National Fire Protection Association Blog

Study correlating firefighter crew size and rescue times highlighted in NFPA Journal

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released findings from a study pinpointing how firefighter crew sizes impact operations and safety in high-rise settings. Highlighted in the latest issue of NFPA Journal, the results shed light on a topic that has gained significant attention following budget cuts, staff shortages, and fire department closures.

The study's aim is to help guide future provisions in NFPA 1710, Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments.

“NFPA 1710 technical committee members have been limited to anecdotal info [on high-rise fires] in the past,” says NFPA regional director Russ Sanders, a technical expert for the NIST study. “I can’t overemphasize how important it is that this scientific information is now available to the committee, which will closely review, consider, and implement these lessons learned into this standard."

Check out this story and others from the In A Flash section of the May/June issue of Journal.

NFPA Journal unveils its subjective list of top education sessions taking place at NFPA's Conference and Expo

The team at NFPA Journal recently combed through the list of more than 150 education sessions occurring at NFPA's Conference & Expo in Chicago. Wittling down a selection this sizable is never an easy task, especially since the topics seem to be as intriguing as in years past.

Always up to the challenge, we've compiled our favorites into a Journal feature. Curious about an NFPA guide getting play in courtrooms across the U.S.? Want the latest information on the intended adoption of NFPA 101^®, Life Safety Code^®, by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services? Interested in discovering how NFPA is safeguarding Hollywood?   

Read our slightly subjective roundup in the May/June issue of Journal, and don't forget to check out the entire list of education sessions taking place in June. 

NFPA Journal explains the new standards-development process

Rest in peace, ROPs and ROCs. Your day is over.In fact, NFPA’s entire standards-development process has been re-engineered to not only take advantage of online technology, but also to make it easier for the public to participate in the process. It will make life a little easier for those who use the codes and standards in their daily activities, too. And to safeguard the integrity of the documents while allowing the easiest possible access, NFPA is addressing important intellectual property and copyright issues related to its codes and standards, as well. For more information on these changes, read my article "Code  Process 2.0" in the latest issue of NFPA Journal. 

NFPA Journal: The 2014 edition of NFPA 25 features an assortment of major changes

Water-based fire protection systems may have an excellent performance record, but regular wear and tear can decrease the reliability of these systems. Provisions addressing this concern are found within NFPA 25, Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance (ITM) of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems. The 2014 edition of the standard effectively expands on these ITM measures, says Matt Klaus, NFPA's senior fire protection engineer, in the latest issue of NFPA Journal.

For instance, the new edition includes ITM provisions for pump-related inspections; fuel supply testing for diesel-driven fire pumps; and an expansion of the standard's scope to include water-mist systems. For Klaus' overview on these and other changes to NFPA 25, read his feature story in the May/June issue of Journal, and watch the following video:

Global retailers take landmark action after deadly Bangladesh building collapse

The New York Times reports that several apparel companies with a stake in Bangladesh's garment industry have agreed to help pay for fire safety and building improvements following the Rana Plaza factory complex collapse last month that killed more than 1,100 people.

Swedish retailer H&M, PVH (parent company of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Izod), and others endorsed a safety plan this week that would develop factory inspections with public accountability as well as mandatory repairs and renovations. "Fire and building safety are extremely important issues for us, and we put a lot of effort and resources within this area," Helena Helmersson, H&M's head of sustainability told the Times. "With this commitment we can influence even more in this issue." More than four million people work in Bangladesh's 5,000 factories, states the article.

Read the full story, and keep abreast of NFPA's international efforts by checking out the latest issue of NFPA Journal.

USA Today article offers dire wildfire predictions

The wildfire season is off to a fortuitously slow start; wildfires have burned an estimated 175,000 acres this year in the U.S., the lowest number to date in a decade, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Experts have attributed this low figure to unusually cool weather patterns in the southeastern U.S., where the season's fires tend to form first.

Other areas of the country might not be as fortunate. A recent article in USA Today predicts that the West could get walloped, as "significant fire potential" is expected in nine states. "We've had above average temperatures and below-average precipitation in the West, a combination that doesn't bode well for a good season," Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack told the newspaper. California could be in particular trouble, since the state has already experienced a substantial increase in fire activity when compared to the average acreage burned for this time of year. 

Molly Mowery, NFPA's program manager for Fire Adapted Communities and International Outreach, tells USA Today that taking preventative measures now could safeguard homes from ruin. NFPA's Firewise Communities Program offers an array of principles that can reduce the risk of wildfire damage.

For more information on these principles, visit the Firewise website.

New CSB video provides an up-close-and-personal look at damage from the recent Texas plant explosion

The Chemical Safety Board (CSB), the federal agency charged with investigating industrial accidents, recently released a video underscoring the damage from the ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, that killed 14 people and injured about 200 others. Narrated by a CSB investigator, the video illustrates the destruction of schools, residences, a nursing home, playgrounds, and other locations.

"The community damage we saw in West was the worst of any chemical accident in the CSB's history," says CSB Managing Director Daniel Horowitz in the video.

Watch the chilling video on CSB's Facebook page, and review NFPA's relevant resources:

• NFPA 400, Hazardous Material Code
  This document applies to the storage, use, and handling of hazardous materials in all occupancies and facilities, including ammonium nitrate solids and liquids. Access this document online for free.
• NFPA 472, Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents
  This document identifies the minimum levels of competence required by responders to emergencies involving hazardous materials/weapons of mass destruction. Access this document online for free.
• NFPA 1620, Pre-Incident Planning
  This document provides criteria for evaluating the protection, construction, and operational features of specific occupancies to develop a pre-incident plan that should be used by responding personnel to manage fires and other emergencies in such occupancies using the available resources. Access this document online for free.

Limo fire that killed five leaves many wondering how many people die in auto fires

Five women were tragically killed Saturday evening in a limousine fire that happened on a bridge above the San Francisco Bay, according to news reports.  The limo passengers were a bride-to-be and her friends out for a bachelorette party to celebrate an upcoming wedding. We have had many people reach out to us today for information on automobile fires. Does this incident leave you wondering about how often automobile fires happen and how many people die because of them?  

NFPA’s Fire Analysis & Research Division tracks vehicle fire statistics and estimates that on average, 17 automobile fires were reported per hour and these fires killed an average of four people every week in 2006-2010.  During the same period, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 152,300 automobile fires per year in 2006-2010. These fires caused an average of 209 civilian deaths, 764 civilian injuries, and $536 million in direct property damage. The top causal factor in automobile fires was “mechanical failure or malfunction” at 45 percent and leading the list for automobile fire deaths was “collision or overturn” at 60 percent.

Do you know what steps you can take to prevent a car fire or what to do if your car is on fire?  Visit www.nfpa.org/vehicles to check out our tip sheet and find out.  

Have you experienced a car fire? 

 

 

Celebrate National EMS Week, May 19-25

National EMS Week kicks off on Sunday, May 19. This week honors the men and women who deliver pre-hospital 9-1-1 emergency medical care throughout the United States. The role of pre-hospital care falls to these fire department-based emergency responders, among them those who serve the dual positions of firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics.

The Fire Service-Based EMS Advocates coalition- Congressional Fire Services Institute, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Fighters, National Fire Protection Association, and National Volunteer Fire Council- recognizes the week as a time to pause and say “thank you” to the entire EMS Community, our nation’s ‘all hazards’ response professionals.

News report discusses the aftermath of a deadly fire in a home built with sustainable materials

A year after a fire that killed a New York police captain, his wife, and two teenaged daughters, code and fire safety officials continue to weigh in on the safety of sustainable building materials that impacted the spread of the blaze.

Investigators determined that the fire at the Carmel, New York, home, which was built with a sustainable type of wood panel, was initiated by the police captain's son, who discarded a cigarette in a mulch bed near the home. A member of the Putnam County Fire Investigation Team told NFPA Journal last year that "the home's [lightweight] construction definitely aided the spread of the fire."

Since the fire, there hasn't been much headway in updating or altering the city's building codes, states a recent article in The Journal News. Experts say that lightweight construction, when combined with other measures, is safe. However, research reports, including one released last year by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, note that fire can compromise this material. "With fires, these types of products are more likely to cause structural failures than traditional lumber," Robert Solomon, NFPA's division manager of Building Fire Protection, tells The Journal News. "It's a concern for homeowners and firefighters."

Solomon said that home fire sprinklers are another safeguard against rapid fire spread in homes built with sustainable materials, but he also notes that "the building lobby has been effective in not making sprinklers mandatory." What has occured in the New York town where the fire occurred is outreach efforts by firefighters to instruct the public on fire prevention and home escape planning.

Read more about the concerns of green building design in NFPA Journal.