National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s Blog, page 47

Introduction to Seismic Protection for Sprinkler Systems

We rely on a sprinkler system within a building to protect both the building and occupants during a fire. After a building is subject to a seismic event, such as an earthquake, there is an increased possibility for a fire to occur.  For a building that is in an area subject to seismic activity, it is crucial to provide seismic protection to ensure the sprinkler system installed remains capable of...



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Metro Chiefs Re-Names Annual Lifetime Achievement Award After Long-Time Executive Secretary Russ Sanders

The Metropolitan “Metro” Fire Chiefs Association Board of Directors has unanimously voted to rename their annual Lifetime Achievement Award the “Russell E. Sanders Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition of Sanders’ leadership and continuous contributions to Metro Chiefs and the international fire service. Metro Chiefs is a section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and...



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Metro Chiefs Announce Chief of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Honorees

The Metropolitan “Metro” Fire Chiefs Association, a section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) ushered in some changes this year as they considered their two illustrious awards - Fire Chief of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.
For the first time in Metro Chief’s 56-year history, a female officer has been named Fire Chief of the...



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A Better Understanding of NFPA 70E: Why appointing an authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) can be a challenging task

NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® is a safe work practice standard. So, although electrical installation (National Electrical Code®) and maintenance (NFPA 70B) play a role, the procedures necessary to do either are not within the NFPA 70E scope. The required electrical safety program should cover them as well as the NFPA 70E requirements. What users need to know is the...



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Do you think Carbon Monoxide (CO) detection requirements are adequate in your town?

Considering CO is a colorless and odorless gas, CO poisoning has assumed the moniker of the silent killer. When you book your first post-COVID-19 vacation rental, do you know if the hotel you book or home you rent requires CO alarms? The Fire Protection Research Foundation conducted a literature review to summarize existing requirements for installation of CO detection devices and consolidated...



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Strengthening the safety net: a healthy insurance market will help us Outthink Wildfire

A new policy brief by NFPA highlights insurance as a key component required for all of us to collectively Outthink Wildfire™ and eliminate the loss of communities to wildfire in 30 years. NFPA’s recent launch of a bold policy initiative, Outthink Wildfire™, describes five areas we must address to end the wildfire destruction of communities by 2050: making existing homes ignition-resistant;...



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Research Foundation webinar recording on “Holistic Protection Method of Top-Loading Automatic Storage and Retrieval Systems” is now available

The Fire Protection Research Foundation hosted a special webinar on holistic protection method of top-loading automatic storage and retrieval systems (TL-ASRS)” that provide challenges for traditional fire protection systems. The webinar presented FM Global’s recent large-scale testing that evaluated the sprinkler effectiveness and the use of automatic sprinkler protection coupled with manual...



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Room Integrity for Gaseous Fire Suppression Systems

Gaseous fire suppression systems are effective options for protecting valuable assets by extinguishing fires without damaging equipment in the space. In many applications however the best designed system might not be fully effective if the integrity of the room with the protected equipment itself is not adequately considered, provided, or maintained. Here we’ll review how gaseous suppression...



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Arc Flash the Subject of Additional Interview for Faces of Fire/Electrical Hazard Awareness Video Series

In August 2004, Don Johnson, an electrician from Florida, was at work connecting a client’s backup generator for use during an impending hurricane when a failure of his rotation tester or a loose clip shorted out in a 4,000 amp/480-volt switchgear section he was working on, creating an arc flash event that destroyed much of the equipment and blew him against a wall nearly killing him. Johnson...



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Almost three out of five home fire deaths were caused by fires with no working smoke alarms

NFPA recently published its latest edition of Smoke Alarms in US Home Fires. This report and its supporting tables provide the latest information on smoke alarms in home fires reported to local fire departments in the US. 
Smoke alarms were present in three-quarters (74 percent) of the reported home fires in 2014–2018. Almost three out of five home fire deaths were caused by fires in properties...



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