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Back to homepageMeet Paul Machado, a firefighter with a compelling story on the devastating effects of home fires
By Fred Durso, Jr. On a blistery cold morning in Fall River, Massachusetts, Firefighter Paul Machado and his crew were tasked with searching for a missing woman inside a two-and-a-half story home on fire. While inside the dwelling, their efforts…
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Community hits one-day record in smoke alarm installations
By Lisa Braxton In Brunswick County, North Carolina, five people have died in fires in the past month. According to WECT-TV, four of those people died in homes without working smoke alarms. In response, more than 150 people came together…
Read MoreCasey Grant appointed executive director of NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation
Casey Grant has been named executive director of the Fire Protection Research Foundation. The Foundation, an affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), manages research on a broad range of fire safety issues in support of the NFPA mission.…
Read MoreLive fire demonstration shows vivid flash-over vs. the life-saving impact of home fire sprinklers
As the vast majority of U.S. fire deaths occur in homes, a recent live fire demonstration vividly showed the potential deadly destruction from home fires compared to the life-saving impact of home fire sprinklers. The event, held by the National…
Read MoreNFPA event educates building officials on the fierceness of home fires and the sprinkler solution
By Fred Durso, Jr. Two-and-a-half minutes. That’s the amount of time it took a wooden structure housing a sofa, end table, and other furnishings to reach flashover–the point during a fire when all objects in a room simultaneously hit their…
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Home fire causes $600K in damages but no injuries, thanks to working smoke alarms
By Susan McKelvey “It’s still the same old story…”, so the song goes. In the case of working smoke alarms, the story is most often the same: smoke alarms save lives. In the case of a recent Burlington, ON, home…
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Safety is on the menu for upcoming Easter dinner
By Lisa Braxton It’s a longstanding tradition. The women in my family spend the day before Easter in the kitchen preparing a feast to be enjoyed after church service the next day. My mother prepares the glazed ham and vegetables.…
Read MoreNFPA Conference and Expo slated for Chicago in June
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) will host its annual Conference and Expo June 22-25, 2015 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The NFPA Conference and Expo, widely regarded as the most comprehensive industry event for fire, electrical and building safety,…
Read MoreMajor sprinkler victory in New Jersey highlighted in recent edition of NFPA’s Fire Sprinkler Initiative newsletter
By Fred Durso, Jr. The Garden State experienced a win in its push for increased safety at homes when the state Senate recently passed a bill to sprinkler all new, one- and two-family homes. The bill heads to the governor’s…
Read MoreWhat does research tell us about today’s home fire victims?
By Fred Durso, Jr. NFPA has examined the demographics of fatal and non-fatal victims of home fires. The report, “Characteristics of Home Fire Victims,” highlights the age, sex, race, and region of victims, giving safety advocates crucial information on important…
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