FF_120519

10 | December 5, 2019 | the frankfort station news
frankfortstationdaily.com
Frankfort resident’s open house
teaches public about sprinklers
DRIVE
CAR BUYERS
22ndcenturymedia.com
2020 EXPO
Broker - Management Team
“10”
TO YOUR DOOR WITH A
CLASSIFIED AUTO AD
708.326.9170
VENDORS WANTED
Healthy Living Expo
9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18
Tinley Park Convention Center
18451 Convention Center Drive,
Tinley Park
Nuria Mathog, Editor
Deadline: Thursday, Jan. 2
For more information, call (708) 326-9170 ext. 16 or
visit 22ndCenturyMedia.com/healthy
www.umcnl.com
339 W. Haven Avenue 815-485-8271
Frankfort residents (left to right) Erik, Makenna,
Madison and Karah Hoffer pose for a photo Nov. 25 in
their new house, which is retrofitted with sprinklers.
photos submitted
Pictured is an example of a sidewall sprinkler.
When Erik Hoffer purchased
his new home in
Frankfort, he saw a unique
educational opportunity.
Hoffer, the executive
director of the Northern Illinois
Fire Sprinkler Advisory
Board, had the house
retrofitted with sprinklers
and opened his doors to
the public Nov. 25 to give
guided tours on a cause he
cares deeply about.
“Being that it’s a retrofit,
it’s a little bit different than
new construction,” he said.
“You don’t know what
you’re walking into as
far as the walls, so there’s
some challenges here and
there, but overall it’s a really
smooth process.”
Hoffer said about a dozen
people stopped by his
house throughout the day,
including elected officials,
fire officials, building officials
and realtors interested
in the retrofitting process.
Representatives from USA
Fire Protection and the
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
were also on hand to
answer visitors’ questions.
“Being able to teach
people and educate people
about fire safety has become
a passion, and so this
is a really good opportunity
to show people what is the
ultimate protection you can
have in your house to protect
you and your family,”
Hoffer said.
The rooms of his house
feature different setups and
types of sprinklers, depending
on the size and dimensions
of each area. Some
rooms contain concealed
pendent sprinklers that activate
through a two-part
process: the plate drops
down at 130-140 degrees,
and at 155 degrees, the
liquid in the glass bulb expands
and breaks, setting
off the sprinkler.
“You’re not going to set
them off if you have smoke
or burnt cooking,” Hoffer
explained. “You’re not going
to set them off just because
a smoke alarm goes
off. You have to have the
heat of a fire to be able to
set them off. And they don’t
United Methodist Church of New Lenox
Christmas Cantata
Joy HasDawned
Presented by the Chancel Choir
with 24 pieceliveorchestraand liturgical dancers
Sunday, December 15 th at both
9:00and 10:45amservices
UNITED
METHODIST
CHURCH OF
NEW
ENOX
L
go off all at once, like you
see in the movies. That’s the
biggest misconception that
we deal with day to day.”
Hoffer said he promotes
the use of smoke alarms to
give families an early warning
to evacuate a house in
the event of a fire. He also
recommended that residents
looking to install sprinklers
in their homes consult with
a fire sprinkler contractor, a
list of which can be found at
the Sprinkler Fitters Local
281 website, sprinklerfitterchicago.org.
For a standard
Please see sprinklers, 14