National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 277

NFPA advocates for wildfire preparedness in the new issue of NFPA Journal

Several times every year, Lucien Deaton, manager of the Firewise Communities and Fire Adapted Communities Programs for NFPA, travels around the United States to meet those who use the programs to teach the public about the risk of wildfires. In the current fiscal environment, he says, these partners are being asked to do more with less funding and smaller staffs, even as people continue to move into the wildland/urban interface. With state budgets for prevention and preparedness shrinking and the demand for investment in land management growing, we must help our partners ensure that they can apply the right resources...

In September issue of Fire Break: TakeAction youth campaign, How-to tips on Firewise, upcoming virtual workshop

The September 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 TakeAction: Empowering youth through new wildfire awareness campaign, which speaks to middle and high school students who want to help their neighborhoods better prepare for wildfire. Year of Living Less Dangerously from Wildfire campaign: Residents embrace widlfire safety actions. How-To Tips on incorporating Firewise principles. Virtual workshop to focus on Firewise community days to be held on September 29 at 1:00 PM EST. ...and much more. We want to continue to share all...

Phoenix Society's Pam Elliott advocates for Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters

Burn survivor Pam Elliott speaking at the November 2014 Fire Sprinkler Initiative Summit While many states are expanding the requirements for Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs), North Carolina may stand pat with state requirements. On Tuesday, Pam Elliott, an advocate of the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, stepped up to the plate to deliver a powerful testimony to the North Carolina Building Code Council. “You’re talking about people’s lives and of course the most vulnerable in a fire are infants, children, the elderly and the physically and mentally disabled, so it is the job of a committee like this to...

2014 U.S. Catastrophic Fire Report detailed in new NFPA Journal

In March, a gas explosion and fire involving two mixed-occupancy buildings in New York killed eight people and injured 61. PHOTO: Anthony Behar/Sipa USA Last year firefighters responded to an estimated 1,298,000 fires in the United States. Twenty-four of these fires were categorized as catastrophic multiple-death fires, defined as fires or explosions in residences that result in five or more fire-related deaths, or fires or explosions in all other structures and outside of structures, such as wildfires and vehicle fires, that claim three or more lives. The new September/October issue of NFPA Journal includes a detailed look at the 2014...

To All U.S. Fire Departments: The 2015 U.S. Needs Assessment survey is now online. Fill it out to make sure your needs are heard!

Every U.S. fire department needs to fill out the 2015 U.S. Needs Assessment survey, and here’s why: The U.S. Needs Assessment survey asks fire departments where you’re meeting the needs of your communities and where there are gaps in the service you provide. The U.S. Congress and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) rely on that feedback to help determine where the nation’s fire service funding should be allocated. This presents a unique, powerful opportunity to show where you need help, and to get the support you need. The survey can also be used to compare your fire department’s resources to...

New Fire Prevention Week 2015 Challenge champions U.S. fire departments’ campaign efforts

Local fire departments are critical to the success of Fire Prevention Week - we count on their participation and support each year to reach local communities with the campaign's fire safety messages. In appreciation of those efforts, we’re kicking off the Fire Prevention Week 2015 Challenge, which works to recognize the hard work and creativity of fire departments that are actively promoting Fire Prevention Week in their communities this fall. Here’s how the Fire Prevention Week 2015 Challenge works: All U.S. fire departments are invited to send NFPA a picture of an event they’ve hosted in support of Fire Prevention...

Fire chiefs endorse position papers on warehouse fires, FireCARES and N-FORS

Fire chiefs from the U.S., U.K. and Canada met last week for NFPA’s Urban Fire Forum (UFF). Three important documents were endorsed by the group of attendees as official UFF-Metro Chiefs position papers, with the goal of using the latest research and best practices in fire response and preparation. Warehouse Fires and Pre-Fire Planning – Emphasizes the importance of pre-fire planning for warehouses. FM Global research shows that in-rack sprinklers are the only way to prevent rapid spread of fire in rack storage. The sprinklers not only minimize the threat of spreading by pre-wetting areas in the path of fire,...

NFPA members: register for next Office Hours live event about NFPA 1 Fire Code

Office Hours is a live, interactive, streaming video presentation for NFPA Members featuring NFPA technical staff discussing NFPA codes and standards. Tune in September 17th at 2:00pm EDT for the next episode. In this month's event, join Gregory Harrington, NFPA Principal Fire Protection Engineer, as he discusses key changes to the 2015 edition of NFPA 1, Fire Code, including: New mandatory requirements for fire hydrant locations and distribution Inspection and maintenance of combustible dust equipment and facilities Fire alarm system requirements overhauled And more! Use NFPAOfficeHours@gmail.com or Tweet to #OfficeHours during the presentation. Get involved! Join the conversation! Not a...

The new issue of NFPA Journal discusses accessibility issues

It is comforting to know that new, code-compliant buildings offer occupants, regardless of their mobility issues, safe egress systems, says Ron Coté, principal life safety engineer at NFPA. In buildings that are fully protected by an approved, supervised sprinkler system, provisions of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, permit a floor to serve as an area of refuge, even if it does not have special fire-rated or smoke-resistant barriers. The area may become smoky and potentially frightening to someone who remains behind when most others have evacuated, but the area should not be endangering. NFPA 101 also requires the area of...

New NFPA Journal Podcast looks at deadly Taiwan dust explosion at concert

Dust explosions have always been considered an industrial danger, certainly not something to worry about at a concert or celebration. That perception was forever changed in June, when a cloud of colored cornstarch dust exploded at a packed concert in New Taipei, Taiwan. The explosion sent a giant fireball through the crowd, burning hundreds of people and killing at least 11. The unprecedented explosion, it’s aftermath and NFPA’s response is the subject of an article “Powder Keg” in the new September/October issue of NFPA Journal. It is also the subject of a new NFPA Journal podcast, “Dust Explosions and Color...