National Fire Protection Association Blog

Journey with Flat Sparky

Everyone once in a while, most of us roam beyond the confines of our homes and offices and out into the world. NFPA's mascot, Sparky the Fire Dog is asking you to bring him along with Flat Sparky. These paper cutouts can be colored in, photographed and posted at Sparky's Facebook or Twitter (@Sparky_Fire_Dog), or by tagging NFPA on Pinterest. Bring Sparky with you to show off your favorite restaurants, parks, bookstores, modern art installations or just a great view.

  

Download, cut out, color in, and wander freely with Sparky by clicking here. Happy travels!

"Be Rabbit Ready" wins a 2013 Remi Award

NFPA’s fire safety video, “Be Rabbit Ready: Have Two Ways Out!” has won a 2013 Bronze Remi Award from the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival. The video competed in the Safety/ First Aid category.

Included in the DVD are Sparky the Fire Dog’s various efforts to encourage fire safety in kids. A list of things that rabbits are truly terrible at is contrasted with their consistent two ways out. Conversations with kids on the street and a music video round out this silly and serious 10-minute film. A young girl even breaks out her family’s fire escape plan on her iPad.

Enjoy the clip from the video below.

 

NFPA Journal addresses interior finish requirements of Life Safety Code

As was the case in The Station nightclub fire 10 years ago in Rhode Island, combustible insulating foam appears to have been a major factor in how the Kiss nightclub fire in Brazil began and spread, says Chip Carson in his column "Finish Issues" in the most recent issue of NFPA Journal. Because textiles placed on walls and ceilings can burn very quickly, NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, includes a number of requirements for interior finish materials. For a closer look at these requirements, including those that address cellular and foamed plastic, go to page 32 of the March/April issue of NFPA Journal or read Chip's column online.

Case studies of fires from NFPA Journal

A two-story office building, which had no fire alarms or sprinklers, was heavily damaged by a fire that began in a concealed roof void and spread undetected until it was discovered by a passerby at 5:31 a.m. Firefighters arriving five minutes later found low-hanging smoke covering the roadway near the building. During the fire officer’s initial size-up, he reported smoke coming from the roof and visible through the glass on the second floor. Using a thermal imaging camera, he also noted significant heat build-up near the ceiling and roof.

Crews advanced a hose line up a stairwell to the second floor, where they encountered heavy smoke and saw an orange glow near the floor. A quick blast of water knocked the fire down, but visibility dropped sharply as the smoke increased. When firefighters heard what sounded like a collapsing roof, they retreated and called for ventilation.

Using a positive-pressure fan to clear away the smoke, firefighters laid additional hose lines and pulled down the ceiling in an attempt to locate the seat of the fire. As they moved toward a corner of the building, they found fire at the ceiling. A glued, laminated ceiling beam had partially collapsed, and fire consumed an office. Firefighters’ attempts to knock the office fire down were unsuccessful.

Crews had just changed their air cylinders and returned to the building with larger hose lines when the incident commander ordered everyone from the building. Once everyone was accounted for, the commander ordered all hose lines to be positioned defensively. By the time the fire was finally brought under control several hours later, nearly the entire roof had burned off or collapsed into the second floor. Portions of the second floor also collapsed into the first floor.

Investigators discovered that the fire began in the ceiling above an office, but they couldn’t determine the cause of the fire due to the extent of damage. The building, valued at $2 million, and its contents, valued at $750,000, were destroyed. 

For more such incidents, read "Firewatch" in the most recent issue of NFPA Journal.

NFPA has revised and updated its preschool program, Learn Not to Burn

We've recently updated our Learn Not to Burn (LNTB) preschool program, which teaches young children about fire safety.

Updates to LNTB feature revised teacher lesson plans and parent/caregiver home link activities. Also, the program’s songs, which were originally recorded by Jim Post, now include singer and musician, Dante Ware, who’s joined Jim in singing and performing many of the songs.

For more than 40 years, LNTB has introduced the basics of fire safety to children, with a focus on positive, empowering messages. Those core elements will remain the same.

Because children ages five and under are among those at greatest risk to fire, it’s critical to teach them how to identify risks and protect themselves. Kids are also wonderful ambassadors of information and do a great job of bringing home the fire safety messages they’ve learned, which can make a significant impact on entire households.

Primarily taught in schools, LNTB’s program lessons are most appropriate for four- and five-year-olds, but can be used for Kindergarten children, too.

Released one at a time, the updated LNTB lesson plans and songs will be free to download on NFPA’s website. For more information about LNTB and other public safety initiatives, visit www.nfpa.org/education.

Keep safety tips in mind when using candles during religious holidays

Hanukkah begins today! 

This weekend in many households across the world, families will gather to celebrate this holiday and relive some traditions.
Candles are frequently used in religious services, in places of worship, and in the home. Whether you are using one candle, or more than one on a candelabra, kinara, or on a menorah, you should keep in mind some simple safety tips to keep you and your family safe.   

December is the peak time of year for home candle fires. On average, a candle fire in the home is reported to a U.S. fire department every 40 minutes. More than half of all candle fires start when things that can burn are too close to the candle. NFPA suggests the following religious candle safety
tips:

• Handheld candles should not be passed from one person to another at any time
• Candles should be placed in a sturdy candle holder
• If a candle must burn continuously, be sure is enclosed in a glass container and placed in a sink, on a metal tray, or in a deep basin filled with water
• Candles should be out of the reach of children and pets

We wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season!

For more information and safety tips, visit www.nfpa.org/education.

NFPA, CPSC and Maryland State Fire Marshal warn against holiday fire risks with live burn demonstration

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum and NFPA's Greg Cade

NFPA, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Maryland’s Office of the State Fire Marshal recently teamed up to bring needed attention to fire risks that frequently go hand-in-hand with holiday decorating. Greg Cade, NFPA’s director of Government Affairs participated in an event this week at CPSC’s new National Product Testing and Evaluation Center in Rockville, MD that included live burn demonstrations to underscore the importance of being aware of fire risks and taking action to avoid them.

“Christmas and the days around it are typically some of the top days for home fires," said Cade, "With an increased fire risk around winter holidays, following safety tips at this time of year is especially important to prevent fires."

 

The demonstration showed how quickly a dried-out Christmas tree goes up in flames. Christmas tree fires don’t happen often, but when they do the consequences are usually very serious, according to NFPA.

“Make sure you water your Christmas tree frequently, use holiday lights that are tested and certified and safe and not damaged, use candles carefully, and do not put a frozen turkey into a deep fryer,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “We want consumers to avoid fires and injuries by adding “safety” to their holiday checklist.”

Take NFPA's holiday quiz to test your fire-safety knowledge.  Interested in spreading the word to help your community stay fire-safe this season?  Look to NFPA's "Project Holiday" online toolkit for easy-to-use resources. 

Cocoanut Grove: A resource for everyone

A fire broke out in Boston’s very popular Cocoanut Grove nightclub on November 28, 1942, killing 492 people, sending 166 to Boston-area hospitals and impacting countless others. This is the deadliest known nightclub fire in the world.

The Cocoanut Grove Coalition is taking it upon itself to help bring forward as much information about the fire as possible. While quite a bit about the fire is known (e.g. Victims, Emergency Response), there are still many mysteries that surround the fire, such as the true cause of ignition, and what actually caused the fast flame spread during the fire.

While the Coalition is not taking on the role of trying to solve these mysteries, it is hoping to facilitate the access and exposure of as much information about the fire as possible so that new discoveries can be made. The hope is that the website set up by the Coalition is a resource that researchers, students, historians, or even those that are curious about the fire can find the depth and breadth of information that they are looking for.

In addition to the facts, the Cocoanut Grove fire was an extremely emotional event that impacted the lives of people well beyond the official lists. The impacts of the Cocoanut Grove fire cannot only be measured through official lists, reports, and investigations; the influence that it had on the lives of responders, survivors, and their families is just as important to document. Because of that, it is the hope of the Coalition to collect as many stories about the fire as possible.

With this collection of facts and information about the fire, combined with the emotional and personal stories of individuals impacted by the fire, the Coalition is hoping to have a comprehensive resource about the Cocoanut Grove fire.

Watch for Sparky at the Hero Dog Awards event on Hallmark

Be sure to tune in to the Hallmark Channel on Thursday, November 8 at 8:00 pm (EST) for the American Humane Association's "Hero Dog Awards" ceremony. This was the star-studded event in Beverly Hills where NFPA's mascot, Sparky the Fire Dog®, served as official "spokesdog". Sparky even got to walk the red carpet and have a little one-on-one time with Betty White!

Sparky the Fire Dog steps out with friends in New York City for AdWeek

Surrounded by a cast of characters on the steps of the New York Public Library, Sparky the Fire Dog® stepped out in true fire-safety style in New York City.  In town to kick-off Advertising Week and the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame, Sparky and his fellow icons immediately caught the attention of passersby, many of whom jumped up on the steps for a unique photo opportunity with this unsual bunch.  The characters mingled with the crowd before joining a private event inside where the favorite icon for 2012, selected by public vote, was announced.  “Flo” from Progressive was selected as this year’s winner. 

Do you recognize all the members of this star-studded group?