National Fire Protection Association Blog

One year after fatal Carmel fire, no change in NY building codes

One year ago today, four members of the Sullivan family were killed during a fast spreading fire in their home in Carmel, NY. The blaze killed Larchmont Police Capt. Thomas Sullivan, his wife and their two teenage daughters. The lone survivor of the blaze was Tommy Sullivan Jr. His dad led him to safety before perishing in the fire trying to rescue the rest of his family. What was left of the home has been demolished and an empty lot remains as a reminder of this tragedy. Read the full post on NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative blog.

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.

Tom Lia named recipient of Fire Sprinkler Initiative's first Home Fire Sprinkler Champion Award

Tom Lia, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board, has been named the recipient of the Fire Sprinkler Initiative’s first Home Fire Sprinkler Champion Award. The award, which was given at the Bringing Safety Home Sprinkler Summit on Monday, April 15, commends Lia for his dedication to increasing the presence of sprinklers in residences.

“Tom is a terrific example of what this effort is – passionate, driven individuals working all across the country to save lives and property from fire with the proven, effective technology of fire sprinklers,” said NFPA President Jim Shannon. “As a result of his leadership, hard work and dedication, more than 80 communities in Illinois have adopted NFPA 13D single-family home fire sprinkler ordinances.”

Lia has participated in more than 325 side-by-side fire sprinkler demonstrations. His model served as the basis for the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition’s Fire and Sprinkler Burn Demonstration kit. As a result of Lia’s commitment to the fire sprinkler cause, thousands of fire departments around the country have implemented this tool in their own communities.

Read more about Tom and this award in the full press release. Congratulations Tom! 

Home fire sprinkler advocates gather in Chicago for NFPA summit

Fire service representatives and other safety advocates from across the United States have gathered in Chicago for a one-day home fire sprinkler summit. The event, sponsored by NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Initiative, has brought together more than 100 attendees to network, share best practices, and learn more about efforts and strategies to require the installation of fire sprinklers in all new one- and two-family homes.

Before dinner, attendees got a chance to meet each other at a reception. 

Mario Orangio of Massachusetts, NFPA President Jim Shannon, and Massachusetts State Representative Ruth Balser.

Dawn Bellis and Rusty Todd from Kentucky. 

NFPA Northwest Regional Manager Gary Honold, Jeff LaFlam and Greg Rogers of Washington.

John Hoffman of New Jersey, Tim Behlings of South Dakota, and Rich Broderick of South Dakota

Jim Yates of New Jersey, James Large of Florida, and Jack Glenn of Florida.

Ed Paulk of Alabama, AJ Martin of Alabama, NFPA Southern Regional Manager Randy Safer, and VJ Bella of Louisiana.

NFPA Western Regional Manager Ray Bizal and Casey Vorwaller of Utah.

Gregg Cleveland of Wisconsin and Bob Tinucci of Illinois.

NFPA’s Maria Figueroa and Bill Kirkpatrick of California.

Tom Lia and Bob Tinucci of Illinois, NFPA President Jim Shannon, and George Michehl of Illinois.

Marc Veilleux and Rich McCarthy of Maine, and Luke Stemmer of Minnesota.

Faces of Fire: Volunteer firefighter Shane Daughetee died in fire at a home built with engineered wood

On January 26, 2007, Jim and Linda Daughetee experienced a parent’s worst nightmare when their only son Shane, a 24-year-old volunteer fire fighter, died at a home structure fire after falling through the floor which was supported by engineered wooden I-beams.

Without warning, the floor collapsed sending him into the basement. Crews attempted to rescue him from the fully involved basement, but a subsequent collapse of the main floor ceased further rescue efforts.

“Shane’s passion for firefighting and helping others still lives on. His death has shown that we must push to see that homes are built to protect the lives of residents and firefighters. We will continue to educate others for the need of home sprinklers,” said his father Jim Daughetee.

Lieutenant Eliott Mahaffey was within an arm’s distance of Shane providing back-up while he knelt in the doorway. Mahaffey suffered burns attempting to rescue his fellow firefighter. “There’s no telling how much more good he could have done in this world had we only been able to get him out in time,” said Mahaffey.

Read the April issue of NFPA News, our free codes and standards newsletter

The April issue of NFPA News, our codes and standards newsletter, is now available.

In this issue:

• Comments sought on proposed TIA to NFPA 70, National Electrical Code®
• Errata issued on NFPA 70 Report on Comments and NFPA 1962
• TIAs issued on NFPA 58, 59A, NFPA 1917, NFPA 1971, and NFPA 2112 
• Comments sought on proposed new standard for the application of hybrid, gas, and fine water droplet systems
• NFPA 32 seeking additional expertise in the Textile and Garment Care Processes Industry
• Standards Forum and Committee Leadership Conference at 2013 NFPA Conference & Expo
• Standards Council minutes available from March 2013 meeting
• Free access to NFPA codes and standards
• Committees soliciting Public Input (formerly Proposals)
• Committees seeking members
• Committee meetings calendar 

NFPA News is a free newsletter, and includes special announcements, notification of public input and comment closing dates, requests for comments, notices on the availability of Standards Council minutes, and other important news about NFPA’s code and standards making process.

Free subscription
Sign-in on NFPA’s web site and then select “NFPA News” from your e-mail options.

Eight charged in deadly Brazil nightclub fire; NFPA re-affirms commitment to help prevent similar tragedies

According to an Associated Press report in USA TODAY, eight people have been charged in connection with the deadly nightclub fire in southern Brazil that killed 241 people on January 27.

That fire ripped through the crowded Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, filling the air with flames and thick, toxic smoke. Officials say that the band performing at the club lit a flare that ignited flammable soundproofing foam on the ceiling, releasing a deadly combination of cyanide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, an event eerily similar to the Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island in 2003 that killed 100 people.

"Since the Station fire, similar events have occurred all over the world," says NFPA President Jim Shannon. "In 2009, an indoor pyrotechnics display started a fire in a nightclub in Bangkok, Thailand, that killed more than 60 people and injured scores. That same year, more than 150 died when pyrotechnics sparked a fire in a club in Perm, Russia. In 2004, a patron shot a flare in the Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing almost 200. The same questions were asked after each event: How could this happen? How can we make sure it never happens again?"

See a list of the 10 deadliest nightclub fires in the world.

In the latest issue of NFPA Journal, Mr. Shannon explains how technology is making it easier for NFPA to reach people in every corner of the world -- and how events like the Kiss nightclub tragedy make us all work even harder to prevent simliar tragedies.

NFPA Journal talks about the Fire Sprinkler Initiative

In the late 1970s, about 6,000 people died in home fires each year, says  Lorraine Carli in her column "Getting There" in the most recent issue of NFPA Journal. Today, that number had drooped to around 2,600. That's quite a milestone, but there is more to be done.

One way NFPA is trying to reduce that number even further is by promoting sprinkler installation in all new one- and two-family homes through the “Fire Sprinkler Initiative: Bringing Safety Home” project, launched in 2009, and the Faces of Fire inititative, launched in 2010. For more information on these two important endeavors, read Lorraine's column on line or on page 36 of the March/April issue of NFPA Journal.

NFPA Journal looks at sprinklers and high-volume low-speed fans

How do high-volume low-speed (HVLS) fans affect the placement of sprinklers in buildings such as warehouses and other large, open spaces? According to Matt Klaus in his column "Heads Up" in the most recent issue of NFPA Journal, NFPA’s Technical Committee for Sprinkler System Discharge Criteria first discused he impact of HVLS fans before the publication of the 2010 edition of NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems. Because the committee had no data on the subject, however, the published standard included no design requirements. 

The following year, the Fire Protection Research Foundation stepped up to find some answers, setting up a project to study the effects of HVLS fans on sprinkler performance in full-scale testing scenarios. The findings of the study were presented to the discharge committee, which used the information to develop a new set of design rules pertaining to this equipment for the 2013 edition of NFPA 13.

For more, turn to page 28 in your March/April issue of NFPA Journal or read Matt's column on line.

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.