National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 257

NFPA sprinkler expert Matt Klaus to speak at International Builders' Show in Las Vegas

Matt Klaus, NFPA's principal fire protection engineer, and the team from the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, which provides information and materials about home fire sprinklers for consumers, the fire service, builders, and other professionals, do final prep for the grand opening of the NAHB International Builders' Show in Las Vegas. At this year's show, Matt is working the booth to help answer questions from builders about the installation of sprinklers in homes: how they work, water supply, options, maintenance requirements, and how the installation fits with builder production schedules. Matt will host five half-hour forums in the booth this week...

NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative to host free webinar on sprinkler advocacy

Register today for NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Initiative webinar, Home Fire Sprinklers: Enhancing Your Grassroots Effort, on Wednesday, February 3 @ 12:30 p.m. EST. Why is this free webinar so important? Every community has their own challenges when planning and implementing home fire sprinkler educational programs. Challenges may be related to code activities, limited resources, housing starts, or anti-sprinkler activities. This free, half-hour webinar will discuss the importance of recognizing those unique challenges, identifying target audiences, and how the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition's free resources can enhance your grassroots efforts. Register today! Related articles New and improved Fire Sprinkler Initiative newsletter...

'In Compliance' in new NFPA Journal tackles NEC changes, sprinkler testing, mixed occupancies, and fire alarms

Much of the Western United States is locked in a long and ongoing drought and the pressure is on to conserve water in anyway possible. One of the areas that has been flagged for conservation is the inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) program for mechanical building systems, including fire sprinklers, writes Matt Klaus, a principal fire protection engineer at NFPA, in his In Compliance column in the new January/February NFPA Journal. NFPA 25 Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, has been adopted in many states, and often requires ITM service providers or building owners to discharge water...

NBC's Today show segment underscoring today's home fires fails to mention home fire sprinklers

There were many nuggets of truth during a recent story on home fires that appeared on NBC's "Today" and reported by Jeff Rossen: Confirmed by research and the segment's dramatic demonstration, homes and the furniture housed in them are burning hotter and faster then ever before Home escape plans should be created and practiced regularly (NFPA's free resources can help you accomplish this goal) During a fire, if a smoke alarm sounds, leave your home immediately However, there was a crucial component of home safety missing from the news story. As Rossen reported, the National Association of Home Builders told...

New report posted evaluating actual flow that can be achieved from 2.5 inch fire department connection (FDC) inlet

A Fire Department Connection (FDC) is “A connection through which the fire department can supplemental water into the sprinkler system, standpipe, or other system, furnishing water for fire extinguishment to supplement existing water supplies.” FDCs are required on all standpipe systems per NFPA 14, Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems, and sprinkler systems per NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems. In 2007, the Technical Committee for NFPA 14 added the requirement for one 2 ½ inch inlet per every 250 gallons per minute (gpm), but this requirement lacks supporting scientific documentation, so there was...

New NFPA Journal column looks at a mother's efforts to improve the fire hose

In his “First Responder” column in the new January/February issue of NFPA Journal, Ken Willette looks at how a deadly fire in Boston and a mother’s loss has been the driving force behind an effort now underway to improve fire hose technology. Cathy Crosby Bell’s son, Boston firefighter Michael Kennedy, died along with fellow firefighter Ed Walsh fighting an apartment fire on March 26, 2014, in the Back Bay section of Boston. Early investigation found that the fire hose that Kennedy and Walsh had brought into the basement to attack the fire had failed to the point where it would...

Today in fire history: two persons were able to escape while 12 others die in Pennsylvania House Hotel fire

Only two persons were able to escape from the Pennsylvania House Hotel when flames quickly spread through the building on January 16, 1972, leaving 12 others dead. The hotel building was typical of many old, small community hotels built to serve the travelers of 75 years ago -- hotels that for the most part have been replaced by motels as transportation has changed through the years. The owners of older buildings have attempted to keep a hotel business going, with the result that many of the hotels have changed in character, serving as residential hotels for local citizens rather than...

Apply for one of 125 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Project Funding Awards

Plan a wildfire awareness, risk reduction, or post-fire project to be implemented during NFPA's third national Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on Saturday, May 7, and your activity could receive one of 125 project funding awards in the amount of $500 each to cover expenses related to grassroots efforts. The project funding awards opportunity along with additional outreach components is being generously provided by State Farm. Applying for a project funding award is easy and takes only a few minutes to complete. Submit a brief description of the project you or your group will complete on May 7 and include who...

Removing snow from around hydrants a crucial part of winter fire safety

In the winter months, it’s especially important to be conscious of how snow-covered fire hydrants can delay fire services, costing crucial seconds or minutes that can mean the difference between saving a structure and its inhabitants and not doing so. Photo courtesy of MLive.com The Boston Globe reported last winter that the city’s fire department was deploying teams of fire fighters to dig out hydrants covered by the city’s record snow fall. According to the article, a hydrant needs about a foot of space below its valve, and another two feet of space all around it. This space allows fire...

New NFPA Journal's 'In a Flash' looks at run, hide, fight; jetpacks in Dubai; fire detecting satellites, and more.

With the world still reeling over deadly active-shooter attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, in late 2015, public safety officials continue to discuss the best way to prepare and respond to these events, including providing civilians with more training about how to prepare and respond in these incidents. The “In a Flash” section of the new January/February issue of NFPA Journal looks at these incidents, which are often over in a matter of minutes, before law enforcement can respond. The best course of action, many experts now say, may be to better prepare civilians for what actions to take...