National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 265

NFPA President Jim Pauley stresses importance of Needs Assessment Survey in new NFPA Journal column

In his “First Word” column in the new November/December issue of NFPA Journal, NFPA President Jim Pauley makes the case for why it is important that the fire service participate in NFPA’s U.S. Needs Assessment Survey. The survey was recently mailed to fire departments in all 50 states. It asks general questions about departmental needs, resources, and capabilities, as well as more targeted questions on topics ranging from fitness and health programs to advanced technology applications. This is the fourth needs survey NFPA has conducted. “This assessment is an extremely important data gathering effort that is used to identify gaps...

Scores of residents and building officials get a startling glimpse at today's home fires and power of home fire sprinklers

Made possible by a grant provided by NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative, a fire sprinkler demonstration trailer has been making the rounds in Oregon and wowing its residents in the process. Both sections of the trailer mimic a setting inside your average home. There's bedding, a mattress, couch, drapes. One section is set aflame to mimic the way fire quickly impacts today's modern furnishings, while the other section showcases the speed in which sprinklers can avert fire's catastrophe. Watch a video featuring this trailer by visiting the Fire Sprinkler Initiative blog. Related articles Deadly blaze underscores Connecticut's home fire problem and...

Today in fire history: motel fire kills one and injures 20 other guests

On Wednesday, November 23, 1983, a fire occurred at the Travel Master Inn Motel located at 225 W. First Street in Dayton, Ohio. The motel was a rectangular, four-story building, with basement, of mixed construction. The ground floor contained a registration and lounge area, and the upper floors contained 66 guest rooms. Earlier in the evening, on November 23, the building's fire detection and alarm system sounded throughout the building. The hotel's desk clerk deactivated the system and went to the guest room portion of the building to determine the source of the alarm. The clerk discovered a trash can...

NFPA, Research Foundation, host workshop in New York to pave path forward on energy storage system safety

About 60 leading professionals from across a wide range of sectors gathered in New York City yesterday to participate in one of the most comprehensive and high-level discussions to date on energy storage system (ESS) safety. New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro kicked-off the proceedings by thanking attendees for coming together to tackle an issue that is a growing safety concern for the city. New York now has received more than 100 applications to install energy storage systems in various structures across the city, but large knowledge gaps in safety still remain. The systems, ranging in size from a...

New NFPA Journal NFPA 13 In Compliance Column looks at why the code's scope and purpose page matters

When it comes to NFPA codes and standards, many people skip right to the meat of the code, looking past the scope and purpose statements in Chapter 1, writes Matt Klaus, in his new column, “What It’s All About,” in the new November/December NFPA Journal. Not a good idea, says Klaus, a principal fire protection engineer at NFPA and staff liaison for NFPA 13, 13R, & 13D. “While the scope and purpose statements in some documents are fairly straightforward, many others contain nuances that are critical for the correct application of the standard,” he writes. Klaus encourages even longtime users...

New NFPA Journal feature story looks closely at how municipal fire departments are handling the wildfire threat

In terms of sheer numbers, municipal fire departments—better equipped and trained for structure fires—are handling a larger portion of wildfire duties. But until now there was little understanding or information about how well trained and capable these departments are to handle the job. “Local Focus,” a feature story in the new November/December issue of NPFA Journal, explores this topic through the lens of a first-of-its-kind new NFPA study. Over the course of several months, NFPA researchers interviewed 46 high-ranking fire officials from urban and rural departments on a variety of topics related to wildfire operations. The report relies heavily on...

In the new NFPA Journal: The Life Safety Code considers grab bars to prevent falls in baths and showers

Technical committees for NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, are considering proposed changes to the 2018 edition of the code that would address the risk of falls in baths and showers. That’s the topic of “Grab Hold,” the In Compliance/NFPA 101 piece in the November/December issue of NFPA Journal. Authored by Ron Coté, principal life safety engineer at NFPA, the article looks at grab bar changes being made to “address a significant public health problem, one raised in the substantiation for the Public Inputs proposing these new provisions.” Coté writes that the substantiation documented some eye-opening findings: » The U.S. Consumer...

Romanian nightclub tragedy all too familiar

Fallout continues in the wake of the deadly nightclub fire in Romania on October 30th. With 54 dead as of November 12 and 66 still hospitalized, including a dozen in critical condition, this tragedy seems all too familiar, bringing back memories of similar events, especially 2003’s Station fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island and the KISS fire in Brazil in 2013. Yahoo News reports the blaze began with errant fireworks in Bucharest’s Collectiv nightclub during a performance of the band Goodbye to Gravity, sending a crowd of around 400 rushing for the exits of the venue. Apparently, there were a...

Historic Fires: Jersey City, 1924

Ninety one years ago this month, Jersey City was struck by 2 large fires in the short span of just 3 days. One fire destroyed nearly 2 entire blocks and caused approximately $1 million in damage, the second fire burned 2 piers, 15 vessels and caused at least $300,000 of losses. The first fire started the morning of Friday November 14, 1924 in the Battelle and Renwick saltpeter works. The actual cause of the fire is unknown, but it is known to have begun in the cellar of the plant. Workers did attempt to extinguish the flames but, hastily retreated....

Today in fire history: a series of explosions at a furniture manufacturing facility kills two and injures four employees

On Sunday, November 20, 1994, at approximately 3:41 pm, a series of explosions occurred at a furniture manufacturing facility in Lenoir, North Carolina. There were two fatalities and four injuries as a result of this incident. The North Carolina Special Bureau of Investigations determined that the nature of the incident was accidental and not criminal. The incident occurred in the particle board manufacturing portion of the plant. Raw dust was taken in and refined into finished sheets of particle board that was used in the construction of furniture in other portions of the plant. This manufacturing line was the sole...