NFPA Journal - September/October 2017 - 15

Dispatches
ANTHONY WILKENS joined the fire
service as a volunteer firefighter
when he was just 15. We asked
him what led to his transition from
firefighting to fire protection engineering, and how his firefighting
experience has influenced the work
he wants to do as an engineer.
My father led my transition from the
fire service to fire protection engineering. He was the deputy chief at my
local fire department and even taught
my Fire 1 class. I remember having
a conversation with my dad around
sophomore year of high school when
he asked about my plans beyond high
school. I didn't know what to do but it
had to be related to the fire service. My
dad recognized that I was a decent student, despite banging my head around
on the football field for years, and suggested that I do more than firefighting.
He set a high bar after being involved
with the fire service for 30 years and
taking every chance he could to lend a
hand so I thought, what else can I do?

OUR INTREPID INTERNS

SAFETY ED.

ISTOCK

We asked four of this summer's
NFPA technical interns,BS/MS
candidates in fire protection
engineering at Worcester
Polytechnic Institute, for insight
on careers, NFPA, and more
JENNA TROIO didn't become interested in fire protection engineering
as a career until she took her first
course in the subject at WPI. What
would she say to students who are
on the fence about pursuing FPE?  
My advice to students who are considering FPE is if your dream is to
protect others and make the world
a better place, then fire protection
engineering is a career you should
strongly consider. As an FPE student,
I've had so many experiences that I
never thought I'd have at 21-traveling
for work, attending hands-on training
courses, participating in full-scale fire

testing, and more. I like seeing how
the engineering that I learn in a classroom translates to work that affects the
greater community.
JASON ZHAO has lived on four
different continents. We asked him
how his international experience has
shaped his path toward becoming a
fire protection engineer.
I faced culture shock and language barriers every time I moved to a new place.
Similarly, different countries have
varied levels of technology available in
fire protection engineering and different mindsets towards fire protection.
China, for example, has the world's
largest population, so their occupancy
rule is more strict; on the other hand,
sprinklers and smoke alarm systems
are not a requirement for residential
homes, which scares me because some
of my family still lives there. One of my
childhood friends and his mother died
in a cooking fire. They fell asleep while
the stove was on. If there had been fire
alarms or smoke alarms or sprinklers
in the unit, they would have had a
greater chance surviving.

At NFPA, JOSHUA DONOVAN
assisted with the early stages of
development of NFPA 3000, Preparedness and Response to Active
Shooter/Hostile Events. We were
curious what that work showed him
about the kinds of things he can do
as a safety professional.
I was involved with planning the first
technical committee meeting for NFPA
3000. Gathering approximately 40
safety professionals in one room was
impressive-attendees represented
academia, hospitals, fire, police, EMS,
federal agencies, private security, and
more. The result of the three-day meeting was the formation of three task
groups and over 30 chapter outlines
that are currently being revised.
Being involved in the process showed
me there are dedicated stakeholders ready and willing to tackle new
challenges. It is the goal of safety professionals to maintain safe work and
public environments, and I've seen
how they also have a responsibility to
respond and adapt to new challenges.
It is imperative that stakeholders be
proactive in their pursuit of safety and
work together to build resiliency.
N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2017
