National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 312

NFPA hosts two-day fire data summit to strengthen and enhance the next edition of its “Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service” survey

NFPA’s research team completed a two-day fire data summit yesterday to collaboratively develop plans and strategies for enhancing the upcoming “Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service” survey. Stakeholders who attended the summit and are actively participating in this initiative include: International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) International Fire Marshals Association (IFMA) International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services (iWomen) Metro Fire Chiefs National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) United States Fire Administration (USFA) The next edition of the survey is scheduled to be released in...

Research Foundation to host webinar on hazardous voltage/current at marinas, boatyards and floating boats next Tuesday, February 10, at 12:30pm

Recent media reports on drownings at or near marinas, boatyards and floating buildings have raised important questions about possible shock hazards from nearby electrical equipment. The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) will be hosting a webinar next Tuesday, February 10, at 12:30pm, to address this issue, with the ultimate goal of increased safety around electrical equipment installed and used in these vicinities. FPRF worked with the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) Foundation Inc. and CED Technologies, Inc. to develop “Assessment of Hazardous Voltage/Current in Marinas, Boatyards and Floating Buildings”, a report released last November, which works to clarify the...

Today in fire history: an accidental fire in a private club kills one patron, two firefighters and injures four other firefighters

Fire fighters from four engines and two truck companies were committed to suppression operations on the third floor and a medical sector had been established outside the building. While suppression operations were in progress, the fire suddenly increased in magnitude and spread into several areas beyond the room of origin. Two of these fire fighters were killed, and four fire fighters were injured with two sustaining critical injuries. A subsequent search of the building revealed that one patron had also died in the fire. This person was found in a stairway between the sixth and seventh stories, and he had...

2014 NEC Challenge champion hopes 2015 finalists can handle the pressure this Friday

Last year's NEC Challenge champion, Derek 'The Code Crusher' Vigstol, chatted with NFPA's Dan Whiting about Friday's upcoming battle. While holding his 2014 victory Championship Belt, Derek says that the final round is all about the buzzer, and hopes this year's finalists have what to it takes to handle the pressure. As you can tell from the video above, The Code Crusher doubts any of this year's finalists can beat his scores from last year, but we wish good luck to Steve, Paul and Jim anyway. Tune in to www.necconnect.org and register to view the crowning of our next NEC...

NFPA President Jim Pauley attends Fire Asia 2015 in Hong Kong

President Jim Pauley attending Fire Asia 2015 reception in Hong Kong, China President Jim Pauley is currently attending Fire Asia 2015 in Hong Kong, China. 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. The event 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 disciplines throughout the...

NFPA is hiring a grant writer in Quincy, MA headquarters

NFPA is hiring! We have an open position within our Public Fire Protection division, for a grant writer. The person hired will work out of the Quincy, MA headquarters. Principal responsibilities include: Coordinates and oversees training projects and product development (Requests for Proposals, project schedules, resource allocations, SME curricula, public relations campaign). Identifies, prioritizes, writes and submits grant proposals to apply for government, private, or other related funding opportunities. Responsible for the quality and timely coordination of outreach initiatives, meetings, delivery and dissemination of all training materials and products. Oversees communications activities with outside SMEs, OEMs, vendors and agencies related...

Meet 2015 NEC Challenge Finalist: Jim Walker

Our third finalist in the 2015 NEC Challenge Competition is Jim Walker, our NFPA C&E winner from Sonoma County, Calif. During his time at C&E in Las Vegas this past June, he took a gamble and took on the NEC Challenge at our first stop of 2014, making his way to the top of the leaderboard. He proved that it wasn’t just luck that got him there, however, as he earned a spot in the Championship in the play-in round in December. After spending almost 29 years in the industry, keeping up with the ever-changing code has built Jim’s career...

February 20 is deadline for NFPA's "Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year" award

by NFPA's Lisa Braxton The public education division of NFPA is accepting applications for the Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award, which includes a $1,000 honorarium for the recipient, travel to the NFPA annual conference for an award presentation, and a $1,000 donation to the local fire department to support public education activities. I talked with our current Educator of the Year, Samantha Hoffmann, public fire and life safety officer for Barrie Fire and Emergency Service, Barrie Ontario, about what the award has meant to her. LB: What has happened for you since winning the award? SH:...

Meet 2015 NEC Challenge Finalist: Paul Holum

We are just 3 days from crowning the next NEC Challenge Champion, and it’s time to meet our next finalist, Paul Holum from Elk River, Minn. Paul, who spends most of his time promoting the importance of the NEC as an electrical instructor, earned his spot at the highly competitive NJATC NTI show back in July, beating out dozens of professionals who make their living from knowing and enforcing the code. In fact, Paul came to NTI with redemption on his mind, only just missing out on a championship spot when he played the NEC Challenge there in 2013. Paul...

Registration now open for noteworthy sprinkler summit in Missouri

The Missouri Fire Sprinkler Coalition will host its first Missouri Sprinkler Summit on March 10 in Columbia, Missouri. The daylong program will be beneficial to anyone having a stake in the issue of fire sprinklers in Missouri, and will be especially beneficial at educating fire service personnel on the subject. Summit highlights include: overview of the Missouri Fire Sprinkler Coalition overview of sprinkler standards, including NFPA 13D, Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes the homebuilders' perspective on home fire sprinklers building partnerships and coalitions to promote sprinklers education and advocacy firefighter tactics, firefighter safety,...