National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 276

Today in fire history: firefighter dies in printing office fire

Today in fire history: firefighter dies in printing office fire At approximately 2:00 a.m., on Monday September 28, 1992, Denver fire fighters responded to a fire in a two-story print shop. During the fire suppression operations in one Denver fire fighter died. The victim was working by himself inside the fire building when he, apparently, encountered some type of difficulty. He was able to reach a second-story window and shine his handlight through the window alerting other fire fighters who were outside. A partially collapsed floor and intense fire within the building prevented potential rescuers from reaching the trapped fire...

NFPA Journal Outreach Column highlights some useful education tools

Finding the right age-appropriate fire-safety materials for different grade levels can be a challenge, so NFPA’s school outreach program has worked at developing a blended-learning approach through interactive apps and lesson plans, which encompass targeted fire-safety messaging. In her column “Making It Stick,” in the new September/October issue of NFPA Journal, Amy LeBeau, a senior project manager in NFPA’s Public Education Division, discusses a number of new tools NFPA has developed to help kids learn more about fire safety. That includes a couple new fun apps, a children’s ebook, and more. Learn all about these useful tools in the new...

Series of home fires across North America extinguished by fire sprinklers

What better way to underscore the effectiveness of fire sprinklers than by showcasing the device's ability to save lives? Our partners and safety advocates across North America graciously send us anecdotes of fire sprinklers in action. Here are some of the more recent sprinkler saves: Maryland Fortunately for the town of Mount Airy, it has had a sprinkler requirement on the books since 2003. The requirement was recently praised when a clothes dryer in one of its homes caught fire. A single sprinkler activated and extinguished most of the fire by the time the fire department reached the laundry room....

In part three of our "Smoke Alarm Smarts" video series, Sparky asks people how often smoke alarms should be replaced

In anticipation of Fire Prevention Week, October 4-10, today we’re launching the third video in our “Smoke Alarm Smarts” series, which addresses smoke alarm replacement. As you’ll see, when Sparky the Fire Dog® randomly asked people how often they think smoke alarms in the home need to be replaced, he gets a lot of guesses in response. We encourage all fire departments, fire safety educators and others to share this video on their social media platforms, websites and via email – it’s a quick, engaging way to reinforce a basic but vital message about smoke alarm safety: smoke alarms need...

Today in fire history: an early morning fire in a board and care occupancy resulted in four fatalities

On September 19, 1990 an early morning fire in a board and care occupancy in Bessemer, Alabama resulted in four fatalities. Fortunately, eleven residents were evacuated by the prompt actions of a 16-year-old occupant. An inadequate water supply for an installed residential sprinkler system resulted in the system not operating properly illustrating important code enforcement lessons. Had the system been properly installed and adequate water been supplied, it's likely that no loss of life would have occurred. For the full NFPA Fire Investigation report. To learn more about NFPA's Fire Analysis and Research statistical report Structure Fires in Residential Board...

Washington Post piece draws misguided conclusion about nation’s first responders

You may not know when or if you will have a fire in your home, when or if a member of your family will be stricken with a medical emergency or when and if your community will face a terrorist or other life threatening calamity; but what you do know is that you expect the first responders in your area to be there, be well trained and be properly equipped to deal with the situation. This seems to have been lost on the author of a recent Washington Post piece that posed the question that if we have fewer fires...

Join Sparky and his safety friends as they unite in a National Preparedness Month Twitter chat

Get excited for community preparedness! Your favorite safety friends like our very own Sparky the Fire Dog, along with Smokey Bear, Lassie and others, will be participating in a live Twitter chat focused on preventing and preparing for hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes and more! The ‘Safety Friends Unite for Preparedness’ Twitter chat takes place on September 22 at 3PM ET, don't forget to check it out using the hashtag #SafetyChat! This Twitter chat is part of FEMA's National Preparedness Month. “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” is the message emergency managers are sharing with people through the month...

NFPA thanks Esri for sponsoring our Backyards & Beyond Wildfire Education Conference

Thank you Esri for participating in the 2015 NFPA Backyards & Beyond sponsorship program! We appreciate your continued support. Please visit Esri in booth 205 October 22-24 to learn more about their products and services. GIS software from Esri enables search & rescue personnel to capture and create an integrated picture of information in the form of interactive maps and reports on the desktop, handheld, or in the emergency vehicle. GIS will help you unlock the spatial component of your valuable data and see your information from a new perspective. You can view the full list of exhibitors and sponsors...

New NFPA Journal column addresses how to use equivalencies in NFPA 13

Despite its 400-plus pages. NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, makes an admission that it does not, and never will, contain all of the answers to every question and every scenario encountered by its users. To that end, sections 1.5 and 1.7 of NFPA 13 address equivalencies to the standard as a means of addressing new technology, alternative means and methods, and matters otherwise not provided for. Matt Klaus, an NFPA principal fire protection engineer and staff liaison for NFPA 13, addresses these equivalencies and how they are meant to be used in his new In Compliance column “Other Means,”...

The power of partnerships: NFPA, The Center for Campus Fire Safety, University of New Haven Fire Science Club, Domino’s and the American Burn Association promote campus fire safety

When the University of New Haven Fire Science Club (UNH) decided to host a national campaign and Campus Fire Safety Sweepstakes & Contest to raise awareness for fire safety on college campuses, they turned to The Center for Campus Fire Safety (the Center) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for statistics and resources that would engage college communities. UNH students developed a Facebook contest and made quick videos with key messages to call attention to September being Campus Fire Safety Month. The Center and NFPA provided fire safety questions to ask landlords and school officials, and videos, checklists, tip sheets,...