that benefit everyone.”

Mayor David Pileski says grants like these help the village’s economy grow after a trying time during the pandemic. “All our grant opportunities provide businesses with assistance to tackle projects they have identified as critical for their long-term success and safety. Roselle has a deep relationship with our residents and business owners, so it was an easy decision to help make dollars go further in our community.”

For both grant categories, pre-application meetings are required to discuss eligible projects ahead of time. Roselle’s Economic Development Analyst Matthew Galloway says while the grants fund similar things, the business application project “has to stem around the response to COVID and the continued operation of the business during this time.”

Visit Roselle’s village website for more information on the grant program and additional qualification criteria.

NIFSAB-Roselle-Grant-Program-Ad-2022

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Lisa2023-06-05T16:03:45-05:00September 6th, 2022|Comments Off

Beecher Fire Chief Welcomes Community to His Home to Educate About Home Fire Sprinklers

Erik Hoffer, Executive Director of NIFSAB and Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti, Beecher Fire Department

When Beecher Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti decided to build a new home, he knew he wanted to protect his family with home fire sprinklers. In an effort to educate his community about the life- and property-saving benefits of home fire sprinklers, he conducted an open house.

The event was a success with members of the community touring the home and learning about how fire sprinkler are installed and how they operate. People who attended included Beecher Village President Marcy Meyer, Village Administrator Robert Barber, some of Falaschetti’s neighbors, firefighters and local media.

The Beecher Fire Protection District, the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB), the installing contractor Nova Fire Protection, the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) and the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) hosted the event.

“Originally, my wife and I were looking at retrofitting our current home with fire sprinklers. When we decided to build a new home, we knew we would protect it with home fire sprinklers,” Falaschetti said. “As fire chief, I’m very much aware of how quickly a fire can spread and become deadly. Unfortunately, I’ve seen my fair share of residential fires and understand the danger to the people who live in the homes and to firefighters.”

Falaschetti was convinced he wanted to live in a sprinklered home after working on a video project with HFSC and NIFSAB. A few years back, a Beecher home that was slated for demolition was used to shoot an educational video. The video, used at the national level, showcased living room fires with identical furniture – one fire with a home fire sprinkler, the other without a fire sprinkler. Beecher firefighters were on hand to make sure the video was produced safely and for their own training purposes as well.

According to Falaschetti, the fire in the unsprinklered room spread quickly. In just a few minutes flashover occurred, causing all the contents in the room to ignite.

“There was a drastic difference between that fire and the room with the sprinkler,” he said. “Heat from the fire activated the sprinkler and kept the fire from spreading. When the fire was out, the damage was minimal. If there was a family living in that home, they would have been able to safely escape; they would have been able to move back into their home in a day or two. That is what I want for my family. As chief, I also know firefighters are at risk when they respond to a house fire and fire sprinklers will protect them as well.”

Thanks to Lubrizol Blazemaster, Reliable Automatic Sprinkler, RP Equipment, and Nova Fire Protection for providing materials for the fire sprinkler system installation.

Kim Prusa, VP Residential Division, Nova Fire Protection talked about the design and installation of a home fire sprinkler system.

Erik Hoffer (NIFSAB) explains the fire sprinkler system

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Lisa2022-09-07T11:41:39-05:00August 25th, 2022|Comments Off

Fire Sprinkler System Plan Review Class in Valparaiso, IN

Plan Review for Fire Sprinkler Systems (2-Days)

Tuesday & Wednesday, August 30 & 31
8:00 am – 4:30 pm Central
(Check-in begins at 7:30 am)

MAAC Emergency Services Training Campus
4203 Montdale Park Drive
Valparaiso, IN

Boxed lunch will be provided each day.

Certificates will be issued for 16.0 ICC contact hours.

Please register by Monday, August 22.
Register at www.bit.ly/plan-review-maac
Class is FREE with gift card # GIFT-01020

(PDF View and Download)
Flyer-PlanReviewClass-08.30&31.2022

Lisa2022-08-04T11:32:04-05:00August 4th, 2022|Comments Off

Champaign Fire Sprinkler Trailer Provides Valuable Public Education

Champaign, IL – One of the most effective ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of fire sprinklers is through a fire sprinkler demonstration trailer and there is now one more in Illinois.

The Champaign Fire Department received a $146,000 FEMA grant award to build a fire sprinkler trailer and use it for public education. The trailer was designed with a bedroom at the back end so participants can realistically practice smoky bedroom escape situations. A room at the front of the trailer is equipped with a burn demonstration room containing a single fire sprinkler that demonstrates quick response to flames. The middle section will become a fire command center.

Despite some setbacks with unveiling the trailer to the public due to COVID-19, the fire department’s fully functional trailer is now ready, complete with educational fire sprinkler messaging on its exterior.

Champaign Deputy Fire Marshal Robert Simmons said the educational tool is ideal for children, students, adults, and fire department personnel. “As the fire department representative when working with the University of Illinois, I know there is a lot of potential additional use for it at campus welcoming events, education for fraternities and sororities, and things of the sort,” he says.

For more information on other fire sprinkler training and demonstration trailers offered by NIFSAB and its partner organizations, visit www.firesprinklerassoc.org/trailer.

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Lisa2022-07-29T13:48:06-05:00July 29th, 2022|Comments Off

Standpipe Donation Benefits Firefighter Training at Beecher Fire Protection District

(Left to right): FF Jeremy Horn, FF Ryan Lopina, FF Tim McGannon, Chief Joe Falaschetti and FF Bryce Budimir

Beecher, IL – The Beecher Fire Protection District’s new firefighter training tower has received an important upgrade with a standpipe and fire sprinkler system. Thanks to product donations by Viking SupplyNet and product and labor donations by Advanced Fire Protection, Beecher firefighters will soon have hands-on training opportunities to prepare for potential building fires in the community.

The training tower’s standpipe system will not only deliver water to the small fire sprinkler system on the first floor, but also to the hose connections in the stairwell for the upper floors. Connections and hose systems can be complex, so preparing fire personnel with standpipe operations training improves every aspect of future emergency response in buildings where standpipes are installed.

Beecher Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti says this donation will improve the skills of firefighters by providing practical, firsthand training in a fixed standpipe system. “It’s absolutely incredible for us to get this donation,” he says. “It allows us to train our firefighters in Beecher, but it also allows us to train our neighboring towns as well. This donation could impact up to 250 firefighters – well beyond the 50 in Beecher – and it frees up money in the budget for other training materials.”

“Last year, NIFSAB conducted our fire sprinkler valve trailer training with Chief Falaschetti and Beecher fire crews. Now, we are furthering that education and training by having coordinated the donation of the training tower’s standpipe and fire sprinkler system for the benefit of current and future generations of Beecher firefighters,” notes NIFSAB Executive Director Erik Hoffer. “We’re thankful for such wonderful fire sprinkler industry partners that support us in supporting the fire service.”

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Lisa2022-07-29T09:28:14-05:00July 28th, 2022|Comments Off

Valparaiso Fire Department Open House Will Showcase Home Fire Sprinkler Installation

Valparaiso, IN – The Valparaiso Fire Department will host an open house in a home protected with fire sprinklers on April 26 from 3:00 to 7:00 P.M. at 504 Grandview Avenue in Valparaiso. The purpose is to introduce the community to the benefits of living in a home with installed fire sprinklers. Led by Valparaiso Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction and Fire Marshal Tim Stites, the event will include a tour of the home, a presentation on how home fire sprinklers work and answers to other common questions, such as installation cost and home property insurance discounts.

Chief Stites will be joined by the homeowner, Celina Weatherwax, president of the Multi-Agency Academic Cooperative (MAAC) Foundation, Valparaiso Fire Chief Chad Ditz and Ron Ritchey with the National Fire Sprinkler Association. Other participants include the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, which will share its new virtual reality (VR) home fire and sprinkler video experience, and installing contractor Valley Fire Protection Systems.

Chief Stites believes every home should be protected with fire sprinklers for maximum safety. “It is important because you are more likely to die in a home fire today than you were 40 years ago due to the combustibility of the furnishings and the features in our home,” he said. “Fires burn hotter and faster now. Fire sprinklers allow more time to get out of your home and more time for the fire department to arrive and fully extinguish the fire.”

We’ve partnered with the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition to share their virtual reality resources,” Ritchey notes. “Wearing VR headsets, members of the public will be able to experience a home fire as if they were inside a burning home. This virtual experience helps people understand the amount of toxic, black smoke produced by a fire and just how fast fires spread in modern homes. They can see for themselves the devastation that occurs when there are no fire sprinklers installed. They’ll also see how much less damage there is in a home where a fire sprinkler activates to control or extinguish a fire. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and a virtual reality video even more.”

Weatherwax became interested in protecting her family home with fire sprinklers after seeing a Valparaiso Fire Department fire sprinkler demonstration on the MAAC Foundation campus last August. “It was a reality check for me,” she recalls. “It made me start thinking as I proceeded with building my new home what I could do to implement this. All these years I’ve read and heard about the significance of fire sprinklers,, but when I saw that demonstration live in action, I thought this installation was important for me to do.” Weatherwax hopes opening her home for others to see will help them see the importance of fire sprinklers as well.

Valparaiso Open House Flyer

Lisa2022-04-20T17:53:44-05:00April 14th, 2022|Comments Off

Bedford Park Fire Department Receives FEMA Grant to Protect Headquarters Station with Fire Sprinklers

Bedford Park Fire Department: (left to right) Fire Marshal Mark Murray, Fire Chief Sean Maloy and Deputy Fire Chief Bill Thomas

Fire Marshal Mark Murray, Bedford Park Fire Department

Firefighters have two homes – one where they live with their families and one where they live during their fire department shifts. And just like their family home, firefighters need protection from the dangers of fire when they’re at the station, whether cooking, working, or sleeping. Fortunately for firefighters at Bedford Park Fire Department’s headquarters station, their second home now has the ultimate fire protection with installed fire sprinklers.

Ninety-five percent of the cost of the fire sprinkler retrofit installation was covered by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant award.

“It has been a goal of mine to get this building retrofitted before I retire,” said Bedford Park Fire Chief Sean Maloy. “Now I will have peace of mind knowing the crew is protected when they are on the job.”

The station was built in 1976, with an addition in 1992, totaling 16,500 square feet. It contains an ambulance and a fire engine, a hazmat squad, and two reserve engines. Five to six firefighters staff the fire station each day with three to four administrative staff on shift during the week. The station includes sleeping quarters to accommodate up to seven firefighters.

“I am thankful that we got the grant when we did,” notes Maloy. “I know a neighboring department that had a fire in their firehouse while they were out on a run, and that building wasn’t sprinklered. So that station was out of service for some time. It took a toll on response times, which is ‘how fast can we get there when you need us.’”

Another consideration Maloy made with the grant request is a fire sprinkler ordinance in the village of Bedford Park. Every commercial building (and a few residential homes as well) are sprinklered. “I believe we should practice what we preach, which is why we made sure the other two stations were sprinklered when we designed and built them,” he says. “This retrofit was the last piece to the puzzle.”

The contractor for the project was United States Alliance Fire Protection, with foremen Dan Casey and Pat Sanders, third fitter Dan Rocks, and engineer Frank Papisee. The four worked around the firefighters’ activities to install the fire sprinklers as the firefighters actively lived and worked in the station. Jamie Reap oversaw the project.

“It’s gratifying that fire sprinklers now protect firefighters and their equipment,” says Reap. “There are too many similar stories of a firehouse burning down while the crew is out facing a different fire, and I think it’s only fitting these folks should be protected in the place that’s like a second home. The station is sleeping quarters for any number of these firefighters at any given time, and to have that level of comfort knowing that they have a fire protection system in place to take care of things is a really nice thought. I know they will probably like that too.”

Bedford Park Fire Dept

Firefighter’s sleeping quarters

Kitchen and relaxation area

Locker area

Lisa2022-04-20T17:52:38-05:00April 14th, 2022|Comments Off

Valparaiso Offers Fire Safety Grants to Protect Buildings in Historic District

The city of Valparaiso, Indiana, offers a grant program to help encourage the installation of fire safety systems in existing buildings in its historic downtown district. The Downtown Fire Safety Grant Program provides reimbursement grants to property owners and tenants to underwrite the costs of installing fire sprinkler systems and fire alarms in existing commercial and residential buildings.

Reimbursement grant maximum limits will be set forth in an agreement between the city and the property owner or tenant. Grant limits are as follows:

New fire alarm system: 100% reimbursement up to $10,000.
New fire suppression system (complete or partial): Reimbursement up to 85%, subject to the following:
1. Total building square footage is less than 9,000: Reimbursement shall not exceed $30,000.
2. Total building square footage is 9,001-15,000: Reimbursement shall not exceed $45,000.
3. Total building square footage exceeds 15,000: Reimbursement shall not exceed $60,000.
New fire protection system: 75% reimbursement up to $5,000.

Generally, the city may reimburse for eligible fire protection installation, extended water service, and approved devices and equipment. Full eligibility details are available in the grant program description.

Recognizing the threat fires pose to residents of the downtown area and the public as a whole, current Valparaiso Building Commissioner Vicki Thrasher and former Fire Chief David Nondorf developed the grant program alongside the former mayoral administration of Jon Costas. The grant program will help protect historic buildings, improve public safety, and prevent economic loss due to business interruption and closure.

Community Risk Reduction Division Chief and Fire Marshal of Valparaiso Fire Department Tim Stites says the program provides an important educational opportunity. “We want the public to know that fire sprinklers are crucial to fire safety and are not always true-to-life to those they see on television. I think it’s important for people to not listen to Hollywood too much on fire sprinklers,” he says. “Fire sprinklers save lives, they protect property, and reduce the risk for the community and firefighters as a whole.”

“Hollywood likes to portray fire sprinklers going off throughout the whole building; that’s not how they work. They are meant to go off one at a time and control a fire until firefighters can arrive on the scene and properly extinguish a fire to make sure everything’s safe. Fire and smoke cause more damage than the water from sprinklers.”

To be eligible for grant funding, applicants must own or rent an existing building located in the historic downtown district of Valparaiso and be up to date on their real estate taxes, with no building or property violations. Full information and applications are available on Valparaiso’s website.

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Lisa2022-03-17T07:44:05-05:00March 17th, 2022|Comments Off