National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 302

In April's issue of Fire Break: 2014 Firewise program numbers, sessions for Backyards & Beyond & more

The April 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: The 2014 Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program final numbers A list of presenters and sessions for NFPA’s Backyards & Beyond wildland fire conference in October New research around fire activity predictions and how it’s helping scientists better understand fire behavior Important information about grilling safely in high-risk wildfire areas (and even in areas that are not prone to large wildfires!) A cool new animation video that encourages participation in national Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on May...

NFPA and America’s PrepareAthon promote wildfire preparedness

By NFPA's Cathy Prudhomme Participating in Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (May 2) and America’s PrepareAthon (April 30) helps communities and individuals prepare before wildfires happen. By cross-promoting the two campaigns NFPA and FEMA are able to maximize the number of stakeholders that can share the information and emphasize the importance of mitigation, communication and evacuation preparedness actions. Join the effort by sharing these tips with neighbors, family members and friends: Take Action: Conduct a drill, exercise or other preparedness activity that will help your family or community become more prepared. Performing simple wildfire mitigation activities on your property, creating a...

NFPA Journal launches new podcast, available now on iTunes

My name is Jesse Roman, I am the staff writer of NFPA Journal, and I am a podcast addict. I find myself listening in the car, while I’m cooking dinner, brushing my teeth, doing yard work—you name it, if it doesn’t involve a pool, I’ve probably got my ear buds in. For me, podcasts are a great way to be engaged and learning while I’m taking care of some of life’s more mundane and mindless tasks. We figured that NFPA Journal readers probably drive cars, cook dinner, and run errands, too, and might enjoy listening to a podcast focused on...

Plenty of opportunities for CEUs at the 2015 Conference & Expo

If you are looking for ways to earn CEUs in a short amount of time, attending NFPA’s Conference & Expo in Chicago this June is the way to go. There are a total of 133 sessions being offered at the Conference & Expo June 22-25. Attendees will earn .1 CEU for each 60-minute session and .2 CEUs for each of the 90-minute sessions. That means you can earn as many as 1.5 CEUs. Details on how to receive credit for CEUs earned and how to access transcript records following the Conference will be available via the 2015 NFPA C&E Mobile...

Application deadline extended for NFPA sprinkler grant program

We're giving home fire sprinkler advocates across North America extra time to submit applications for NFPA's Bringing Safety Home Grant. The deadline for submissions has been extended to April 30. This is your chance to secure up to $10,000 to fund an extensive sprinkler campaign or project in your state or region. Craving some ideas on how to use these funds? We've developed a menu of options that includes: creating a state/regional sprinkler summit bringing together key allies to share information and develop a sprinkler strategy developing a local advertising campaign underscoring the benefits of home fire sprinklers initiating a...

Study provides an analysis of the amount of training typically provided to students of fire training institutions across North America

Fire service training institutions and associated organizations representing fire personnel, training, and curriculum development are varied in curricula and the number of hours that recruit or initial fire fighter candidates formally attend training programs. While NFPA professional qualifications standards are not intended as training documents, many training institutions refer to the standards when designing and implementing a curriculum. The purpose of this project is to identify state and provincial fire service training institutions and survey them about curricula and number of formal training hours of recruit or initial fire service fire fighter training including awareness and operations level hazardous materials....

Foundation report documents various state tagging programs for water based fire suppression systems

For several cycles, the technical committee for NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, has discussed the concept of adding a chapter on system tagging. One of the reasons that this has not been done is that there are several different statewide or local tagging programs that exist and the committee has not been able to identify and study all of them to form the basis of a program that is suitable for the standard. The Fire Protection Research Foundation undertook a project with the goal to provide information on state and city...

Minimal damage, no deaths following home fire sprinkler activation

Here's a short-and-sweet example from our friends at the Idaho Fire Sprinkler Coalition on the rapid response of home fire sprinklers. Earlier this year, a resident discarded smoking materials in a small, plastic trashcan in her garage. A fire spread from the trashcan to a nearby upholstered chair, eventually activating a sprinkler head. (Sprinklers in accordance to NFPA 13D, Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes, are not required in garages. The resident's jurisdiction, however, requires sprinklers in these areas when an occupied living area is above the garage.) The sprinkler head completely extinguished the...

NFPA updates hazardous materials code, addressing issues in West, Texas chemical storage tragedy

For the second time in three years, NFPA used its consensus standards development system to address an urgent need for safeguarding industrial hazards. On April 17, 2013, an ammonium nitrate storage facility in the small town of West, Texas, caught fire and exploded with devastating force. The blast destroyed most of the West Fertilizer Company facility and damaged or leveled nearly every structure within a 1,500-foot radius, including homes, schools, and a nursing home. Fifteen people were killed, including 10 members of the town’s volunteer fire department, and about 200 were injured. Damage estimates approached $250 million. Soon after the...

NFPA's Public Fire Protection division visits Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial

NFPA's Public Fire Protection Team visited the Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Boston yesterday. The sacrifices of the honored are moving, and reinforced to the team the value of their standards work. The Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial was dedicated September 11, 2007. Located at our State Capitol, the Memorial stands tall as a tribute to the spirit, courage and dedication of past, present and future firefighters. The Public Fire Protection division recommends everyone make a stop to see it if in the Boston area!