Five women were tragically killed Saturday evening in a limousine fire that happened on a bridge above the San Francisco Bay, according to news reports. The limo passengers were a bride-to-be and her friends out for a bachelorette party to celebrate an upcoming wedding. We have had many people reach out to us today for information on automobile fires. Does this incident leave you wondering about how often automobile fires happen and how many people die because of them? NFPA’s Fire Analysis & Research Division tracks vehicle fire statistics and estimates that on average, 17 automobile fires were reported per... Continue reading

CPSC, the National Fire Protection Association and Maryland's Office of the State Fire Marshal recently teamed up to offer safety tips on holiday decorating. Watch video from the event and take steps to prevent your festive holidays from turning into flaming fiascos. Read the blog post about the event. Continue reading

CPSC, the National Fire Protection Association and Maryland's Office of the State Fire Marshal recently teamed up to offer safety tips on holiday decorating. Watch video from the event and take steps to prevent your festive holidays from turning into flaming fiascos. Read the blog post about the event. Continue reading

The Home Depot in Travers City, Michigan donated 2500 smoke alarms to area fire departments ‘Tis the season for giving and thanks to a joint effort by NFPA, The Home Depot and Kidde, fire departments across the country are receiving 50,000 smoke alarms, valued at $1million dollars to enhance fire safety in their communities. The Home Depot and Kidde ran a fall fire safety program which inlcuded a challenge to store associates to compete for top sales of smoke alarms and CO detectors. The top selling store in each region was rewarded with an opportunity to give back to their... Continue reading

Hanukkah begins today! This weekend in many households across the world, families will gather to celebrate this holiday and relive some traditions. Candles are frequently used in religious services, in places of worship, and in the home. Whether you are using one candle, or more than one on a candelabra, kinara, or on a menorah, you should keep in mind some simple safety tips to keep you and your family safe. December is the peak time of year for home candle fires. On average, a candle fire in the home is reported to a U.S. fire department every 40 minutes.... Continue reading

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum and NFPA's Greg Cade NFPA, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Maryland’s Office of the State Fire Marshal recently teamed up to bring needed attention to fire risks that frequently go hand-in-hand with holiday decorating. Greg Cade, NFPA’s director of Government Affairs participated in an event this week at CPSC’s new National Product Testing and Evaluation Center in Rockville, MD that included live burn demonstrations to underscore the importance of being aware of fire risks and taking action to avoid them. “Christmas and the days around it are typically some of the top days for home... Continue reading

Dr. Louis Gritzo of FM Global highlights the three big takeaways from his talk regarding the integral role of fire protection on sustainability, given at the Fire Safety and Sustainable Building Design Symposium. View more videos of Dr. Gritzo on this topic. Continue reading

Tom Chapin of Underwriters Laboratories presented at the Fire Safety Design and Building Sustainability Symposium on the impact of new 'sustainable' materials on the fire load of buildings. In his remarks, he shared information on the implications of population growth on sustainability which was a hot topic at a recent... Continue reading

Louis Gritzo, Ph.D., FM Global’s vice president of research recently told us about some key areas that he will be addressing during his presentation on "The Integral Role of Fire Protection in Sustainability” at the Fire Protection Research Foundation's Fire Safety and Sustainable Building Design Symposium (Nov. 7-8). “Fire protection is part of good risk management throughout the entire life cycle of a building,” according to Gritzo. Gritzo highlights how good fire protection can benefit the environment. For more information on the agenda or to register, visit www.nfpa.org/foundation. Continue reading

J. Thomas Chapin, Ph.D. of Underwriters Laboratories recently shared some thoughts related to his upcoming presentation at the Fire Protection Research Foundation's Fire Safety and Sustainable Building Design Symposium (Nov. 7-8) titled "Do we understand the impact of new 'sustainable' materials on the fire load of buildings?" How does sustainability impact the new design of buildings? Chapin says it is an issue that involves a multidisciplinary focus because many professionals need to address it including, scientists, engineers, product designers, architects and the architectural community, the insurance industry, and first responders. Can we have a sustainable building that is still safe?... Continue reading

Amanda Kimball, research manager for The Fire Protection Research Foundation says discussions of sustainable building design and its impacts on fire safety that began at the Foundation’s strategic planning meeting several years ago is where the need for more information in this area was solidified. As the Foundation continued to explore the need for more discussions on this topic, it became clear that there was great value in bringing together members of the design and fire protection communities to discuss it, which eventually led to the development of the Fire Safety Design and Sustainable Buildings Symposium. The Foundation discovered that... Continue reading

Surrounded by a cast of characters on the steps of the New York Public Library, Sparky the Fire Dog® stepped out in true fire-safety style in New York City. In town to kick-off Advertising Week and the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame, Sparky and his fellow icons immediately caught the attention of passersby, many of whom jumped up on the steps for a unique photo opportunity with this unsual bunch. The characters mingled with the crowd before joining a private event inside where the favorite icon for 2012, selected by public vote, was announced. “Flo” from Progressive was selected as... Continue reading

Amy and Christopher Murray of Northbridge, Mass. hosted an open house in conjunction with the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) and the Northbridge Fire Department to give tours of their new home and point out one of its most important and necessary safety features – home fire sprinklers. More than 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in homes. According to Amy Murray, the addition of home fire sprinklers gives her much needed peace of mind because their nine-year-old sons live with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy which would make it difficult for them and their family to escape a home... Continue reading

Mark Gryc and Mike Spaziani of FM Global with NFPA President Jim Shannon and Sparky the Fire Dog at NFPA's distribution center where it was all hands (and paws) on deck to get $50,000 worth of educational materials shipped to fire departments across the country, courtesy of FM Global. FM Global, one of the world’s largest business property insurers, is fulfilling requests of 80 fire departments across the country for fire safety education materials geared toward children and others during Fire Prevention Week. The effort is part of Sparky’s Wish List™: Partnering for Fire-Safe Communities, which is helping local fire... Continue reading

In 2009 alone, NFPA estimates that there were more than 2 million false alarms in the United States due to unintentional activations and system malfunctions. The fire service faces challenges in dealing with false alarms and NFPA recognizes the importance of minimizing them. That’s why NFPA teamed up with the International Association of Fire Chiefs to develop the Fire Service Guide to Reducing Unwanted Fire Alarms. It's a free 17-page downloadable PDF document available through NFPA’s catalog that offers guidance to members of the fire service to reduce unwanted fire alarms. For more information read the full news release. Continue reading

Sparky made a special visit to the Boys & Girls club in North Las Vegas while in town for the NFPA Conference & Expo. Joined by a team of firefighters from the North Las Vegas Fire Department, the event featured... Continue reading

President Barack Obama has proclaimed October 9 through 15, 2011, Fire Prevention Week! According to the proclamation, "Hundreds of thousands of fires happen in and around American homes every year, killing or injuring thousands of people and causing untold damage to families and communities. This week, we honor the selfless... Continue reading

Have you experienced a “Fire Prevention Week banner sighting”? If you have seen one, and have a photograph to share with us, please send it along. NFPA has been spreading important fire safety information as the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week campaigns for nearly 90 years. Although NFPA establishes... Continue reading

NFPA President Jim Shannon announced the release of NFPA 56 (PS), Standard for Fire and Explosion Prevention During Cleaning and Purging of Flammable Gas Piping Systems at a press conference today in Middletown, Connecticut. US Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso and several elected officials from Connecticut, including Congresswoman Rosa DeLaruo participated in the event to announce the standard, which was developed in response to a deadly explosion that occurred at the Kleen Energy plant Middletown in February 2010. “This is an example of the critical role NFPA plays in providing codes and standards for use by government and other... Continue reading

What do hot ashes hot ashes thrown into a hen house for chicken scratch and a wooden box spittoon with sawdust in it have in common? According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, they were causes of fires that occurred in the Montanna town around 1922. In "Snapshots of the Chronicle's... Continue reading

How many people will be spending part of the last long weekend of summer cooking at a grill or eating food prepared on one? Hundreds? Hundreds of thousands? C’mon, I know you’re out there! Just because the peak months for grilling are like fading images in a rearview mirror –... Continue reading

When little ones enter your life, whether they belong to you or enter the picture when a friend or family member visits your home from time to time, it’s usually a good idea to do a fire safety review as they reach different milestones. Admittedly, as a parent of two... Continue reading

NFPA’s Marty Ahrens talks about the Home Structure Fires report and shares safety tips How many people do you think died in U.S. home fires every day? NFPA's Home Structure Fires report by Marty Ahrens tells the story of home fires and the devastation they cause, by the numbers. During the five-year period covered by the report, roughly one in every 310 households per year had a reported home fire. Each year, these fires caused an estimated average of 2,650 deaths, 12,890 injuries, and $7.1 billion in direct property damage. On average, seven people died in U.S. home fires every... Continue reading

NFPA’s Marty Ahrens talks about the Home Structure Fires report and shares safety tips How many people do you think died in U.S. home fires every day? NFPA's Home Structure Fires report by Marty Ahrens tells the story of home fires and the devastation they cause, by the numbers. During... Continue reading

NFPA's regional Firewise Advisors with Firewise Communities Program Manager Michele Steinberg. Left to right: Faith Berry, Keith Worley, Heidi Wagner, Patrick Mahoney, Todd Chlanda, Gary Marshall, Michele Steinberg Six regional Firewise Advisors have joined NFPA's Firewise® Communities Program to help expand its community wildfire safety activities. The Program encourages local solutions for wildfire safety by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, firefighters and others in creating fire-adapted communities – places where people and property are safer from the risk of brush, grass and forest fires. Which advisor covers your region? Learn more about them on the About Us page of... Continue reading