#DoItForDon Holiday Fire Safety Challenge
In conjunction with Common Voices and other fire safety advocacy groups, the Office of the State Fire Marshal is proud to stand by Sher Grogg and her drive to keep the Citizens of Maryland and other around the world safe during the 2016 Holiday season.
Common Voices New Release:
"November 22, 2016 – Common Voices is working to promote and share information from the Coalition’s newest advocate, Sher Grogg during the 2016 Holiday season. The Advocates’ Coalition is kicking off a holiday safety campaign titled “Do it For Don” – the campaign bears the name of Grogg’s brother Don.
“Don’s employees always had the mantra of “Do It For Don”; he would want me to spread information that could save another families’ lives, so it seems only appropriate that we would use this hashtag to spread the word about Christmas Tree Safety to all Americans”, said Sher Grogg. “The tragic fire that claimed 6 members of my family was started by their Christmas tree. Don died trying to save his loved ones. There are simple steps that everyone should know to keep their family safe. We also know that if the house had fire sprinklers, the outcome would have been much different.”
Grogg lost her brother, sister-in-law, and their four grandchildren in an Annapolis, MD fire in January of 2015. She has educated herself regarding fire, flashover, and the resulting destruction. Sher become an advocate for fire safety and fire sprinklers in the year and 10 months since her family tragedy. She credits finding Common Voices as a key part of her recovery process, even though nothing will ever be able to bring her family members back. Helping to educate others in their memory, eases the pain.
“As fire chiefs, we know one of the most effective ways to minimize the loss of life and property is to have working smoke alarms and fire sprinklers,” adds Shane Ray, President of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA). “Fire is fast, but fire sprinklers are faster and control the fire until the firefighters arrive.”
“The U.S. fire service has endorsed fire sprinklers as one of its major strategies to keep firefighters and citizens safe,” says Chief Ronald J. Siarnicki, Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). “Firefighter Life Safety Initiative #15 states that the enforcement of codes and the installation of fire sprinklers is a priority and tragedies like this underscore the importance of fire sprinklers.”
For details about the Holiday Safety Campaign “Do It For Don!” and how you can participate (including a contest for fire departments who share the flyer with their local Christmas Tree Lots) visit www.fireadvocates.org and look for the Holiday Safety Campaign button on the homepage.
For more details about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Life Safety Initiatives, please visit www.firehero.org.
About Common Voices: Common Voices (www.fireadvocates.org) is an advocates’ coalition of members who all have been directly affected by fire. By bringing their voices together, they hope to educate others regarding fire and its devastating impact. Their mission is to create a fire-safe America by sharing their stories, creating resources that educate and sharing fire statistics."