Central Regional Manager Russ Sanders presented an update from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in which he described key NFPA goals, gave an overview of the NFPA standards-making process, reported on some recent NFPA fire investigations, and gave an update of some key fire service standards under development. 

Sanders joined the NFPA staff in 1995 after retirement from the Louisville Fire Department in Kentucky. That career spanned 29 years, the last nine as fire chief. As Central Regional Manager Sanders is responsible for promoting the adoption and use of NFPA codes, standards, education programs, and membership in his nine states. He also serves as NFPA’s ambassador to Europe. His other duties at NFPA include serving as executive secretary of the NFPA/IAFC Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section. The Metro Section has 210 members who are fire chiefs from cities or jurisdictions having a minimum staffing strength of 400 fully paid career fire fighters. Sanders’ formal education includes a master of science and a master of education degree. He also is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and Harvard University’s Senior Executive in State and Local Government Program.

Keys NFPA goals described by Sanders included efforts to provide national support for fire-safe cigarette legislation and for more comprehensive legislative support for home fire sprinkler systems. He said that fires from discarded cigarettes cause between 700 and 900 deaths annually. Six states (CA, IL, NH, NY, VT, MA) have already enacted legislation requiring fire-sage cigarettes, and Sanders challenged the Alabama fire chiefs to get involved in this effort locally. Sanders called this issue “our best opportunity since smoke detectors to make a significant difference.” The sprinkler initiative is planned around NFPA 13D: Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes. This is another important issue that takes joint effort. Said Sander to the fire chiefs: “Working together, we can achieve local ordinances and state legislation that will save more lives.” 

Sanders emphasized the open nature of the NFPA standards-making system, noting that because fire service standards impact every Alabama fire chief, all chiefs should become participants in the system. Every individual has a voice, and someone wanting to provide suggestions about the content of NFPA standards does not have to be a member of NFPA. All fire chiefs can influence the standards system because they are developed in a way to prevent domination by any one group. For example, no single special interest group (such as manufacturers of helmets or fire apparatus, can have more than one-third of the memberships on any technical committee. Sanders said the system made it so easy for fire chiefs to have a voice that if anyone fails to speak up about their preferences related to a particular standard’s content, they probably should not complain about the results.

NFPA fire investigations experts publish lessons learned from major fires. Sanders reported on five recent fires investigated by NFPA. One was a commercial building in New Hampshire where the unsprinklered section was completely destroyed and the newer sprinklered section was saved. In Reno an arson fire in a three-story unsprinklered residential hotel claimed 12 lives. Fire in an unsprinklered residential board and care facility in Missouri killed 11, but fire fighters, police, and bystanders helped rescue many of the 31 residents. But there was a different result in a Massachusetts high-rise building. A transformer explosion in the basement killed one electric company worker, and smoke filled the stairwells, but the building had a sprinkler system and no other occupant lives were lost. 

Some significant changes are in the works with some standards that impact the fire service. Sanders brought the fire chiefs up to date about changes to NFPA 101, Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, and NFPA 1021, Fire Officer Professional Qualifications. The most significant changes will be related to hazardous materials. Sanders said that a new standard, to be NFPA 400, will consolidate various NFPA requirements in hazardous materials emergency response. Other new standards discussed by Sanders included NFPA 1005, Professional Qualifications for Marine Fire Fighting for Land-Based Fire Fighters (available in 2007) and NFPA 1026, Professional Qualifications for Incident management Personnel. An existing standard, NFPA 1006, Rescue Technician Professional Qualifications, is undergoing a complete revision and will become available in early 2008. More information about NFPA fire service standards can be found on the NFPA website, at www.nfpa.org.  

Thanks to Russ Sanders for traveling to Alabama and the Fire Chiefs Executive Development Conference. 2/12/07

Article by: Jerry Laughlin
Photo by: AFC Staff