The University of California, San Diego is performing one of the largest fire and structural research projects in the United States. Full-scale fire tests will be conducted on May 9th – 11th 2012 to assess the performance of active and passive fire protection systems and impacts and effects of fire spread and smoke movement in an earthquake-damaged high-rise building Read more…
Some municipal water authorities have assessed water fees related to the recovery cost of unmetered water used in the event of a fire in sprinklered buildings. However, owners and operators of unsprinklered buildings have typically not been assessed this fee – even though water usage is also unmetered during a fire. This is even more surprising given the expectation that buildings equipped with a fire protection system use less water during a fire than buildings without a fire protection system. To add to the confusion, Read more…
NFPA and the Fire Protection Research Foundation will present the latest global research on high challenge warehouse storage. The one-day seminar, titled “Global Research Update: High Challenge Storage Protection,” will be held on June 27, 2012 at the Marriott Rive Gauche, in Paris, France, in cooperation with the European Fire Sprinkler Network conference. Read more…
The International Code Council has published the 2012 International Codes. This early release date will allow states and their municipalities to prepare and review local amendments to the codes before they go into affect in 2012. This will also be a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the latest editions to the I-codes and to get an early start in the adoption process. Read more…
The National Fire Protection Association is providing free online access to various NFPA codes and standards. The service, which is available to NFPA members and non-members, allows both PC and Mac users to access these documents electronically. Read more…
A study from the Libin Cardiovascular Institute at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine involving 1574 firefighters is shedding light on an underlying cause of heart disease. The study finds that blood vessel lining can predict who is at risk for developing coronary heart disease. By identifying this new marker in patients, doctors may be able to intervene early to prevent the progression of heart disease. Read more at ScienceDaily: Latest Science News
On February 24th 2011, 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the International Code Council publisher of the 2010 International Green Construction Code (IGCC), after which the 2010 CALGreen (2010 California Green Building Code) is modeled, is conducting a free webinar on Green Building Codes. This will be a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the new codes and Read more…
The International Code Council (ICC) just released an offer to receive a free download of the 2012 International Codes (IBC, IFC, IRC). All is required to join the International Code Council or to renew your membership to qualify for this free code offer. But note that only member accounts of Governmental, Corporate, or Building Safety Professional Read more…
California has been leading in the areas of energy efficiency, energy conservation and environmental protection. Striving to implement improved codes and standards in support of this effort, the state approved a new eco-friendly green building code in 2010. The so-called “CALGreen” is the first state-adopted green code; it will go into effect this month. Read more…
The metallic particles in the smoke emitted by fireworks can pose a health risk to people who suffer from asthma, new research shows. The Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research conducting this study published the report of this research in the Journal of Hazardous Materials. “The toxicological research has shown that many of the metallic particles in the smoke from fireworks are bio-reactive and … Read more…
An unusual new industrial testing product from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a cigarette designed to burn stronger than others, will be used by manufacturers of home furnishings to test the fire resistance of their products. In 1970 NIST started studying the fire starting properties of then available tobacco products. Read more…
UPS Flight 6 emergency landed last week near Dubai. About 20 minutes after taking off from Dubai, the crew sought to return, reporting smoke in the cockpit and trouble maintaining altitude. The plane was unable to make an emergency landing in Dubai on its first pass, then began losing altitude and crashed inside a UAE military camp. Read more…
Lithium batteries ubiquitous and a necessity in modern life, they are thought to present a fire hazard for airlines. This topic of discussion raised headlines when American Airlines flight attendants confiscated 58 cellphones, lithium-ion batteries, and charging devices from a passenger on a June 23 flight. Read more…
ICC is expanding the reach of its codes into Abu Dhabi. The new building code regulations are to be launched at the beginning of the year 2011. In order to facilitate a successful introduction and to speed up the adoption process, experts from the International Code Council (ICC) set up workshops in August of this year in Abu Dhabi to review and teach ICC fire and building codes with local construction industries and stakeholders. Read more…
Legalization of fireworks is a hotly debated subject: Arizonans will be able to buy and use fireworks starting December of this year. Safety concerns over the law have divided residents. Arizona is following several other states that have already legalized fireworks. If this measure is successful, would this open the door for legalized fireworks in its neighboring states, such as California? Read more…
