The Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association, recognizing the need to address fire sprinkler educational and resource needs of local communities, created Fire Team USA, a special day-and-a-half session on fire protection and the community. Funded by a FIRE Act Fire Prevention and Safety Grant, 11 states have delivered the workshop to date, reaching more than 900 participants.

Fire Team USA focuses on several aspects of the sprinkler issue, among them politics, the fire chief, and economic and community development.

The Politics of Life Safety segment highlights the importance of involving the public policy-maker in the planning for and implementation of fire sprinkler requirements. Political obstacles are overcome by sharing the facts in a matter-of-fact way and with documentation from credible experts such as the NFPA, USFA and U.S. Census Bureau.

The Economic & Community Development segment focuses on how to mobilize the community and involve all stakeholders. It's important to know the numbers and to use the projected growth rate to determine how many new homes are coming to the area.

Two municipalities in Cheatham County, Tenn., passed sprinkler legislation in 2001, with the entire county following in 2006. Growth has not stopped in the county; as a matter of fact, builders have supported the fire sprinkler addition to the new home construction requirements and are even highlighting the sprinkler system as a value-added sales feature.

The Fire Chiefs' Perspective segment encourages every fire official in the country to reflect on the numbers and to take action. Old approaches aren't working. The time is now for fire chiefs to fight for sprinkler systems and to change the way they approach fire protection in the community.

To that end, a one-day version of the Fire Team USA national workshop will be held Tuesday, Aug. 21, at Fire-Rescue International in Atlanta. Fire Team USA also will participate in the National Association of Counties annual conference in Richmond, Va., in July.

States identified as delivery targets for this year, pending grant funding, include: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.

For more information on Fire Team USA, call 615-533-0305, visit www.fireteamusa.com or e-mail vickiepritchett@aol.com.