The Village of Hinsdale Fire Department is proud to announce that they have been presented with the 2005 Life Safety Achievement Award. This marks the ninth straight year that the Village Fire Department has been presented with this award. This award is given out annually by the Residential Fire Safety Institute (RFSI) located in Stanton, Iowa.

The Life Safety Achievement Award recognizes local fire prevention activities that contribute to reducing the number of lives lost in residential fires. The Village of Hinsdale Fire Department qualified for this award in 2005 because it recorded no fire deaths in structures during the year. While residential fires in the United States account for only 20% of all fires, they result in 80% of all fire deaths. In 2005, there were 769 fire departments in the United States, Canada, Italy, Japan, and Greece that received the Life Safety Achievement Award.

The RFSI is a public interest group whose mission is to reduce residential fire deaths and injuries. This group advocates the use of residential fire sprinklers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and teaching fire safe behaviors. They also assist assists in implementing residential sprinkler/smoke alarm programs on a local basis and are members of the United States Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals.

The Village Fire Department consists of 29 full time members who provide fire, paramedic, and emergency services to residents of the Village. Annually, they respond to over 2700 requests for service. The dollar loss from fire is one of the lowest in the nation and there has not been a death from fire in over 30 years. Fire Department personnel are very active in fire prevention and public education programs to the local schools and general public. Most recently, the fire department developed an interactive program for students and parents in college fire safety and living in both campus and off campus housing.

For further information, please contact the fire department at (630) 789-7060 or fire@villageofhinsdale.org.