National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 245

Today in fire history: fire in large hotel begins in nightclub, smoke spreads to atrium

Early in the morning of April 2, 1973, a fire involved a second-floor night club in a 12 story hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. This fire was of particular interest because it exposed a 10 story atrium in the center of the hotel, and even though property damage was high, only one of the 1,000 guests required hospital treatment. The fire was discovered coming from the nightclub at 4:30 a.m. by a maintenance employee, who activated a manual fire alarm station and then pulled out a standpipe hose and began applying water. The atrium, located in the middle of the building...

Research unveils cheaper, more effective sprinkling method for warehouses

The greater fire hazard of many stored goods makes it imperative for building owners to consider more effective methods of warehouse protection. Photograph: Getty Image For warehouse managers, being told they need to install in-rack sprinklers can be stressful. The fire protection benefits are not in question. The problem is the cost. Typically, a large number of sprinklers are required for warehouse storage racks, making the cost far higher than ceiling-level sprinklers. Adding to that, managers worry that in-rack sprinklers could cause water damage to products if they’re set off unintentionally. However, as warehouses grow taller to make more efficient...

Sparky checks off bucket list item #5: Ride in Alaska’s Helo-2 helicopter

Sparky checked off yet another bucket list item when he got to ride in Alaska’s Helo-2 search and rescue helicopter. Purchased in 2013, Helo-2 helps Alaska State Troopers cover the state’s vast expanses that would otherwise be inaccessible. 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...

It's time to vote for your favorite finalist in the NFPA Conference & Expo National Anthem singing contest

We announced about a month ago and have since been accepting submissions for our National Anthem Singing Contest. We hope to find a singer of the National Anthem to perform at this year’s General Session of the NFPA Conference & Expo in Las Vegas on Monday, June 13, 2016. We have taken a look at all entries, and a panel of judges have selected 4 finalists. It's now YOUR TURN to participate. We want you to vote for your favorite entry once per day now through April 24th. The contest winner will receive a roundtrip flight to Las Vegas, one-night...

New NFPA Journal cover story looks at LNG, the 'shale revolution,' and what it means for safety and preparedness

The Sabine Pass liquified natural gas export terminal in Louisiana made the first LNG shipment from the U.S. lower 48 states in February. Once thought to be past its peak, and even in decline, U.S. gas production is soaring to all-time highs thanks in large part to innovative extraction techniques, including hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. The “shale revolution,” as this transformation has come to be known, is driving huge increases in gas demand and, in turn, billions of dollars in infrastructure investment in the U.S. and around the world. The cover story of the March/April issue of NFPA Journal,...

Believing the myths for years, homebuilder finally learns the truth about home fire sprinklers

With the help of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative team was introduced to a Connecticut homebuilder who has seen the light. John Dempsey heard the many opinions about home fire sprinklers from his peers: the exorbitant cost, the leaking, the hassle. Following some education on sprinkler performance by NFSA and his local fire chief, Dempsey now knows that these opinions are baseless. Dempsey joins NFPA Regional Director Bob Duval in a new video produced by NFPA to discuss Dempsey's involvement with sprinklering one of his new homes--and why he's now a firm believer for home...

NFPA and UAE sign MOU to further fire and life safety

His Highness Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior for United Arab Emirates and NFPA Board Member Russell Leavitt were on hand to witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NFPA and the UAE Ministry of Interior during Innovation in Fire Protection: Fire Service and Code Enforcers Symposium in Abu Dhabi this week. Calling it a mutual commitment to advance fire and life safety in the United Arab Emirates, NFPA President Jim Pauley signed for NFPA while Major General Jassim Mohamed Al Marzooqi signed for the UAE Ministry of Interior....

NFPA and UAE Host Historic Symposium on Fire Protection

More than 150 attendees from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) participated in a first of its kind symposium this week in Abu Dhabi. Entitled Innovation in Fire Protection: Fire Service and Code Enforcers Symposium, the two-day event was aimed at fire and life safety officials from around the country and addressed the latest code and related issues impacting fire and life safety. Saying it may be the first time the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) brought so many staff outside of the U.S. at once to put on this type of event, NFPA President Jim Pauley stressed the importance of...

NFPA releases report on Bangladesh garment industry

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) continues to build an international presence by sharing fire and life safety resources, expertise and research across the globe in an ongoing effort to help save lives and reduce loss. This week, we released the Bangladesh Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Industry High-Level Assessment Report. This document, which looks at Bangladesh’s fire and building safety standards, protocols, inspection procedures and training programs for RMG factories, provides short- and long-term recommendations to improve fire and life safety at these facilities. Over the past several years, several catastrophic fires and accidents in the Bangladesh garment district have killed...

Sparky checks off bucket list item #4: walks the 45th parallel

Spark got to visit the 45th parallel while in Northern Michigan recently, which is often the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole. At some point during the year, on the summer solstice, the sun is visible there for almost 16 hours! 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...