NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 26
Research by Birgitte Messerschmidt
THE GLOBAL
VIEW ON FIRE
RESEARCH
Show Me the Money
A NEW PROJECT TAKES AIM AT QUANTIFYING THE TRUE COST OF FIRE
AND THE FISCAL BENEFIT OF FIRE PROTECTION
W
hen Cuba Gooding, Jr.
had Tom Cruise shouting
" Show me the money! "
in Jerry Maguire, it epitomized
how value is
intrinsically linked to dollars.
In the fire safety world, though, we
still aren't good enough at showing the
money when it comes to the impact of
fire safety provisions. We have data on
the number of fires, fatalities, injuries,
and direct losses, and while these are all
good indicators of our overall fire safety
picture, they are difficult to translate
into an actual cost benefit for instituting
fire safety provisions.
NFPA Research is working to change
that. We recently teamed up with the
Fire Protection Research Foundation
on a project designed to improve our
understanding of the cost of fire. The
resulting study, " Economic Impact of
Fire-Cost and Impact of Fire Protection
in Buildings " (nfpa.org/foundation), is
based on work carried out by an international
team of researchers from Ghent University in Belgium,
as well as Utah State University and Johns Hopkins University.
The objective of the work was to establish and apply a methodology
for evaluating the total benefits and costs related to
fire protection features in buildings.
The evaluation balances the costs of fire protection features
with the anticipated averted losses based on the expected beneficial
impact of fire protection on human loss, property loss,
and indirect loss in case of fire over the lifetime of the building.
The costs include installation and ongoing maintenance.
The averted losses are estimated using either fire statistics or
a combination of statistics and predictive modeling.
The methodology developed can be applied to a group of
buildings to support policy decisions at the local level for the
requirement of fire safety provisions, such as the installation
of home fire sprinklers in single-family homes. It then requires
that the costs and fire-loss evaluations are averaged for a
26 | NFPA JOURNAL * WINTER 2022
I hope this work will
be used by building
owners, insurers,
and policymakers to
reinforce their
decisions in support
of fire protection.
representative building prototype. But it
can also be applied to specific building and
investment decisions-such as analyzing
fire protection investments in a manufacturing
facility-by identifying costs and
fire loss for a particular case, and considering
the actual processes and hazards
identified for the specific occupancy and
location. We will use the methodology in
future updates to our " Total Cost of Fire
in the United States " report to provide a
better estimate of the cost of fire protection,
an area identified in the 2017 report
as needing further research.
As with all models, the result obtained
depends on the assumptions and input
data chosen by the user. To show the effects
of varying the input data, the authors of the
" Economic Impact of Fire " report provide
sensitivity analyses for the five case studies
included in the report. Users of the methodology
are encouraged to apply such
sensitivity analyses to evaluate the robustness
of their cost-benefit calculations. In
addition to the case studies and the methodology
outline, the authors have provided the code, allowing
users to input their own data and run calculations on their specific
applications. The code is available with the full report online.
NFPA Research continues to work on improving our big-picture
understanding of the impact of fire, from important
incident data collection to evaluations of the impact of fire on
people, property, and the environment. While there are gaps
remaining to be filled in fire's economic impact, this latest
work is a significant step forward in being able to quantify the
value of fire protection. With this new research, fire protection
professionals are now better prepared to participate in conversations
about costs versus benefits. It is my sincere hope that
this work will be used by individual building owners, insurance
companies, and policymakers to reinforce their decisions
in support of fire protection.
Birgitte Messerschmidt is director of the Applied Research Group at NFPA.
MICHAEL HOEWELER
http://www.nfpa.org/foundation
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Winter 2022
Contents
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 1
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 2
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 3
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - Contents
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 5
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 6
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 7
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 8
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 9
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 10
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 11
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 12
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 13
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 14
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 15
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 16
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 17
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 18
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 19
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 20
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 21
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 22
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 23
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 24
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 25
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 26
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 27
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 28
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 29
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 30
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 31
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 32
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 33
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 34
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 35
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 36
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 37
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 38
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 39
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 40
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 41
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 42
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 43
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 44
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 45
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 46
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 47
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 48
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 49
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 50
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 51
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 52
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 53
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 54
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 55
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 56
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 57
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 58
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 59
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 60
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 61
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 62
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 63
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 64
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 65
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 66
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 67
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 68
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 69
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 70
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 71
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 72
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 73
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 74
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 75
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 76
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 77
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 78
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 79
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 80
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 81
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 82
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 83
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 84
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 85
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 86
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 87
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - 88
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - Winter 2022 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20191112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201610_sprinkler
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20121112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120304
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com