NFPA Journal - Summer 2023 - 20

Dispatches Information & Knowledge
Handbook (FPH). But a just-published edition of
the FPH brings readers up-to-date on a host of
new and emerging fire protection topics.
One of NFPA's most significant publications,
the FPH is a comprehensive, one-of-a-kind reference
guide of fire and life safety information for
professionals across a range of industries. The
two-volume book contains more than 200 chapters
on topics ranging from hazardous materials
and medical gases to fire safety education and
human behavior in fire. Fourteen new chapters
appear in the latest edition, reflecting an array of
technologies and hazards that have emerged in
recent years [see " In With the New, " facing page].
" The NFPA Fire Protection Handbook is the
most comprehensive industry resource for professionals
who need to be well informed and stay
current in their field, " said NFPA President and
CEO Jim Pauley. " It is the fire protection encyclopedia
and there is no other resource like it
anywhere in the world. "
PUBLICATIONS
ESSENTIAL
READING
AFTER 15 YEARS, A REVAMPED
VERSION OF NFPA'S FIRE
PROTECTION HANDBOOK HAS
ARRIVED. WHAT THE NEW EDITION
MEANS FOR THE GLOBAL FIRE
PROTECTION COMMUNITY.
By Angelo Verzoni
E
20 | NFPA JOURNAL * SUMMER 2023
nergy storage systems. Cannabis
processing facilities. Modular construction.
These are just a few of
the topics that vex today's fire safety
professionals. But 15 years ago, they
were little more than theoretical hazards.
A lot has changed since 2008, the last time
NFPA released an edition of the Fire Protection
A 'one-of-a-kind' publication
While the breadth of the Fire Protection
Handbook's practical applications is certainly
impressive, one quality of the FPH that sets it
apart from other academic or professional publications
is that, for many people, it represents
more than just a book-something more meaningful
and sentimental. It can become a keepsake of
sorts that they hold onto for years or even a lifetime,
a staple in their library that offers a direct
link to their college education or to the early days
of their careers.
When Casey Grant started working at NFPA
in 1988, one of the first things he remembers
receiving is a 90th-anniversary commemorative
edition of the very first FPH, which was published
in 1896-the year NFPA was founded-and was
referred to at the time as the Handbook of the
Underwriter's Bureau of New England. Grant, who
retired as executive director of the Fire Protection
Research Foundation in 2019, still has the 5-by-7inch
book, bound in black leather.
" It's a complete version of the original handbook, "
he said excitedly on a recent video call, holding the
book up to the camera. " I remember thinking 'Wow!,'
and I still keep it here on my desk alongside other
editions of the Fire Protection Handbook. "
Stories like these abound among members of
the global fire protection community, who liken
the FPH to " an encyclopedia " or " bible " in the
world of fire protection.
In 1997, when he was studying fire protection
engineering at Seneca College in Toronto, Nicholas
Dawe, now a fire marshal in Cobb County, Georgia,
NFPA Journal - Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Summer 2023
