NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 10

Feedback
Irked by 'blatantly political'
coverage in NFPA Journal
To the editor:
I was quite annoyed with the July/
August NFPA Journal, particularly
aspects of the cover story, "Risky Business," by Steven A. Adelman, which
addressed the reopening of assembly
occupancies and certain aspects of
public behavior during the coronavirus
pandemic.
For example, Adelman's article
included the following: "So far, the will
of the people seems to lean heavily
toward willful ignorance. This is hardly
surprising given the actions of many
of our public officials, who refuse to

'NFPA Journal should
remain politically
neutral unless the topic
is a political issue with a
fire-protection impact.'
model healthy practices themselves,
thereby undermining the infection
control guidance from experts such
as the Centers for Disease Control.
In May, for example, the Republican National Committee presented
North Carolina with a proposal for its
national convention, a plan that made
no provision for social distancing or
face covering. Shortly after that state
wisely rejected the proposal, Florida welcomed the event with open
arms. Over subsequent weeks, Florida
became a national hot spot for new
coronavirus infections. Since the learning curve seems especially steep in the
Sunshine State, it appears that the convention will go on anyway."
This statement is blatantly political
and has no place in the NFPA Journal.
This is a technical journal and should
remain politically neutral unless it is
a political issue with a fire-protection

impact. Opinions on opening businesses
and the overall coronavirus impact/
actions/dangers should be left to experts
for which there doesn't appear to be a
consistent reliable source.
At the same time, I commend Jim
Pauley, NFPA president, for avoiding
political advocacy or opinion around
this issue.
RAY NELLA
Global Risk Consultants Corp.
Clark, New Jersey
The editor responds:
While we appreciate the reader's critique of the article, a few clarifications
are necessary. NFPA Journal is a
membership magazine that considers all facets of the work conducted
by NFPA-our coverage extends
well beyond technical matters and
includes, among other things, regular
updates related to the organization's
outreach and advocacy work, including legislative efforts supported by
NFPA and its partners. It is unfortunate and dismaying that much of the
nation's response to the coronavirus
pandemic has in fact become political in nature, and publications like
NFPA Journal would be remiss if they
did not attempt to disentangle political maneuvering from the essential
components of that response. As Mr.
Adelman's article on assembly occupancies points out, there is in fact
an array of challenges faced by these
occupancies that could have significant impacts on fire protection and
life safety. I agree with the reader
that opinions on all such matters are
best left to experts, which is why we
approached Mr. Adelman, a nationally
recognized expert in venue and liveevent safety, to share his insights and
predictions.
Finally, we have one update to a
"Risky Business" prediction made by
Mr. Adelman. In late July, President

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Email your letters to editor@nfpa.org, or mail them to Editor,

NFPA Journal, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts, 02169. Please include your title,
company or organization affiliation, and where you're based. NFPA Journal reserves the right to
edit letters and comments for content and length.

Trump cancelled the Republican
National Convention, slated for
August in Jacksonville, Florida, citing
the state's coronavirus "flare-up." A
virtual convention was held instead.

Kudos on testing and verification
of emergency lighting
To the editor:
Thanks to Shawn Mahoney for
reminding us that the emergency
lighting needs to be tested and illumination of exit markings and signs
needs to be verified when reopening
buildings during the pandemic ["In
Compliance," July/August].
This equipment is critical whenever
a building loses power and there is a
need for evacuation. Although many
building owners and fire inspectors
will push the test button to see that
the lights come on, some of them don't
realize that the monthly 30-second test
only tells us that the unit is functional
and the bulbs have not burned out.
The In Compliance article emphasizes the importance of the annual
90-minute test to verify the capacity of
the batteries to support illumination
of the emergency lighting for the full
duration of the test. Typically, technicians who perform the testing are not
only trained on the methods of testing
mentioned in the article, but they
also carry replacement parts in their
service vehicles, including bulbs and
batteries to match the installed equipment. Having the know-how and the
replacements immediately available
ensures the equipment is returned to
service quickly and safety is restored.
From a safety standpoint, Shawn correctly points out that building owners
and facility managers should make sure
that all required inspection, testing,
and maintenance on emergency lighting and exit signs is up to date upon
reopening. Additionally, they should
schedule their next 90-minute annual
test and make sure it is completed
within 12 months.
Checking the current records and
scheduling the next annual 90-minute
battery-load test will help ensure the

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NFPA Journal - November/December 2020

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