National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) News

With more than 200 countries agreeing to usher in a new class of refrigerants, effective this year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and its research affiliate, the Fire Protection Research Foundation (Research Foundation), have released free online training for the fire service, as well as an instructor-led training module to educate firefighters about the potential hazards associated with new refrigeration and cooling units. Calls for low GWP refrigerants The new accord calls...

Home improvement projects that resist flames and embers. Teaching neighbors about wildfire risks and how to reduce them. Removing flammable debris that could fuel a wildfire. These and other related activities are being actively supported by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm via the National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day campaign.  The seventh annual Wildfire Community Preparedness Day will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2020. Since 2014, community groups...

Nearly one-third (29 percent) of U.S. home fires that begin with Christmas trees occurs in January. With this potential fire hazard in mind, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) strongly encourages everyone to remove Christmas trees from their homes promptly after the holiday season. “Christmas trees are combustible items that become increasingly flammable as they continue to dry out,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s Vice President of Outreach and Advocacy. recycling p...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is accepting nominations for the 2020 James M. Shannon Advocacy Medal, which recognises outstanding advocacy efforts aimed at reducing losses associated with fire, electrical, or other hazards. The advocacy medal honours an individual or group that shares the values of former NFPA President James Shannon. During his 12-year tenure as president, Shannon had an exceptional record of advocacy efforts tied to life safety issues. Under his leadership,...

Dry fire sprinkler systems have been around for a long time and are used to protect unheated warehouses and structures, where freezing temperatures could cause the pipes in a wet pipe sprinkler system to burst. They are also increasingly being used in areas containing sensitive or very expensive contents due to the fears that leaking fire sprinkler pipes could cause. As the use of dry pipe systems has become more widespread, concerns regarding the impact of corrosion common in dry pipe systems...

Green Builder Media and NFPA announce the publication of a new e-book on wildfire mitigation, Enough is Enough. The follow-up to NFPA’s popular 2015 e-book, Design With Fire In Mind: Three Steps to a Safer New Home, Enough is Enough details what needs to be done to help prevent loss of property and lives to fire. Between the publications  of both e-books, wildfires have continued to make headline news across the country, including back-to-back record-setting wildfire seasons in Calif...

In the fire industry, standards across the world are constantly updated and changed. It is Apollo’s duty, as leading fire detection manufacturers, to adapt to these revised standards and develop smart devices that keep people safe from fire, every second of every day. Soteria UL range of detectors In response to the UL 268 7th edition update, Apollo has developed the new Soteria UL range of detectors, culminating in over 30,000 hours in research and development, 186 hours in UL fire labs...

Thanksgiving is a time for friendship, sharing, and busy kitchens. Big Bear Fire Department reminds everyone that crowded kitchens and busy cooks can lead to serious burns and tragic fires. Thanksgiving is one of the leading days of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment. That’s why it’s important to know what users can do to help keep friends and family safe while entertaining for the holidays. Safety Tips To avoid dangerous incidents, the National Fire Protection As...

An article entitled, ‘Brazil Burning’ in the November/December 2019 issue of the NFPA Journal gives examples of the breakdown in what the National Fire Protection Association is now terming the country’s ‘fire and life safety ecosystem’. Recent fire incidents in Brazil In the NFPA Journal article, Angelo Verzoni, of the writing staff at the National Fire Protection Association, lists the September 12, 2019 Badim Hospital fire in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that killed...

Amanda Kimball, an eight-year veteran of the Fire Protection Research Foundation (Research Foundation), was named Executive Director of the independent, non-profit research affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association. She replaces Casey Grant who is retiring in December after 16 years with NFPA, followed by 15 years directing Research Foundation efforts that support the NFPA mission of eliminating loss from fire, electrical and related hazards. Kimball is well-known in research circle...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has received just shy of a million dollars in Fire Prevention and Safety Grant money from FEMA to develop a free public safety drone compliance program that includes educational training and a searchable knowledgebase that tracks fire service drone programs and usage. Fire departments have rapidly expanded the use of drones as more communities have realized the lifesaving impact that aerial technology can have in response to structural fires, wild...

Micro-distilleries are a rapidly emerging industry that is creating a lot of concern among fire safety officials due to the unique fire risks they bring to the communities in which they are located. The potential causes of fire and explosion at a micro-distillery are no different than those associated with a large distillery. However, unlike large distilleries, which are typically located in rural areas, micro-distilleries pose additional safety risks due to their proximity to populated areas an...

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (Research Foundation), the research affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), has received nearly $200,000 in Fire Prevention and Safety Grant money from FEMA to study the Economic and Emotional Impact of an Active Shooter/Hostile Event. The Research Foundation will oversee the two-year project working closely with NFPA and, in particular, the technical committee for NFPA 3000, Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASH...

Across the world, fire and rescue services vary greatly, and each will have their own unique circumstances and challenges to deal with. Firefighters in the USA and Australia are more likely to face wildland fires, whilst in the Middle East, firefighters deal more regularly with transport related fires involving hazardous materials. In many European countries, less than 10% of call-outs are fire related at all, with firefighters much more likely to attend traffic accidents, medical emergencies o...

From engineering solutions to help solve the BP Oil Spill to protecting a museum’s irreplaceable artifacts from fire, Fike’s industrial safety solutions can vary greatly. But what’s consistent in their wide array of capabilities is the personable customer service for which Fike is known. Building an allegiance of happy, loyal customers comes from the relationship they experience through every touchpoint within an organization. And while customer service falls on every person i...

LION is looking forward to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference and Exposition 2019, slated to take place in Chicago, at the McCormick Place West, on October 27th and 28th, 2019. CBRN products on display LION will be exhibiting in Booth #2306 at the IACP Conference 2019, in Chicago, Illinois. They will be showcasing their state-of-the-art CBRN products. The fire safety solutions company stated that they are looking forward to meeting many new visitors of t...

Today’s home fires burn faster than ever, making escape planning all the more critical to home fire safety. Studies show that in the past, people had approximately 17 minutes to escape a typical home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Now they may have as little as two minutes to get out safely. NFPA Fire Prevention Week With these concerns in mind, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced ‘Not Every Hero Wears a Cape, Plan and Practice Your Escape!&rsq...

Fire chiefs endorse position papers on hot work safety, the economic impact of firefighter injuries, suicide prevention, the National Firefighter Registry, data analyst/chief information officer, and the Centre for Homeland Defence and Security Fire chiefs from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States participated in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Urban Fire Forum (UFF) last week at NFPA headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts. NFPA President and CEO Jim Pauley welcomed...

To help provide answers to different stakeholders interested in energy storage system (ESS) technologies, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) releases NFPA 855, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems, the first comprehensive collection of criteria for the fire protection of ESS installations. The standard provides requirements based on the technology used in ESS, the setting where the technology is being installed, the size and separation of ESS installations...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced that after passing technical committee ballot, the NFPA Standards Council issued a Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA), or emergency amendment, to allow for a second type of lock, enabling schools to employ a potentially more cost-effective door locking solution while delivering a higher level of safety to students, staff and visitors. The TIA is aimed at better protecting students and staff against targeted acts of violence. Schools were,...

Between 2013-2018, the distilleries industry has grown more than four percent each year. Much of this growth has been driven by the rise in micro-distilleries, which are now popping up in cities all across the United States. Micro-distilleries are small, often craft-style facilities that produce beverage-grade spirit alcohol in small quantities, usually in single batches. In contrast to large facilities that are typically located in rural areas, these operations – their barrel warehouses,...

As the condition of aging bridges, roadways, transportation resources, and grids across the U.S. has increasingly become the focus of discussion, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has issued Renovations Needs of the U.S. Fire Service, a new report on the fire service’s aging infrastructure. Two key findings within the report show that more than 21,000 firehouses across the country are beyond 40 years of age with total replacement costs estimated to be in the $70-$100 billion...

Mark W. Earley, former National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) chief electrical engineer and NFPA 70, National Electrical Code (NEC) staff liaison, has been presented the Richard G. Biermann National Electrical Code Outstanding Volunteer Award. Earley has worked for NFPA since 1986 and served as staff liaison and secretary to the NEC Correlating Committee from 1989 until his retirement in August 2019. He has co-authored NFPA’s reference book, Electrical Installations in Hazardous Loca...

NFPA and The Center for Campus Fire Safety are partnering up to help ensure those living spaces are as safe as possible through their Campus Fire Safety for Students campaign. The campaign raises awareness about the threat of fire among college students in both on- and off-campus housing, and puts relevant information in the hands of parents, staff, and students, who are encouraged to take proactive measures to protect themselves and their peers against fire. Many of the resources offered are d...

Correctional facilities in California, Iowa, and Pennsylvania are implementing aspirating smoke-detection technology for fire protection. This advanced technology not only provides faster, more sophisticated smoke detection, but eliminates several costly and troublesome operational issues associated with traditional induct smoke detectors. In-duct smoke detectors are prone to accumulate dirt and dust, particularly in inmate housing areas. Because these particles can be mistakenly interpreted as...

Det-Tronics has introduced a new high-speed deluge module (HSDM) for the Det-Tronics Eagle Quantum Premier (EQP) fire and gas safety controller. The HSDM expands the capability of the EQP so it can activate ultra-highspeed suppression systems for high-hazard applications such as, but not limited to, munitions manufacturing. Det-Tronics, a provider of fire- and gas-safety systems, is a part of Carrier, a global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeratio...

E-ONE, a subsidiary of REV Group and a global provider of emergency response vehicles, is proud to announce the new TITAN 4×4 Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle has met or exceeded expectations in all categories of third-party advanced product testing. In accordance with NFPA 414 (Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Fire-Fighting Vehicles), all newly-designed vehicles must undergo a series of (34) prototype tests followed by (13) operational tests for each production unit to val...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed a training bundle to help facility managers, building owners, engineers, designers, and code officials address essential safety and security features in the buildings that they are charged with keeping safe and functional. The Balancing Safety and Security with Fire Doors, Dampers and Door Locking Online Training Series provides an introduction to NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives (2016), and delves into...

The National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (NAFED) recently honored longtime Amerex team member and industry icon, Craig Voelkert, with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Craig exemplified this significant honor through his dedication to progressing the fire suppression industry. His commitment to innovation and industry engagement led to product advancements that are critical elements of life safety. In the early 1990s, Amerex founder Ned Paine discovered Craig at a Nevada fire schoo...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released its annual “U.S. Firefighter Fatalities in the United States” report, which showed a total of 64 U.S. firefighter fatalities while on duty in 2018. This continues a five-year trend of fewer than 70 deaths per year. It is also the eighth time in the last 10 years that fewer than 70 on-duty deaths have occurred; the death toll is half what it was in the first five years that NFPA conducted this study. Of the 64 fatalit...