NFPA
March 18, 2019 – As everybody’s favorite fire safety dog, Sparky the Fire Dog®, celebrates his 68th birthday on March 18th, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is reminding the public how critical is to take his fire safety messages seriously.
“Sparky is synonymous with fire safety and his messages are just as significant as they were when he was born, if not more significant as today’s homes burn faster than in previous decades,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA. According to NFPA research, if you have a home fire today you are more likely to die than you were in 1980.
For more than six decades, the official NFPA mascot and spokesdog has worked hard to encourage awareness of actions people can take to make themselves safer from fire. For the past 68 years Sparky has done a great job at accentuating the importance of being vigilant about fire safety. His dogged determination has ultimately helped to elevate awareness, and reduce fire loss and injuries in North America and other parts of the world. Sparky aims to achieve even more.
Sparky was created by NFPA in 1951, and since then has helped fire professionals, teachers, civic organizations, corporations, and the media to deliver invaluable fire and life safety educational insights to children and adults.
As Sparky blows out the battery operated candles on his birthday cake, consider these key safety messages:
- Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.
- Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.
- Make a home escape plan. Draw a map of each level of the home. Show all doors and windows and point to the two ways out of each room.
- Plan and practice your escape drill with everyone in the home.
Sparky strives to help everybody learn life-saving fire safety information through these and other educational activities that make learning fun:
To walk down memory lane with Sparky, please visit Sparky's Facebook page.
For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research, and resources, please visit the NFPA press room.
About Sparky the Fire Dog®
Sparky the Fire Dog® was created for the NFPA in 1951 and has been the organization’s official mascot and spokesdog ever since. He is a widely recognized fire safety icon who is beloved by children and adults alike. In addition to connecting with the public through educational programs, he has a very active website, sparky.org, which allows kids to explore and learn about fire safety in a trusted, interactive environment. Sparky the Fire Dog® is a registered trademark of NFPA.
About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.