The Swift Current Fire Department was recently awarded a $500 stipend from the national nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Colation Canada and The Co-operators to increase awareness about the life-saving benefits of home fire sprinklers.

Deputy Fire Chief, Peter L'Heureux details how the department will be using the stipend.

"So for us, it's going to be part of our social media and outreach program to specifically target home sprinklers during National Home Sprinkler Week and were basically going to market and encourage people and remind them about the infill program and the sprinkler abatement tax break."

Deputy L'Heureux says the department has been members of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition for a number of years and under the previous Chief Denis Pilon, residential sprinklers in the community became part of the by-law specifically in the north-east of the town and new residential area due to their distance away from the fire hall. 

Deputy L'Heureux stresses the importance of home fire sprinklers.

"New construction, new construction methods, and more and more synthetics in our home are creating fires that grow faster and reach higher temperatures faster and faster to the point where lots of fire conditions under new testing situations are providing situations that are untenable." 

In addition, he says home fire sprinklers can extinguish or suppress those fires, limiting growth and making conditions safe for human life and provide time to get out of your home.