NFPA Journal - Spring 2022 - 40

Research
Driven
2007
FPRF begins offering a
research advisory services program,
which works to actively
support universities and other
academic institutions conducting
fire-safety research
consistent with NFPA's mission.
The program provides guidance,
input, and resources on
fire-safety issues including fire
loss, emergency response, the
fire service, disaster resiliency,
fire data, smart firefighting,
sustainability, electrical hazards,
and more.
2008
The Foundation
receives a $6
million endowment
from
NFPA, providing
long-term stability
for the FPRF
and supporting
its efforts
to conduct
independent
research.
2010
Property Insurance Research Group
is founded as the FPRF's first paid
research consortium. The group
was formed to provide an industry
forum to address relevant fire protection
issues, identify research
needs and recommend research
projects, and provide financial support
for research through member
contributions. Two more paid
research consortiums have been
added since: the Facilities Research
Consortium, founded in 2017, and
the Energy Storage Research Consortium,
launched in 2021.
In 2008, NFPA established a $6 million
endowment for the Foundation,
which provides a stable way to fund
a portion of the operating expenses
and ensures that the Foundation can
continue to conduct independent and
credible research. The remainder of the
operating expenses for the Foundation
come in the form of management fees
from industry consortia-funded projects,
direct labor rates for grant-funded
projects, fees for Foundation symposia,
sponsorship of webinars, and occasional
projects that the Foundation staff
directly conducts. NFPA itself is also a
sponsor of the Research Fund initiative
as well as other research projects that
are of interest to the association.
Three years after its $6 million
moment, I arrived at the Foundation as a
project manager. My path to the research
world hadn't exactly been straight. It
began when I was an undergraduate at
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI),
studying civil engineering. At WPI I
stumbled upon fire protection engineering,
a completely new field for me, and
the more I learned about it and the fascinating
career opportunities it held, the
more excited I became. I entered WPI's
five-year BS/MS program in fire protection
engineering, and after graduation I
spent several years in a consulting role
at Arup. I worked on a diverse portfolio
of projects including building code life
safety analyses, fire protection system
design, and fire and egress modeling of
buildings and subway stations. Then I
saw a posting for a project manager position
at the research foundation, which I
joined in 2011. When Casey Grant retired
40 | NFPA JOURNAL * SPRING 2022
as the Foundation's executive director
at the end of 2019, I had eight years of
experience at the Foundation managing
research programs and initiatives. I was
picked as Casey's successor.
THE CHALLENGE ISN'T
FINDING TOPICS
WORTHY OF RESEARCH-
IT'S DETERMINING
HOW TO ALLOCATE
OUR RESOURCES SO
THAT OUR WORK HAS
THE GREATEST GLOBAL
BENEFIT FOR THE
GREATEST NUMBER OF
PEOPLE.
A common theme of the research
conducted by the Foundation is the
importance of its partnerships. One key
partnership over the past few years is
the Foundation's Property Insurance
Research Group, or PIRG. This group
of property insurers has collaborated
to complete more than 30 projects,
from small literature reviews to large
fire-testing programs, intended to
inform updates to codes and standards
as well as best practices for fire safety
in large commercial buildings, such as
warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
This group started with a research project
in 2009 on high volume/low speed
2011
First Foundation Medal
is awarded to recognize
a research project that
exemplifies the Foundation's
fire safety mission,
innovation in meeting
technical challenges,
and a collaborative
approach to research.
Inaugural award goes to
a project exploring antifreeze
solutions in home
fire sprinkler systems.
The award continues to
be given annually.
2012
Launches the
Student Project
Initiative, designed
to expose graduate
or senior-level
college students
to real-world
research projects
while addressing
timely issues and
information needs
of the fire protection
and safety
community.
fans, which were being increasingly used
in storage and manufacturing facilities.
There were concerns about their impact
on automatic sprinkler performance,
so the project, as well as PIRG, were
created to develop guidance on the
issue. The results of this test program
resulted in requirements and guidance
in NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation
of Sprinkler Systems. Since then, the
group has participated in projects on
mass timber, sloped ceilings in storage
facilities, early suppression fast response
sprinklers and obstructions, hazards
of IBCs and lithium-ion batteries, and
many other topics. Much of this research
has been used to develop requirements
in NFPA codes and standards as well as
for best practices to reduce risk.
The Foundation also collaborates with
NFPA on research activities, some of
which are used to help develop training
programs on emerging issues for emergency
responders, including electric
vehicles (EVs), energy storage systems,
and flammable refrigerants. Emergency
responders are accustomed to conventional
vehicle fires, but by 2013 a number
of questions had arisen over how to
respond to fires involving EVs. In particular,
responders were seeking guidance
for the safe handling of EV batteries
during fires and other emergencies.
A collaboration was formed between
NFPA, the Foundation, the Alliance for
Automobile Manufacturers, the Department
of Energy, and the Department of
Transportation to conduct research to
develop best practices for emergency
response to incidents involving EV battery
hazards. The information gathered
NFPA Journal - Spring 2022

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