NFPA Journal - July/August 2013 - (Page 12)

>>in a flash IN BRIEF Fire officials named for Harvard fellowship program Four senior fire officials have received fellowships to participate in the Harvard University Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program. The participants include Joel Baker, deputy chief of the City of Atlanta FireRescue Department; Phil Eagleson, chief of the Saugeen Shores Fire Department in Port Elgin, Ontario; Michael Romas, assistant chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department; and Derrick Sawyer, deputy chief of the City of Philadelphia Fire Department. The NFPA co-sponsored program takes place annually over three weeks each summer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, located at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It aims to equip public officials with the skills and experience needed to become effective public leaders. NFPA’s partners in the program include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Fire Administration, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the International Fire Service Training Association. Research Foundation releases report on lithium-ion batteries Stored quantities of lithium-ion batteries burn similarly to other cartoned commodities, suggesting that existing waterbased suppression systems are viable options for protecting those commodities. That’s one of the findings from a recent study on the combustibility of lithium-ion batteries in bulk storage. The study, sponsored by the Fire Protection Research Foundation in collaboration with commercial and industrial insurer FM Global, was conducted to inform the development of sprinkler protection criteria for the batteries. The first of two test series evaluated the free burn fire growth patterns of three types of common lithium-ion batteries stored in cardboard cartons with an external ignition scenario. The second evaluated the performance of sprinklers in protecting similar commodities. The Foundation’s report, “Li-ion Batteries Hazard and Use Assessment Phase IIB: Flammability Characterization of Li-ion Batteries for Storage Protection,” is available at nfpa.org/ foundation. 12 NFPA JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2013 INTERNATIONAL Global Expansion A conversation with Drew Azzara, NFPA’s new Middle East representative BY FRED DURSO, JR. THE BURJ KHALIFA is the world’s tallest building, towering 2,716 feet (828 meters) over downtown Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The building represents the opulence and vitality of Dubai’s construction boom, which is shared by other cities in the Emirates and throughout the Middle East and is evidenced by a proliferation of construction cranes rising against the desert landscape. With rapid development come fire and life safety issues, and NFPA is expanding its presence throughout the region. In April it hired Drew Azzara as executive director of the Middle East and North African regions to advise the public and private sectors in those areas on adoption of codes and standards. Azzara was former vice president of corporate development for ASTM International and vice president of global services for the International Code Council (ICC), where he furthered ICC efforts in the Middle East and North Africa. Azzara says he plans to bolster NFPA training and assist with code adoption initiatives. He recently spoke with NFPA Journal from his Dubai office about his new responsibilities. How would you describe the construction boom in the Middle East? No more than fifteen years ago, the landscape’s view in Dubai was primarily desert. Today, the city has become symbolic for skyscrapers and high-rise buildings at every turn. The entire region is geared for significant growth. It’s believed that construction and development will continue through 2030. Business conditions are positive here and throughout the Gulf region, and It’s all about relationship building. NFPA’s opportunities to improve fire It’s important for officials to know and life safety are significant. that someone is here in the region, How utilized are NFPA’s codes and and that someone is committed. standards in this region? In a number of jurisdictions, NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems; NFPA 72®, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code; and NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code,® are used, along with other technical documents. What we’d like to do is increase our presence and expand the use of our codes and standards. I’m the boots on the ground tasked with building relationships with both the private and public sectors on a daily basis. I engage them and highlight the value that NFPA offers. What NFPA training is being offered in the Middle East? We’re focusing on NFPA 13, NFPA 72, and NFPA 101. However, we are open to meeting the training challenges and needs of the region. NFPA’s training programs are readily available. This includes the delivery of this information with both language and cultural nuances addressed. There is so much development going on here, and these countries are committed to training their professional personnel in understanding these codes and standards. They would also like a defined career path to certification, something that could credential them and connect them to NFPA from a professional development standpoint. What are your tactics for fulfilling these goals? We have to understand that decision making is different here than in the United States. The common goal of improving safety binds all of the stakeholders. You engage officials on the value of codes and standards and how this can help them increase the safety and efficiency of the building construction industry. If they can arrive at definitive codes and standards and use them consistently, it greatly improves their building regulatory system. Based on my past experience in the Middle East, I’m extremely confident we can move the NFPA agenda forward. It’s all about relationship building. It’s important to have that face-to-face interaction. They know somebody’s here in the region, someone is committed. Photograph: Courtesy of Drew Azzara http://www.nfpa.org/foundation http://www.nfpa.org/foundation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2013

NFPA Journal - July/August 2013
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Loud + Clear
Allied in Safety
Front Burner
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States, 2012
Fire Analysis + Research
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - July/August 2013