NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 23

Dispatches

W H O W E A R E & W H AT W E D O

BEYOND FIRE

HOW A SOCIAL MEDIA POST ON A RECENT
SERIES OF MASS SHOOTINGS REVEALED
DECADES-OLD MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT NFPA
By Angelo Verzoni
ver 10 days in July and August, the country

GETT Y IMAGES

endured a series of mass shootings in California, Texas, and Ohio that took the lives of 34
people and injured dozens more.
As is often the case in the aftermath of such
incidents, debate swirled over who or what was to blame,
as well as what to do moving forward. Some observers said
guns were the problem, and made the case for stricter gun
control laws. Others pointed instead to a mix of societal
issues-a lack of mental health care, violence in film, TV, and
video games, and so on.
NFPA entered the conversation on August 6, in the form
of a blog by Jim Pauley, NFPA president and CEO, on the
critical need for communities to prepare for such incidents.
Oddly, the post ignited a furor on social media, especially
Facebook, with some participants accusing NFPA of overreaching. "Might be a good idea to stick to fire protection,"
read one response. "Off topic?" another asked, while yet
another offered, "They were firearms...not actually fire. Let's
stick to what you know."
The responses-posted by people who may or may not
have actually read Pauley's blog-touched on a decades-old
misconception that the National Fire Protection Association
is solely involved in preventing fires. Fire is certainly a major
focus for NFPA; it keeps detailed statistics on fires around

the world, advocates for life-saving, fire-suppressing technologies like home fire sprinklers, organizes the country's
annual Fire Prevention Week, and has created widely known
public-education messages on fire safety, including "Stop,
Drop, and Roll."
But fire is just one The responses-posted
of many safety issues by people who may or
addressed by the
may not have actually read
organization. Despite Pauley's blog-touched on a
its name, NFPA for
decades-old misconception
decades has mainthat NFPA is solely involved
tained an all-hazards in preventing fires.
focus, and has developed codes and standards that address a vast range of fire,
electrical, and life safety hazards. In 2018, the organization
further increased its scope with the release of NFPA 3000™
(PS), Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response
(ASHER) Program, a groundbreaking document on preparing for active shooters and other hostile events
"As the fire service has evolved beyond fire, so have we,"
said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy
at NFPA. "Today's fire service is responding to a myriad of
ordinary and extraordinary events. The information and
knowledge developed by NFPA covers that full spectrum of
fire service experience and is a vital resource in its ability to
meet the complex needs of communities."
Amid the Facebook responses were comments from people
who jumped to the organization's defense. "Amazing how
NFPA's branching out to further advance the protection of
the public rubs people the wrong way. What gives?" one user
wrote. Another said, "[NFPA writes] codes and standards for
life safety procedures under any circumstances, not just fire."
Of those who were peeved by NFPA's post, some appeared
to be angered in their assumption that NFPA 3000 is a document that tells responders, in
NFPA.ORG/
particular police officers, what to
DISPATCHES
do in an active shooter incident.
Read NFPA President Jim
Pauley's blog in response What they got critically wrong,
to three recent mass
though, and what NFPA staffers
shootings in the US.
and other safety experts have
emphasized about NFPA 3000
Read the May/June 2018
NFPA Journal cover story, since its release, is that the docu"Writing History," which
chronicles the creation of ment contains nothing on tactical
NFPA 3000.
response.
"NFPA 3000 is focused solely on
Listen to an NFPA Journal
preparedness," said John Montes,
podcast on the creation
of NFPA 3000.
staff liaison to NFPA 3000. "The
standard focuses on the things that can unite communities
in their preparedness efforts. Tactics are difficult to standardize because they are based on your risk assessment,
resources, capabilities, policies, and training. NFPA 3000 sets
the stage to have those items in place, and each community
can then determine the tactics that work best for them and
put them in place."
N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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