National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 298

Maryland County enacts Building Safety Month, promotes building codes and home fire sprinklers

Let's all take a lesson from the good people of Montgomery County, Maryland. Public officials there have made safety a priority--so much so that they've officially deemed May Building Safety Month. This year's theme is "Resilient Communities Start With Building Codes." This proclamation aims to raise awareness on a variety of topics, including resilient construction and fire prevention. "Often it is not until after a disaster that residents are made aware of the importance of building codes," said Diane Schwartz Jones, director of the county's Department of Permitting Services, in an article that appeared on a government and public real...

A multi-phase Research Foundation project works to quantify the environmental impact of fire

What’s the environmental impact of fires? It sounds like a fairly simply question, but finding quantifiable answers isn’t quite so easy. Yes, we know that fighting structure fires often require an average of hundreds of gallons of water, generating run-off that includes toxins released from byproducts of burned household items, and that those toxins are also released directly into the atmosphere. But knowing how to accurately measure and quantify fire’s environmental impact from these and related factors has yet to be identified. Through its Environmental Impact of Fire project, the Fire Protection Research Foundation is working to figure all that...

Insurers have a role to play in addressing wildfire risk, says new NFPA Journal column

Insurance companies are businesses with a strong incentive to minimize their customer's exposure to risk. It makes sense then that insurers often play a big part in finding new and innovative ways of reducing and mitigating threats, writes Lucian Deaton who manages the Firewise Communities Program in NFPA’s Wildland Fire Operations Division. Deaton’s new column, “Positive Connection,” in the May/June issue of NFPA Journal looks at two ways that insurers are working with NFPA to address wildfire risk. There is potential for even more, Deaton writes. “We can look for ways to positively connect insurers with wildfire risk and advance...

NFPA shares fire safety information with Martha Stewart Living

Just yesterday, NFPA's vice president for outreach & advocacy, Lorraine Carli, said to me, "I'm not sure anyone would have ever used my name and Martha Stewart in the same sentence!" And she's right, many of us here probably never would have thought about it, but today we're happy to announce that NFPA is now a regular content contributor for Martha Stewart Living (MSL)! As many of you may know, the Martha Stewart brand and mission focus on helping people live a beautiful, artful, creative and rich life everyday. Starting this month, NFPA is excited to share its safety messages...

NFPA Journal addresses firefighters' personal protective equipment

"As my own experience illustrates, you never know what you’re exposed to," says Ken Willette, division manager for Public Fire Protection at NFPA. What he was exposed to was Agent Orange. Agent Orange is a dioxin-based defoliant used during the Vietnam War that has since been proven to be a carcinogen. Almost 40 years ago, hundreds of airport rescue firefighters, Willette among them, might have been exposed to the chemical because the aircraft used as part of their training and response duties had been sprayed with Agent Orange, traces of which remained in the planes. And they often trained without...

Introducing a series of eye-catching infographics underscoring home fire sprinklers

You might understand the necessity of sprinklers in new homes, but what's a sure-fire way of getting sprinklers on the radar of others? One word: infographics. An eye-catching mixture of text and imagery, infographics have been a staple on social media sites in recent years due to their easily sharable format. Understanding the effectiveness of these informational tools, NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative has created a series of infographics offering quick-hit tidbits on today's sprinkler myths and the effectiveness of these devices. Our goal is for you to easily share these important points with your local public, decision makers, and others....

A simple test for checking gas grill leaks

Yesterday, NFPA kicked off the grilling season with the launch of its first of two new new grilling safety videos. In our second video, "A Simple Test for Checking Gas Grill Leaks", we share a couple of quick and easy but important tips to prepare your grill before you even start to cook those burgers and steaks. Prepare my grill, you ask? But whatever do you mean? After a long winter season of hibernation (OK, in some parts of the country!) your grill has been stored away and covered up never to see the light of day until today. It's...

'Tis a grand season for grilling (and keeping fire safety in mind)!

Memorial Day weekend is just a few days away and for those of us here in New England, it could not have come at a better time. After enduring what seemed like the longest winter EVER, we can actually smell the flowers and see grass growing again! With spring in the air most people are already planning for lots of fun outdoor parties and cookouts this weekend and beyond. Are you one of them? If you are (and I know it's true!), then you'll want to check out NFPA's newest videos that will help you kick off the grilling season...

Special 'Meet-and-Greet' scheduled with NFPA's Certification team at NFPA Conference & Expo

Please join us for complimentary coffee at NFPA Conference & Expo®. The NFPA Certification Department is hosting a special meet-and-greet on Tuesday, June 23 from 7:00-8:00 a.m. Meet us in the Press Room at McCormick Place for your choice of beverage and for information on NFPA Certification programs. (An NFPA Conference & Expo registration is required.) Let us know if you’d like a reminder closer to the date. NFPA Certification Programs include: Certified Fire Protection Specialist, Certified Fire Plan Examiner, Certified Fire Inspector I, Certified Fire Inspector II, Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional, and Certified Electrical Safety Worker. The Certified...

May and Arson, 2015

The month of May saw may different activities in the field of arson investigation. It coincided with the completion of the NFPA 921 First Draft meeting. This is where the proposed changes to the 2017 edition of NFPA 921 were moved (subject to ballot), be