NFPA

High profile incidents are fueling greater demand than ever before for mass notification systems (MNS). Find out how new technologies, standards, designs, installation techniques and practices are helping fire/life-safety solution providers grow their MNS business and help clients better deal with emergencies. 

Getting people bombarded by today’s constant cacophony of sounds and stimuli to react to fire alarms with the urgency for which they were intended has become a critical challenge. Drawing their attention when it means the most demands providers strictly adhere to code and design and install systems to meet stringent requirements.

Offering fire system inspections and compliance assurance not only elevates safety but delivers contractors a host of benefits. They include: increasing customer retention; uncovering upsell opportunities; making cash flow predictable and the business appealing to creditors/investors; reducing false alarms and ingratiating first responders; and increasing the enterprise’s long-term value.

Fire/Life-safety pros and others headed to Chicago for the year’s top industry event have lots to consider planning their schedules. Check out the following guide for an overview of education and training sessions, plus learn about ancillary goings-on at the exhibit hall and elsewhere. 

Sharing knowledge, wisdom and experiences is the path to continuing to move fire and life safety forward. This goes for innovating products, saving lives and reducing injuries and property loss, as well as running more successful businesses. That’s why conferences like NFPA’s recent Suppression, Detection and Signaling Research and Applications Symposium (SUPDET) are so important. .

In mid-March, the various stakeholders that comprise the National Fire Protection Association Technical Committee on Premises Security will reconvene to continue contentious deliberations over a proposal to issue the latest revision to NFPA 730 as a code rather than a best-practices guide.

Those in the fire/life-safety industry should be conversant in the processes both ICC and NFPA use for code and standards development. As the ICC process is open to all for the submittal of changes or additions, those who use its codes should not be shy about submitting proposals if they see a need for a change. Read on to better understand how ICC functions.

Although NFPA codes may be foremost in most fire technicians’ minds and practices when it comes to how they install and service safety systems, there are other important documents that come into play. At the top of that list are the codes emanating from the International Code Council (ICC).

Fire/Life-Safety standards endure much analysis and scrutiny by a number of committees and interested parties en route to ratification. As these decisions affect installing professionals, it is wise to be familiar with the process and participate where and when appropriate.

The heightened attention given to CO detection in recent years is reflected in updates to the International Residential Code and NFPA 720. Learn what these changes are, their importance, and when and where not to apply them.

A look at residential fire sprinkler and false fire alarm activity trends offer installing system contractors insights on the latest developments driving the marketplace. SSI’s annual report also provides legislative and code updates for carbon monoxide detection.

The National Fire Protection Association’s Gary Keith (left) and Russell Sanders were awarded the grade of “Fellow in the Institution” from the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), the highest level of membership given by the institution.

NFPA Division Manager for Building and Life Safety Codes Robert Solomon discusses what's in store for the fire/life-safety market in SSI's 2012 Industry Forecast.

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