NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 66

Robert Solomon, division manager of Building Fire
Protection at NFPA, on Florida Governor Rick Scott's
emergency action requiring all nursing homes and
assisted living facilities to have an emergency power
plan in the wake of 12 deaths in a Hollywood, Florida,
nursing home after Hurricane Irma:
Most striking, perhaps, is the directive that the rule
be implemented by facilities within 60 days. This fasttrack schedule and deadline will require an immense
coordination
between the
design community, facility
operators,
manufacturers
of generator
equipment, and
the contracting
companies who
will ultimately be
responsible for
the installation.
With an
estimated 680
nursing homes
and 3,100
assisted living
facilities in the
state, Governor Scott's 60-day proposal is certain to
challenge inspection and enforcement authorities, as
well as nursing home administrators who may still be
recovering from the hurricane. NFPA offers a range
of resources that can be used to assist in this effort,
predominantly involving NFPA 110, Emergency and
Standby Power Systems.

Read full
versions of
these posts
and many
others from
technical
staff at NFPA
Xchange,
online at
nfpa.org/
community

NFPA engineer Kristin Bigda on the dangers of portable generators in the wake of Irma, from her "Fire
Code Friday" blog:
Each year, many people are killed or injured by carbon
monoxide due to improper placement and use of
portable generators. This was the case after Hurricane Irma, when a running generator was reportedly
the likely cause of death of three family members in
Orange County, Florida.
NFPA 1, Fire Code, contains requirements for
portable generators in Section 11.7.2, addressing use,
location, and fueling. Among other things, the code
includes the following requirements for portable
generators:
»
Portable generators must never be run or fueled
indoors (or on balconies or on roofs) unless the
room has the proper fire protection and ventilation
required in the building code.
» Fueling from a container is permitted only when the
engine is shut down.
» The exhaust of the generator must be directed at
least five feet in any direction away from any openings or air intakes and also away from the building.

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» Wiring should never be directly tied into the distribution panel, where it could potentially feed back into
the electrical distribution system, endangering electrical company workers who are restoring power. A
properly installed transfer switch should be provided.
NFPA also offers a generator safety tip sheet and other
resources.
Ed Conlin, manager of NFPA's Public Fire Division, on
a possible new NFPA standard for firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) contaminant control:
Health risks associated with PPE contaminant exposure
are some of the most pressing concerns within the fire
service. A number of organizations, including the Fire
Protection Research Foundation, have been working
to identify methods for adequately cleaning firefighter
gear to mitigate those risks, and we now have some answers. The next step is to figure out how to best deliver
those requirements, guidelines, and recommendations
in our codes and standards. The NFPA Standards Council has received a new project initiation request from
the fire service asking NFPA to consider developing
minimum requirements for effective PPE contamination
control. Two options are currently on the table: NFPA
can develop an all-new contamination control standard,
which identifies best practices for cleaning PPE, as well
as how gear should be handled after possible exposure
to contaminants; alternatively, the information could be
rolled into our existing standard, NFPA 1581, Fire Department Infection Control Program.
To make the decision that best reflects the fire service's
needs and preferences, we need to hear from you. Tell us
what you think by providing your feedback through our
technical process. Visit nfpa.org/newprojects.
Khela Thorne, a project manager at NFPA, on the
difference between code books and handbooks:
While NFPA codes and standards provide the requirements, the handbooks take a deeper dive to understand the reasoning behind those requirements.
More than 300 NFPA codes and standards impact
almost every building, process, service, design, and
system installation. They are regularly updated to
reflect changing industry needs and evolving technologies, supported by research and development, and
practical experience.
The handbooks provide users with answers to the
how and why questions surrounding the requirements
that might not be easily found in the standard itself.
The commentary and explanatory features in the
handbooks give users the perspective of the technical
committee and allow them to feel like they were in
the committee meetings listening to the experts who
develop the requirements. Gaining this understanding
and perspective can provide users with the tools they
need to do their jobs and help give them a competitive
edge to more efficiently and cost-effectively navigate
the aspects of their jobs that are impacted by these
requirements.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2017