Lights, Camera, Activate! The Truth about How Most Sprinklers Activate
So many movies and TV shows are guilty of highlighting myths that pertain to fire protection systems. I saw one of the most common myths when I recently watched the movie “White House Down” with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx.…
How Can Fire Protection Engineers Help Avoid Costly Mistakes?
If you have ever been involved with the design and construction of new facilities or renovating existing buildings, you are well aware that the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. Or, simply said, things don’t always…
Fire Prevention Tips for Wood Pellet Plants
My last blog discussed the dangers of wood pellet plant facilities and included an overview of several recent incidents. Today, I would like to review a few fire prevention tips for wood pellet plants. The process of…
What Lesson Can We Take From Massive Brazil Sugar Fire?
In October, a massive fire ignited approximately 180,000 tons of sugar and tore through six warehouses at Copersucar, one of Brazil’s, and the world’s, largest sugar operations. The fire was said to have started in a conveyor…
What Can Plant Managers Do to Help Emergency Responders Prevent Combustible Dust Explosions?
By Dale C. Hansen, P.E. Combustible dust explosion risks are one of the current “hot issues” being addressed by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)…
Top Fire Safety Tips for Holiday Decorating
I hope that everyone had a safe & happy Thanksgiving. Often, as we end our Thanksgiving celebrations, our minds start to drift towards Christmas. Decorations are taken out of the attic and put in their place around our…
Keep Fire Safety in the Forefront this Thanksgiving
On Thanksgiving Day, the threat of having a fire in the kitchen TRIPLES! If you think about it, it makes sense. Cooking-related fires have topped the causes of home fires for years and Thanksgiving is arguably the busiest day…
Last week, one of our…Tips for Accessing the NFPA Fire Code Online Even with an Apple Operating System (OS)
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has provided free, read-only access to their fire codes and standards to the public for the past 10 years. The codes are easy to access – and here’s how you can do it: Step 1…
NFPA Releases Dormitory Facility Fire Report
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently released its Structure Fires in Dormitories, Fraternities, Sororities, and Barracks report, which analyzed fires reported in the these facility types in the United States…
Number of US Fires Reported Decreased in 2012
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently released its 2012 US Fire Loss Report, which found that there were 1,375,000 fires reported in the United States in 2012, a slight decrease of 1% from 2011. The report…
Perfomance-Based Design and The Vulcan Initiative
As the performance-based fire protection design approach evolves, a need has surfaced to appropriately link data, tools, and methods in characterizing risk, as well as the need to develop appropriate mitigation. Recently, Rob…
NFPA Conference Review – Design Flexibility in Managing Combustible Dust Explosion Hazards
In June, a few of our fire protection consultants got the chance to attend the NFPA conference in Chicago. We’ve asked that they summarize the key points from some of the sessions they attended so that we can share the…
Recent Industrial Dryer Fire: Top Lesson Learned
Last month, Kentucky firefighters responded to a fire inside a large, industrial dryer at the R.R. Donnelley plant located in Dannville. The dryer is used to dry ink on magazines after they are printed, using extremely hot air.…
NFPA Conference Review – Time Sensitive Reactive and Unstable Chemicals
Our most recent blog posts have focused on key points our fire protection consultants picked up at the NFPA national conference in Chicago this past June. One of our newest consultants, Rob McFeaters, attended a session called…