On Wednesday, Aug. 20, the Nevada Fire Department, the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), Main Street Nevada, and Rotary Club of Nevada are joining forces to present a Downtown Sprinkler Awareness Event, which will feature a free hotdog lunch, educational materials, and a live outdoors fire sprinkler demonstration at the intersection of 6th Street and K Avenue.
“In light of the recent July 14 fatal downtown fire in Albia, Iowa, and our local efforts to increase awareness about the benefits of putting fire sprinkler systems into our historic downtown buildings, we thought this educational event would be timely and enlightening,” said Nevada Fire Chief Ray Reynolds.
Main Street Nevada joins the effort because it has been involved in several grant awards in the downtown to renovate the upper levels of historic buildings into living spaces.
The Downtown Sprinkler Awareness Event will be held in close proximity to two buildings – the old Tipton building and the Camelot Theater – that now have full fire sprinkler protection for the occupants of recently renovated second-story apartments.
“We want to help bring awareness to how we’re providing ‘safe living’ on our second floors,” said Main Street Director Emily Schaack.
While sprinkler systems in these historic buildings don’t fully prevent property destruction, they do offer protection and time for occupants to exit a burning building, and they substantially slow down the fire helping to lower the amount of property loss.
“History is not preserved unless it’s protected,” Reynolds said. With the close proximity of buildings in a downtown area, sprinkling buildings and slowing down the burn, could also slow down and/or prevent the spread of fire from one structure to the next, thereby preserving more of the community’s historic buildings.
The Downtown Sprinkler Awareness Event will begin with the Rotary Club of Nevada and Nevada Fire Department members handing out free lunch to those who attend. At approximately 12:30, the fire sprinkler demonstration – which happens in side-by-side trailers with a full burn on one side and a sprinkled burn on the other – will begin. The demonstration trailers are provided through the NFSA, and members of the Nevada Fire Department will take part in putting out the fires.
