National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 311

Meet burn survivor Jeff Jordan, an important voice in the push for home fire sprinklers

I won't spend too much time describing the following video, since I don't want to take away from its powerful message. What I will say is that we have another important sprinkler advocate on our side. Jeff Jordan is the newest member of Common Voices, an advocate's coalition determined to create a fire-safe America. A crucial component of the group's advocacy work is underscoring home fire sprinklers. (Pam Elliott, another Common Voices member, spoke at NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative Summit last year.) Jeff has turned his tragedy into a moving call to action. Please share his story. Related articles A...

NFPA members: register for next Office Hours live event about NFPA 30: Flammable and Combustible Liquids

Office Hours is a live, interactive, streaming video presentation for NFPA Members featuring NFPA technical staff discussing NFPA codes and standards. In this month's event, join Bob Benedetti, Principal Engineer at NFPA, as he discusses NFPA 30: Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code. His presentation will include: Revisions based on the U. S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board recommendations. Improvements to the fire protection design criteria for warehouse storage of containers. Amendments relating to the use of weak roof-to-shell seam design for factory-built vertical. storage tanks And More! Register today! Have questions? Get the answers during this live event on...

Connecticut joins New Jersey in filing a home fire sprinkler bill

We've recently reported that New Jersey legislators have been busy filing fire safety bills, including one that would require home fire sprinklers, after a devastating fire displaced more than 1,000 people. Pro-sprinkler sentiment appears to be spreading beyond New Jersey's borders, as Connecticut politicians recently filed their own bill requiring sprinklers in new, one- and two-family homes. A public hearing on the bill is scheduled for February 19. For more information on sprinkler action in Connecticut, visit the Fire Sprinkler Initiative blog. Related articles Massive New Jersey fire places home fire sprinkler bill on fast track New and improved Fire...

In February's issue of Safety Source: launch of Learn Not to Burn Kindergarten, Valentine's Day activities

The February issue of Safety Source, NFPA's public education enewsletter, is now available for viewing. In this issue, you will find; The launch of Learn Not to Burn Kindergarten Downton Abbey episode includes cautionary tale on fire safety Jim Pauley takes a look at the year past and priorities for the year ahead Tip sheet on portable generators Sparky makes a Love Mug for Valentine's Day Educator of the Year deadline February 20 Don't miss an issue! Sign up now and be the first to get the latest information on happenings in the public education division, activities, fire statistics, trends,...

Today in fire history: a fire in a 38-story-high-rise building kills three fire fighters

On Saturday, February 23, 1991, an early evening fire occurred at a 38-story high-rise building in downtown Philadelphia resulting in the death of three fire fighters, fire extension to nine floors, and severe structural damage to the building. During the 18 1/2-hr effort to control the blaze, fire fighting activities were hampered by the loss of electrical power (including emergency power) and inadequate fire attack hose stream pressure to suppress the fire. As a result, the fire was able to spread from the floor of origin, the 22nd floor, to the 29th floor. The vertical fire spread was completely stopped...

Today in fire history: a natural gas explosion in a motel kills four and injures ten

On Sunday, February 18, 1990, a natural gas explosion and subsequent fire in the Hagerstown Super 8 Motel resulted in the deaths of four guests and minor injuries to ten others. Three of the four fatalities occurred in rooms affected by the explosion and the fourth victim was found in a corridor approximately 35 feet from the area of the explosion. The three-story wood frame structure was designed to meet, among other codes, the requirements of the 1985 Life Safety Code which the city had adopted and was enforcing when the building was constructed in 1987. The building had 62...

NFPA President Jim Pauley attended Fire Asia 2015 in Hong Kong

Jim Pauley presents at Fire Asia 2015 President Jim Pauley attended Fire Asia 2015 in Hong Kong. For more than 20 years, Fire Asia 2015 has served as a forum for fire safety practitioners, fire engineers, paramedics and emergency services to come together, exchange ideas and discuss industry trends. Approximately 300 fire professionals from 13 countries and regions attended the event, which is organized by the Institution of Fire Engineers (Hong Kong branch); several divisions within the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers; and China’s Hong Kong Fire Protection Association. Recognizing that today’s prevailing firefighting challenges will require collaboration among multiple...

Boston Fire Department's diligent efforts to dig out hydrants reinforce importance of accessibility

Unless you’ve been hiding under a pile of snow, you’ve surely heard about the many challenges the city of Boston has been tackling in response to the recent blizzards. In today's Boston Globe, an important fire issue was covered: the ongoing effort to keep fire hydrants accessible after being repeatedly buried by snow plows. According to the article, there are “more than 13,000 fire hydrants in the city of Boston that Boston firefighters have dug out before and will dig out again. And again. And again.” And for good reason, noted Ken Willette, NFPA’s division manager of public fire protection....

Advocacy alert: Tell New York code council to support home fire sprinklers

The New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council is considering the adoption of the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC), including the provision to sprinkler new, one- and two-family homes. In advance of their vote, the New York State Builders Association sent out an email to its membership, which included the following: "Homebuilders will always support stringent fire safety code changes when they make sense, such as hard-wired, battery operated, smoke alarms. However, as a society, we cannot afford to deny needed housing for the sake of new requirements without proven benefits. While they should remain an option for...

Two new projects initiating at the Research Foundation

The Research Foundation is embarking on two new projects designed to provide information for NFPA Technical Committees developing fire suppression guidance. The first project is directed toward NFPA 13's provisions on fire sprinkler installation in sloped ceiling configurations in storage facilities. The project is beginning with a collaboration between the Foundation and FM Global Research designed to identify common sloped ceiling configurations and model sprinkler actuation. The second project is directed toward NFPA 75 and 76 and its focus is gaseous suppression effectiveness in data centers and telecommunications facilities. This first phase project is a literature review of available information...