Read about the partnership of fire services and fire protection industry including who and why they came together for this important Coalition.
Who we are
The Australian Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Australia (HFSCA) is a partnership of the National Council for fire and emergency services, AFAC, and Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA Australia) representing the fire protection industry. The Coalition is supported by industry partners.
AFAC, as the National Council for fire and emergency services, supports the sector to create safer, more resilient communities. We drive national consistency through collaboration, innovation and partnerships. We deliver enhanced capability by developing doctrine and supporting operations. AFAC Members are the 33 government fire, emergency service and land management organisations from each jurisdiction in Australia and New Zealand which form the National Council.
Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA Australia) is the national peak body for fire safety that provides information, services and education to the fire protection industry and the community. FPA Australia supports and represents accredited and competent practitioners working across all disciplines of the fire protection, building and construction industry. The Association is supported by approximately 1700 members consisting of leading companies, organisations and individuals around Australia with a growing reach of up to 30,000 people operating across every aspect of the fire protection, building and construction industry.
Context
In 2011 a fire at a nursing home in Quakers Hill, Sydney claimed 11 lives. Following this fire, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) reconstructed the nursing home rooms and demonstrated the effectiveness of automatic fire sprinklers and the lifesaving impact they would have had they been installed. Consequently, the New South Wales (NSW) State Government mandated the retrofitting of sprinklers in all nursing homes in the state. This variation was then implemented across Australia as the mandatory standard in the NCC.
The following year in 2012, a fatal fire occurred in Bankstown west of Sydney, NSW. This fire was in a four-year old residential apartment building marginally under 25m in effective height. This height meant the building was not required to be sprinkler protected in accordance with the prescriptive provisions of the NCC applicable to all new building work in Australia.
A Coronial Inquest into the fire and fatality recommended that a more cost effective, yet fit-for-purpose sprinkler system design(s) be developed and considered for adoption in the NCC as a mandatory requirement for these types of residential buildings.
Mission
The mission of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Australia is to reduce the impact of home fires on people, their property, the environment and the economy.
Purpose
The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Australia (HFSCA) has been established to inform the public and industry stakeholders about the life-saving value of home fire sprinkler protection. HFSCA has been formed by AFAC (the National Council for Fire & Emergency services) and FPA Australia (Fire Protection Association Australia) to provide the leading national resource for independent, non-commercial information about home fire sprinklers.
For the community and consumers, HFSCA offers educational material with details about installed home fire sprinkler systems, how they work, why they provide affordable protection and answers to common myths and misconceptions about their operation.
For industry stakeholders, HFSCA provides access for technical requirements and solutions and supports training on design, installation and lifecycle services.