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…
NFPA Conference & Expo attendees got a tour of Underwriters Laboratories in Northbrook, Illinois. During the tour, UL conducted a live fire test in its large-scale fire test and research facility. This particular test involved three rows of rack storage loaded with palettes and cardboard boxes full of Group A plastic cups. A large HVLS Fan was in operation during this fire test. Read more…
Explore with us in this article the do’s and don’ts of using ESFR sprinkler systems. We discuss common pitfalls in applying these types of sprinkler systems and provide detailed explanations on their correct usage including applicable codes and regulations. Presented are the latest updates [...]
Polyurethane foam fires are known to produce very high heat release rates and extremely toxic fumes. As a result, these types of fires provide some unique life, firefighter, property safety and fire suppression challenges. In this study polyurethane foam fires and their combustion processes are [...]
Recent dust explosion accidents and their aftermath highlighted a renewed need to focus on a better understanding of the methods used in preventing these incidents. A two-phase study was commissioned by the Fire Protection Research Foundation of NFPA to develop and verify a more accurate [...]
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. (more…)
The risk of asphyxiation, a condition of insufficient supply of oxygen to the body, is difficult to assess because of many factors that can contribute to an oxygen deficiency. However, these factors can be measured and used to calculate the risks that can lead to [...]
According to OSHA and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board1 over the last 35 years more than 450 accidents involving dust have killed nearly 130 workers and injured more than 800. Between the years of 2008 and 2012 alone, a total of 50 combustible dust accidents2 [...]
The International Code Council is offering free access to their I-Codes, books and Standards. Previously these documents were only available in internet (html) format. Now the International Code Council has expanded this great service of offering free access to their resources by making many of [...]
New layout of NFPA 13 may be beneficial for new users of the standard, but it can also create confusion and dismay for experienced users.
