NFPA Conference & Expo

Google Reader to close down; find out how to keep your NFPA blog RSS feeds coming

Google announced recently that Google Reader is closing down. This popular RSS feed reader will be history on July 1, 2013, which means you’ve got a little more than two months to move your Google Reader subscriptions to a new RSS reader. You don't want to miss out on any of our blog posts in your RSS readers, right?

In the PC World video below, Nick Barber shows you how to migrate your Google Reader subsciptions to a new RSS reader. He uses Takeout, Google’s way of providing your information in a format you can take with you to other programs. He turns his Google Reader subscriptions into a file that can then be used with different RSS readers. 

 

 

Looking for more information about Google Reader’s impending shutdown? You can read about three alternatives to Google Reader here. 

If all of this sounds too complicated but you still don't want to miss out, you can always subscribe to our blog's RSS feeds again, adding them to another RSS feeder directly from our blog. 

Fox 5 Las Vegas reports on NFPA Conference & Expo

Fox 5 Las Vegas coverage of the NFPA C&E 2012 included an interview with Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communications. Watch the clip to see if you or someone you know is in the crowd.

NFPA takes part in the development of a nationwide mass evacuation plan

"You can't go anywhere without hearing the word 'evacuation,'" said education session speaker Ed Plaugher with the International Association Fire Chiefs (IAFC). "Want to know a little secret? There is no such thing as a mandatory evacuation. Laws..can't force you to leave your home."

A range of natural disasters have the ability to devastate communities and prompt such evacuations, but what's apparently lacking are standardized procedures guiding the relocation of people.

Enter NFPA, IAFC, and the National Governors Association, which are working to create an all-hazards, nationwide evacuation model for both emergency workers and residents. During this morning's education session, "Mass Evacuation Planning: Working Toward a Common Framework," NFPA's Ken Willette discussed how this topic impacts aspects of NFPA's mission, including emergency preparedness; emergency responder training and safety; and the built environment. Certain NFPA codes, including NFPA 1600: Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs, already address these areas.

Going forward, NFPA will serve as the lead standards development organization in creating a mass evacuation standard. A request was submitted to NFPA's Standards Council last year on developing such a standard. Willette says the request is still receiving public comment. 

-Fred Durso, Jr.

Fire and life safety experts highlight upgrades to the Statue of Liberty

Implementing new safety features to one of America's most beloved landmarks was the focus of today's education session, "Statue of Liberty: A Fire Risk Analysis." Engineers from Hughes Associates, the consulting firm that developed a series of recommended improvements to the 19th century monument, discussed how they addressed code concerns while maintaining the structure's historical components. The goal is to allow visitors to safely access observation areas at the monument, including a lookout point in Lady Liberty's crown.

One of the safety concerns that Hughes addressed was the statue's non code compliant spiral staircases. Instead of removing the historic steps, the National Park Service (NPS), which maintains the monument, opted to add handrails, guardrails, and protective glass to the existing staircase for added safety--all suggestions from Hughes' analysis. The consulting firm utilized  NFPA 101, Life Safety Code^®, during its initial analysis of potential upgrades. 

The NPS was also able to improve egress routes with minimal impact to the monument's historic fabric. While visitors can ferry over to Liberty Island to see the statue up close and personal, entering the monument is prohibited until all upgrades have been completed. NPS anticipates a grand reopening by the end of the year.

Make sure to read the upcoming feature story on all of the monument's upgrades in the next edition of NFPA Journal.

-Fred Durso, Jr.

Education session highlights potential hazards of lithium-ion batteries

A well attended education session this morning addressed a number of hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries, which are probably powering the smart phone, laptop, or other electronic device on which you’re likely reading this blog post.    

R. Thomas Long with Exponent, the engineering and scientific consulting firm, presented findings from the recent report, Lithium-Ion Batteries Hazard and Use Assessment, commissioned by the Fire Protection Research Foundation. The battery's makeup, noted Long, includes a flammable solvent that aids ion movement during battery charging and discharging. Another cause for concern is the rapid self-heating of a cell which Long referred to as "thermal runaway" that can potentially lead to a fire spreading to other battery cells or the release of flammable vapors.

Additional research already in the works includes full-scale fire tests that aim to identify storage commodity classifications and effective suppression strategies. Firefighter safety issues related to lithium-ion batteries will also be examined. 

Read the NFPA Journal feature story for more information on the Foundation report and partnerships that have formed to address battery hazards.

-Fred Durso, Jr.

Sparky the Fire Dog debuts fire safety song and FPW video at Boys & Girls Club

Sparky made a special visit to the Boys & Girls club in North Las Vegas while in town for the NFPA Conference & Expo. Joined by a team of firefighters from the North Las Vegas Fire Department, the event featured the first public showing of his new Fire Prevention Week video, “Be Rabbit Ready: Know Two Ways Out,”which includes a lively music video. Judy Comoletti, NFPA’s division manager of public education and Sparky answered questions and emphasized important fire safety tips.  The children danced to the music video and sang along before heading outside for show and tell with a fire truck.

Special thanks to the North Las Vegas Fire Department for teaming up with NFPA for this event. 

Eileen

A Hero's Tale: FDNY Deputy Chief Jay Jonas tells his harrowing story of survival on 9/11

The audience at today's Featured Presentation, "9/11: Leadership Before and After the Crisis," heard a moving, moment-by-moment account of how Deputy Chief Jay Jonas with the New York City Fire Department escaped the North Tower on September 11. He was one of only 20 people in the building who survived the collapse.

As if telling the story to one of his friends instead of a crowd of hundreds, Jonas spoke with candor about his team's search-and-rescue tactics in what were the second tallest buildings in the world at the time of the terrorist attacks. "This is what we have, and this was what was in front of us," said Jonas, as images of the two burning buildings flashed on the two large screens next to him. The former captain for Ladder 6 in Chinatown at the time of the attacks, Jonas and his team of five other firefighters were on the 27th floor of the North Tower when the floor started swaying from an earthquake-like rumble. The South Tower had collapsed.

Knowing their precarious situation, the team descended the stairs while passing a number of his comrades tending to victims. "All of them would die," said a somber Jonas. On the 20th floor, they encounted Josephine Harris, a bookeeper who worked in the building and had trouble walking. The team slowly assisted her to the fourth floor, when Harris collapsed. As Jonas looked for a chair or some other item to haul her to the exit, "that's when it started," he said.

"The floor starting moving like it was waves on a lake," he said. "I just dove for the stairway. The collapse created tornado-like winds in the stairway. Then there was the sound of twisting steel. The collapse got louder got closer. Everytime a floor hit another floor, it created these vibrations. I had two thoughts as the collapse got closer: I failed my guys, and I can’t believe I’m going to die right here. Then the collapse stopped."

Jonas called out to all of his comrades. All of them--including Harris--survived. However, 343 of his fellow firefighters lost their lives after the attacks. The presentation ended with a five-minute video memorializing the firefighters who lost their lives that day. Audience members, many of them in tears following the video, gave Jonas a standing ovation.

For more details on Jonas' escape on 9/11 and on fire and life safety improvements since the tragedy, read the story in NFPA Journal. Also, check out the magazine's feature on how NFPA has responded to the event.

-Fred Durso, Jr.

Knocking it out of the ballpark: Education session highlights a campaign successfully utilizing the Toronto Blue Jays and NFPA safety messages

Canadian fire safety advocates discussed how they got the Toronto Blue Jays on board to promote NFPA’s educational messages  throughout the country during today's well attended education session, “Swing into Summer Safety,”

Presenter Arthur Pullan, executive director of the the Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council, discussed how his organization recently resurrected a partnership with the Major League Baseball team and 200 Canadian fire departments to spread the word on fire and life safety through the Swing into Summer Safety Campaign. Specialized baseballs cards featuring NFPA safety tips complemented public service announcements (PSAs) featuring Blue Jays players promoting these tips. Some of the PSAs were shown during the education session.

Another success of the campaign was a Fire Safety Day at Rogers Centre, home of the Bue Jays, that included an appearance by NFPA's Sparky the Fire Dog. "We wanted to make sure we used NFPA's consistent messaging [for this campaign] and Sparky, since he's iconic," says Pullan. Due to the campaign's success, the Blue Jays extended their commitment with this campaign to three years.

Visit the Swing Into Summer Safety Campaign site for more information.

-Fred Durso, Jr.

Latest research underscores a new breed of health hazards for firefighters

"These aren't your grandfather's fires anymore," warns C. Stuart Baxter of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, who underscored the increasing dangers of fires involving synthetic building materials at today's education session "Firefighter Health Hazards in the New Fire Environment."

Baxter's latest research analyzed remnants on firefighter gloves and hoods, particularly "plasticizers" from burned, synthetic material that can be absorbed by the body and are known carcinogens in other animals. The substance is also known as an "endocrine disruptor," which can cause testicular, prostate, and lung cancer.

While Baxter tries to narrow the link between synthetic materials and these diseases in on-duty and retired firefighters, he urges everyone to take precautions. Some simple steps include use of SCBA gear through the entire duration of fire suppression, bathing after fighting a fire, and washing all gear. For more information on code improvements benefiting firefighter health and safety, read the feature in the latest edition of NFPA Journal.

-Fred Durso, Jr.

Panel discusses concerns on unwanted alarms and impacts to NFPA 72

NFPA technical committee chairs convened this morning for “The 2013 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code: Panel Discussion on Proposed Changes,” the first of three panel discussions on key changes to the 2013 edition of NFPA 72.

A hot topic of discussion was the issue of unwanted alarms in commercial buildings and a code change that would allow for a verification of a fire alarm signal before a fire department responded to the scene.The change is the outcome of a series of discussions with fire officials on how the code should handle this growing issue. A Certified Amending Motion (CAM) has been filed on this issue, and will be discussed at this week's Association Technical Meeting.

Other topics addressed during the panel discussion included a "fire risk analysis" to the code, which will also be debated on the floor during the technical meeting, and a new chapter that serves as a placeholder for existing documentation requirements. "All of the forms are a simple, one-page form with add-ons, so you have that basic form for that basic fire alarm system and add-ons for more complicated systems," says Robert Schifiliti, chair of the Technical Correlating Comittee for Signaling Systems for the Protection of Life and Property.

Read about all of the changes to NFPA 72 in the latest edition of NFPA Journal.

-Fred Durso, Jr.