National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 242

Sparky checks of bucket list items #10 and #11: Visit Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial

Sparky checked off two items when he visited Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, both in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Construction on the Crazy Horse Memorial, a tribute to Native Americans, was started in 1948. While it’s still far from completion, the memorial is already the world's largest mountain carving! Mount Rushmore took 14 years to complete, and now attracts over 2 million visitors every year. Sparky turned 65 on March 18, 2016, and we have been pulling out all the stops to help him celebrate! He’s created a bucket list of 65 activities and events...

NFPA reminds first responders about safety and training as Toyota introduces new hydrogen-fueled car

Last week, Toyota introduced their new hydrogen fuel car, Mirai , to California streets. Like any alternative fuel vehicle (AFV), cars powered by hydrogen present unique challenges for the fire service and emergency responders.   “In general,

In April's issue of Safety Source: new tip sheet, off-campus housing safety campaign, Sparky's Earth Day plans & more

The April issue of Safety Source, NFPA's public education enewsletter, is now available for viewing. In this issue, you will find; New tip sheet on security bars Campaign prompts putting safety first when looking for off-campus housing Upcoming Remembering When Conference Sparky goes green for Earth Day Augusta’s great fire of 1916 Report: U.S. trends and patterns of fire losses Don't miss an issue! Sign up now and be the first to get the latest information on happenings in the public education division, activities, fire statistics, trends, educational tips, Sparky the Fire Dog and more.

We'd like your thoughts on the fire dangers of lightweight construction

NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative has extensively covered the concerns of modern, homebuilding materials and home furnishings under fire. For instance: we've created a widely popular PowerPoint presentation underscoring research on how rapidly today's homes burn and how home fire sprinklers give residents the extra time needed to seek safety we've worked with NFPA experts to underscore these fire dangers in a recent article that appeared in a builder magazine we've interviewed fire service members directly impacted by fires involving lightweight construction Now, we want to hear from you. The topic of lightweight construction is now featured on Xchange, NFPA's new...

Today in fire history: arc welding causes fire in plywood manufacturing plant.

At approximately 12:25 p.m., on April 16, 1984, workmen were performing arc welding operations on a hot press in the International Paper Company's Nacogdoches, Texas plywood manufacturing plant. During welding operations, deposits of oil, pitch, and wood dust which collected on the press, the catwalks, the wood structural members of the roof assembly, and the plywood roof deck ignited. The fire spread rapidly over the accumulated deposits both above and below the automatic sprinklers. Fire department units began arriving at the plant at 12:28 p.m. and found the plywood manufacturing facility heavily involved in fire. Within five minutes after the...

Sparky checks off bucket list item #9: Join the Army and train at the McCrady Training Center

Sparky checked of yet another bucket list item by joining members of the National Guard at the McCrady Training Center in South Carolina. Sparky got to participate in training exercises and even ride in a tank! Sparky turned 65 on March 18, 2016, and we have been pulling out all the stops to help him celebrate! He’s created a bucket list of 65 activities and events he’d like to accomplish from now through October. As he checks them off his list, we’ll make sure to share them with you. Some of Sparky’s wishes are pretty lofty, while others are just...

New NFPA Journal Podcast discusses NEC changes for 2017

The April NFPA Journal Podcast episode is now available for download on iTunes, Google Play, and other podcast platforms. The episode features NFPA electrical engineers and code specialists Mark Earley and Jeff Sargent, speaking on three new proposed articles in the upcoming 2017 edition of the National Electrical Code® (NEC®). The proposed articles discussed deal with energy storage systems, large-scale photovoltaic, and direct-current microgrids. Listen to the podcast to hear the experts give their insights on these new technologies, and to learn about how they are addressed in the 2017 NEC. If you prefer, listen to the podcast on your...

In the April issue of Fire Break: 2016 wildfire season outlook, 4 ways to keep your yard green & Firewise, and more!

The April issue of Fire Break, NFPA’s Wildland Fire Operations Division newsletter, is now available for viewing. Here’s what you’ll find in this month’s issue: Information about the 2016 wildfire season and the challenges residents are facing so early in the year Four great ways to keep your yard green, healthy and Firewise this spring season Information about FEMA’s America’s PrepareAthon! and tips, tools and resources to help you and your neighbors prepare for natural disasters (including wildfire!) A look at the work South Africa is doing to reduce its wildfire risk through community-based programs ...and much more. We want...

NFPA establishes Fire Protection Engineering Support Fund at Oklahoma State University, University of Maryland and Worcester Polytechnic Institute

photo courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute NFPA launched a new Fire Protection Engineering Support Fund at Oklahoma State University, the University of Maryland (UMD) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) this week. NFPA funds will directly help these universities recognize students who are tackling today’s fire challenges. NFPA has given many fire protection awards in the name of engineering trailblazers, but this marks the first time we have created an ongoing NFPA support program to further advance FPE studies. Students enrolled at these universities are encouraged to talk with their FPE professors and department leaders about the following programs: Oklahoma State...

Proceedings from recent big data and fire protection systems workshop have been published

In March, in San Antonio, Texas, the Fire Protection Research Foundation held a workshop to address “Big Data and Fire Protection Systems.” The goal of this workshop was to identify and prioritize the opportunities for big data to inform decision making for ITM (Inspection, Testing and Maintenance) used for built-in fire protection systems. The on‐going reliability of built‐in fire protection systems is related to inspection, testing and maintenance (ITM) of these systems. This is addressed by multiple NFPA codes and standards, including NFPA 4, Standard for Integrated Fire Protection and Life Safety System Testing, NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection,...