National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 292

Changing today's firefighting culture requires leadership, training and the courage to be safe

Chris Connealy of the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office addresses traditional firefighting culture and the risk it places on firefighter safety Firefighters want to protect people from fire, and that’s a noble cause. But they also like fighting fires and the battle scars that come with it, proving to their peers that they’ve done their job well. That tough, aggressive culture can put firefighters’ safety at risk, and it’s one that needs to be changed, said Chris Connealy of the Texas State Fire Marshal’s office, during this morning’s “Changing the Fire Service Culture to Ensure Everyone Goes Home”. Connealy says...

Read all about it: see coverage of the NFPA Conference & Expo in Chicago

Visit the NFPA Conference & Expo blog for regular updates from McCormick Place in Chicago, home this week to our 119th annual gathering.

What?! No more INDUSTRIAL fire brigades??

Do not panic! The Technical Committee responsible for NFPA 600 has just completed a revision of their document which is now titled Facility Fire Brigades instead of Industrial Fire Brigades!  The Committee wanted to emphasize that fire brigades are

What?! No more INDUSTRIAL fire brigades??

Do not panic! The Technical Committee responsible for NFPA 600 has just completed a revision of their document which is now titled Facility Fire Brigades instead of Industrial Fire Brigades! The Committee wanted to emphasize that fire brigades are not limited to just industrial settings but exist in other facilities such as hospitals, universities and airports. Although work on fire brigade standards has been going on for over 100 years, with the first document on private fire departments published in 1902, the Committee recognizes that the world of fire brigades has changed. As a result the Committee is already beginning...

Confined Space Entry Anyone?

Anyone out there as passionate about confined space safety as I am? If you are at all involved with confined space entry then come hear about the new NFPA 350 Guide to Confined Space Entry and Work at the NFPA conference next week in Chicago! The Technical Committee has completed the second draft revisions and, absent any NITMAMs, the new guide will be released this coming November! This document explains “how to” comply with provisions in the existing confined space regulations and standards by providing more detailed guidance on subjects such as hazard identification, air monitoring, ventilation and rescue. It...

Eight years ago today, the Charleston 9 lost their lives fighting sofa super store fire

Eight years ago today, a call was received for a fire in a Sofa Super Store in Charleston, SC. The fire would start in the loading dock behind the store and eventually would take over the rest of the 42,000 square foot structure. The Charleston 9, as the victims came to be known, died at the scene of the fire on the evening of June 18, 2007. The victims were Engineer Bradford "Brad" Baity, of Engine 19; Capt. Mike Benke of Engine 16; Firefighter Melvin Champaign, of Engine 16; Firefighter James "Earl" Drayton, of Engine 19; Asst. Engineer Michael French,...

Research Roadmap for Smart Fire Fighting charts steps to significantly improve fire protection and fire fighting capabilities

When firefighters arrive on-scene at a fire, they typically lack critical information about the structure, such as its floor plan, which puts them at significant risk. Today’s communication, computing, sensor and networking technologies could change all that, according to the new "Research Roadmap for Smart Fire Fighting" which was officially released today by the Fire Protection Research Foundation (Foundation), the research affiliate of NFPA, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The roadmap report charts steps toward overcoming technical obstacles so that interconnected technologies, known collectively as cyber-physical systems, or CPS, can be harnessed to significantly improve fire...

Don’t Miss the Accessibility Showcase at the 2015 NFPA Conference & Expo in Chicago, IL – June 22-25, 2015

The Accessibility Showcase will co-locate with the 2015 NFPA Conference & Expo at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois from June 22 to 25, 2015. This showcase, first begun in 2013, features products specifically designed to empower people with disabilities and their families, friends, and caregivers, as well as building managers, supervisors, and first responders to help improve not only their safety, but the quality of life for people with disabilities far beyond those specified in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Accessibility Showcase at past NFPA Conference & Expos has been a huge success. To see a list of this...

Food truck fire and life safety is topic of newest NFPA Journal Podcast

In the latest episode of NFPA Journal Podcast, host Jesse Roman speaks with NFPA engineer Jacqueline Wilmot about the fire and life safety considerations of food trucks, a rapidly growing industry with an estimated 117,000 vehicles now on the road in the U.S. While the trucks are becoming wildly popular, recent events have called into question whether there needs to be more robust fire and life safety standards and inspections for these trucks. On July 1, 2014, in the Feltonville neighborhood of Philadelphia, a leaking propane tank on the La Parrillada Chapina food truck ignited, resulting in an explosion that...

NFPA welcomes Lund University students from Sweden

The International Department here at NFPA, welcomed several Lund University Students from Sweden to the Quincy headquarters this week. Each year NFPA proudly hosts the fire protection engineer students. The students heard from many people around NFPA about all of the work going on here in the research, standards development, public fire protection, international, home fire sprinkler initiative, and building fire protection divisions. It is always a pleasure to teach the students the difference NFPA makes in their country and worldwide. Plus, we even learned how to say, “God morgon” (good morning) and "Välkommen till NFPA” (welcome to NFPA)!