FLSS News & Action Items
Chief Timothy Solobay receives 1st Bringing Safety Home Award
Aug. 23... Chief Timothy Solobay of the Cannonsburg (Pa.) Volunteer Fire Department will be the first recipient of the Bringing Safety Home Award. The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Fire Sprinkler Initiative have joined forces to recognize the efforts of fire chiefs who use HFSC’s educational materials and the resources of the Fire Sprinkler Initiative to ensure that decision makers have accurate information as new or updated residential fire sprinkler codes are considered. Representatives of HFSC and NFPA will present the award to Chief Solobay during the Fire & Life Safety Section Meeting at Fire Rescue International in Chicago Friday, August 27, 2–4 pm in room S102A. Please come and honor Chief Solobay for his work on behalf of residential fire sprinklers.
NY Fire Administrator Earns 2010 Excellence in Fire & Life Safety Award
Aug. 16... New York Deputy State Fire Administrator John Mueller has been named the recipient of the 2010 Excellence in Fire & Life Safety Award sponsored by the International Code Council (ICC) and the FLSS. The award honors those who have dedicated themselves to saving lives and property through the development of codes, fire-prevention practices and leadership techniques. The award will be presented to Mr. Mueller during the FLSS Section Meeting at Fire-Rescue International on Friday, August 27, 2–4 pm in room S102A. Please come and honor Mr. Mueller for his life-saving work.
IAFC Members Appointed to NFPA 1124 - Fireworks and Pyrotechnics
July 20... Fire Marshal Christopher J. Weir, EFO of Port Orange (Fla.) Fire-Rescue and Fire Marshal Albert M. Comly, Jr. of the Lower Gwynedd (Pa.) Township, both Fire & Life Safety Section members, have been appointed by President Jeff Johnson to represent the IAFC as the Principal and Alternate Representatives, respectively, to the NFPA 1124 Committee. Congratulations to them both!
NFPA Issues Warning on Antifreeze in Residential Fire Sprinklers
July 10... The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has issued a safety alert recommending that residential fire sprinkler systems containing antifreeze should be drained and the antifreeze replaced with water. The alert follows a research study and an initial set of fire tests conducted after a fire incident raised concerns. The incident involved a grease fire in a kitchen where a sprinkler with a high concentration of antifreeze deployed. The fire resulted in a single fatality and serious injury to another person. Read details on the NFPA website.
FLSS Section Sponsoring Educational Sessions at FRI
June 18... The Section is pleased to sponsor six educational sessions (pdf) at FRI 2010. All of these sessions focus on our mission of fire prevention, community risk reduction and public education. Please join us and add to your knowledge!
Firefighter Safety and Lightweight Construction
June 1... The IAFC and FLSS agree that buildings incorporating lightweight construction are likely to present a severe hazard to firefighter safety if a fire involves or compromises the integrity of the lightweight structural elements. To read more on this topic, access the Position Paper on Firefighter Safety and Lightweight Construction (pdf) recently adopted by the IAFC board of directors.
Home Rule Code Adoption Authority for Fire and Life Safety Issues
June 1... The IAFC and FLSS strongly believe that fire prevention is best delivered by local officials using national model building codes with assistance from state and federal government. We don’t favor restrictions that would limit available resources for public safety. We also believe local officials should have the authority to exceed statewide minimum building and fire codes. Amendments to model codes can have an impact on a community’s ISO Fire Protection Grading and Building Code Effectiveness Grading Ratings, and reduced ratings can result in increased insurance costs to the public.
To read more on this topic, access the Position Paper on Home Rule Code Adoption Authority for Fire and Life Safety (pdf) recently adopted by the IAFC board of directors.
FLSS Meeting and Board Election
May 14... Please plan to meet us at Fire-Rescue International in Chicago’s McCormick Place (room S102A) on Friday, May 27 from 2-4pm for our annual section meeting and election for the FLSS Board of Directors
Flammable Glue Used in Modular Home Construction
May 7... In mid-April 2010, the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards voted to change the building code to require mechanical fasteners when polyurethane foam structural adhesive is used in ceiling assemblies in modular homes. The State argued that the ATSM standard embraced by codes and used by the industry to support the use of the glue as the sole means of affixing ceilings did not incorporate fire or heat based testing. Without knowing the rate of heat transfer through the gypsum board - and knowing that the glue decomposes at 250 degrees C - mechanical fasteners are needed to ensure that early failure does not occur. The concern was recognized as valid and Massachusetts code developers have now changed the code and placed the burden of proof on the industry. For more details, read a recent article on this subject which ran in the Boston area.
Congratulations to IAFC/FLSS members for Appointments to NFPA 1 and NFPA 72
Mar. 19... We're pleased to announce the selection of Fire Marshal Robert J. Davidson, Ret. from Easley, S.C. to serve as the Alternate IAFC Representative to the NFPA 1 Committee: Fire Code. Fire Marshal Davidson will provide backup to Jim Budzinski, Chief of Tamarac (Fla.) Fire Rescue, who serves as our Principal to the committee. In addition, Deputy Fire Marshal David F. Klein of the Las Vegas Fire Rescue has been selected as the IAFC’s new Principal Representative and District Chief Earl Valois of the New Orleans Fire Department has been selected to serve as the IAFC’s Alternate Representative to the NFPA 72 Committee: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
Congratulations to these three individuals for volunteering their time and expertise; bringing a fire service perspective is crucial to the mission of these committees.
Go to archived news on the Fire Prevention Resources page.
Contacts
Section Chair
Deputy Chief Joe Pierce
Dallas (TX) Fire Rescue
214-670-4312
joe.pierce@dallascityhall.com
IAFC Staff Liaison
Joelle M. Fishkin, Section Manager
703-537-4843
jfishkin@iafc.org
Board roster (pdf) |
