National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 36

Latest NFPA Podcast Highlights Benefits of Using a New Online Tool That Helps Communities Assess their Safety Ecosystem and Address Gaps Before a Disaster Strikes

In early August, Meghan Housewright, the director of the NFPA Fire & Life Policy Institute announced the launch of the new Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem Assessment Tool that is helping users identify gaps in their community’s capacity to support safety and draw on the results to advocate for specific changes that will better protect citizens and property.
The free tool comes on the heels of a...



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NFPA Recognizes Work to Enhance Fire and Life Safety

Each year, NFPA presents awards that pay tribute to outstanding achievements in fire and life safety. Two of those awards are the Harry C. Bigglestone Award and the Research Foundation Medal, given out by the Fire Protection Research Foundation (Foundation), the research affiliate of NFPA.
The Harry C. Bigglestone Award recognizes a paper that appeared in Fire Technology. The chosen contribution...



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A Guide to Fire Alarm Basics – Emergency Control Functions

A fire alarm system is a crucial part of the overall fire protection and life safety strategy of a building. A fire alarm system serves many functions and the differences between the functions can be a bit confusing, so I created a visual guide to fire alarm basics. The objective of this blog series is to discuss some of the major components and functions of a fire alarm system. For an overview...



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RFP now open for FPRF Project: Evaluating Data and Voice Signals in Pathway Survivable Cables for Life Safety Systems

Pathway survivability is the ability of any conductor, optic fiber, radio carrier, or other means for transmitting information to remain operational during fire conditions. Many life safety systems require pathway survivability to ensure the critical messages are transmitted when the seconds count the most. The Fire Protection Research Foundation is looking for a Project Contractor for a Research...



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Share Your Aircraft Hangar Fire Incident Perspective Via This Survey

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, the research affiliate of NFPA. The objective of the survey is to establish an evaluation method that can be used to assess the performance of fire protection systems for aircraft hangars. The project summary for the "Performance Criteria for Aircraft Hangar Fire Protection Systems" study is...



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As Colleges Re-Open, Keep Campus Fire Safety at the Forefront

With the new school year approaching fast, college students are returning to campus, many for the first time in over a year, marking the start of new classes, new friends, and new living spaces. Through their Campus Fire Safety for Students campaign, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and The Center for Campus Fire Safety (CCFS) are working together to ensure living spaces are as...



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Basics of Fire and Smoke Damper Installations

Heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems and other components that support the movement of air throughout buildings are necessary for the day-to-day function of buildings in order to properly heat, cool and (re)distribute air throughout them. Air is distributed in air-conditioning and ventilating systems by ducts and plenums and for the system to reach everywhere it needs to within the...



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5 Ways to Check Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupters to Help Ensure Continued Safety in Homes

If you’re not a follically-challenged individual like me, there's a good chance your hair dryer or curling iron has one time or another quit working while you’re getting ready for work or going out with friends. A quick glance at your electrical panel shows all your fuses or, more commonly, circuit breakers, are intact leaving you puzzled as to what the problem could be. But don't jump online and...



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As Wildfires Burn Across Parts of the US, Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association Endorses Outthink Wildfire, an Initiative Aimed at Significantly Reducing Risk to Communities

The relentless tally of wildfire losses makes it increasingly clear that the U.S. is facing a serious wildfire problem. During the first week of August, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported seven new large fires, bringing the total number of fires currently burning in the U.S. to around 91.
As wildfires continue to seriously affect much of the west, the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs...



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Types of Permissible Vertical Openings

The Life Safety Code, NFPA 101, aims to protect the life safety occupants by minimizing their exposure to fire, smoke, and its effects. One of the ways this is done is through building compartmentation. To limit the spread of fire, smoke, and its effects one of the base requirements of the Life Safety Code is that every floor that separates stories in a building must be constructed as smoke...



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