Air Force Veteran to Receive Fire-Sprinkler-Protected Home in Manhattan from Homes For Our Troops

WHO:

Homes For Our Troops, Manhattan Fire Protection District and the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition

• Chief Daniel Forsythe: (815) 478-3197, [email protected]
• Tom Lia, Exec. Dir., NIFSAB: (708) 878-8658, [email protected]

WHAT/WHY:

As part of a Home For Our Troops key ceremony for an Air Force veteran in Manhattan, the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition, in conjunction with the Manhattan Fire Protection District, will educate attendees about the fire sprinkler system that was donated for the home.

The specially adapted home was built for Air Force Captain Anthony Simone, who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury when his helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan in 2010. He will receive the keys to his new home at the ceremony.

After the ceremony, the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition will host tours to showcase the fire sprinkler system and perform a live demonstration in a fire sprinkler demonstration trailer. The demonstration will show the vital role that home fire sprinkler technology plays in saving lives and reducing property damage.

More than 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home. The Manhattan Fire Protection District and the Illinois Fire Sprinkler Coalition are using this event to help people of every age understand the importance of home fire sprinklers.

The Manhattan Fire Protection District has required fire sprinklers in all new single-family homes in unincorporated areas of its district since April 2012.

WHEN:

Saturday, May 14, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.

• Includes key ceremony, tours of home and fire sprinkler system, and live demonstration in fire sprinkler demonstration trailer

WHERE:

24146 Old Farm Road, Manhattan, IL