NFPA Journal - Summer 2022 - 19

Dispatches Briefs
Copyright
protection
bill supported
by standards
developers
In February, US
Representatives
Ted Deutch (D-Florida)
and Darrell
Issa (R-California)
introduced legislation
that will make
even clearer what
standards developers
like NFPA
already know the law
provides: that our
standards are protected
by copyright,
even when standards
ANSI. A number of
fire service organizations
have also
come out in support
of the bill.
" The safety standards
protected by
this legislation help
protect the lives and
property of every
American and of
people around the
world, " said NFPA
President and CEO
Jim Pauley. " For
125 years, our standards
have been
developed through
an independent,
consensus-based
Reps. Deutch (right) and Issa
proposed a new bill that would
protect the copyright of codes
and standards.
" NFPA membership
has long been
a feather in the cap
for those who work
in fire, electrical,
building, and life
safety. Now industry
up-and-comers can
benefit from that
same level of clout
as they set out on
their career journey
and see firsthand
how important it is to
be a lifelong learner
and collaborator, "
said Mike Brunzell,
vice president of the
NFPA Global division.
Undergraduate
students currently
taking a minimum of
six credit hours of
courses per semester,
or graduate
students taking three
credit hours, are eligible
for the no-cost
deal.
NFPA members
receive a number of
benefits, including
a discount on most
NFPA products,
access to NFPA
Xchange™
, and a
are incorporated by
reference.
The legislation,
known as the Pro
Codes Act, would
require that SDOs
make any standards
incorporated by reference
available for
free online, which
NFPA has done for
years.
" Vital information
contained in
codes must remain
free and available to
the public, " Deutch
said in a press
release. " At the same
time, we must reward
investments made by
standards development
organizations.
This legislation will
protect the copyright
of codes when they
have been incorporated
by reference. "
The bipartisan
bill has been
lauded by NFPA and
other standards
writing organizations,
including
the ICC, IAPMO,
ASHRAE, UL, and
process that doesn't
cost taxpayers a
penny. We're grateful
for Reps. Deutch and
Issa's leadership in
helping ensure that
we can continue our
critical work, which
has resulted in one of
the longest-standing,
most successful partnerships
between
the public and private
sectors in US
history. "
Any NFPA standard
can be viewed in full
for free by going to
the document's web
page and clicking
" Free Access. "
NFPA student
membership now
free
If you're a student
looking to harness
the information and
knowledge provided
by an NFPA membership,
you're in luck. In
January, the organization
made its student
and apprentice memberships
free.
subscription to NFPA
Journal. Visit npfa.
org/membership to
learn more.
Wildfire
Mitigation Award
winners named
In March, winners
of the 2022 Wildfire
Mitigation Awards
were announced,
which recognize outstanding
individual
and group contributions
to wildfire
mitigation strategies
nationwide.
This year's winners
included Paul Cada,
a wildland program
administrator in Vail,
Colorado; William
Blevins, a volunteer
firefighter in Morehead,
Kentucky;
Jonathan Riley, a
community wildfire
liaison in Wenatchee,
Washington; Schelly
Olson, an assistant
fire chief in Granby,
Colorado; Mike
Mathis and Chris
Colburn, who work
for the Florida Forest
Service; and the
Tahoe Fire and Fuels
Team, a group of 21
federal, state, local,
tribal, and nonprofit
entities that teach
wildfire community
preparedness
strategies in the
Lake Tahoe region
of Nevada and
California.
" Individual and
community action
continues to be a
major component
of reducing wildfire
risk, and the Wildfire
Mitigation Awards
are the perfect
opportunity to recognize
and reward
this hard work and
commitment, " said
Michele Steinberg,
director of the NFPA
Wildfire division.
" This year's winners
are an inspiring
example of what we
can do together to
create safer places to
live and work. "
Since 2014, the
awards-cosponsored
by NFPA, the
National Association
of State Foresters,
International
Association of Fire
Chiefs, and US
Forest Service-have
demonstrated the
importance of wildfire
mitigation efforts
throughout the
country. Learn more
about the awards
and past winners at
stateforesters.org/
mitigation.
UL announces
historic
investment in
research
Underwriters
Laboratories (UL)
announced in February
that it will
pump $1.8 billion
into expanding the
scale and scope of
its wide-ranging
safety research.
The money will help
UL also establish a
second, separate
nonprofit organization
aimed at
advancing standards
development.
" This new financial
commitment
into safety research
allows Underwriters
Laboratories to build
upon our 128-year
legacy of public service
and make even
greater contributions
to global safety science, "
UL Board Chair
(and former NFPA
president and CEO)
James M. Shannon
said in a press release.
" As humans face new
and more frequent
safety threats, society
needs our leadership
more than ever.
Through this major
commitment, we
are moving forward
to accelerate safety
science discoveries
and inform public
policy and behaviors
that will advance the
public good. "
According to the
release, the funding
will drive research
into emerging
hazards, including
battery safety, autonomous
systems, and
artificial intelligence.
Krause tapped
for NFPA Board
of Directors
Randy J. Krause, a
36-year veteran of
the fire service, has
been appointed as
the newest member
of the NFPA Board of
Directors.
Kraus, a chief with
the Port of Seattle
Fire Department,
began his career as
a United States Air
Force firefighter in
1985. Since then, he
has worked as a fire
chief for Boeing and
served on several
NFPA technical committees,
currently
serving as the chair
of the Emergency
Responders Occupational
Health and Fire
Service Occupational
Safety committees.
Kraus began a threeyear
term on the
board in January.
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NFPA Journal - Summer 2022

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