2010 NFPA Conference & Expo

Chicago’s McCormick Place is going green

McCormick Place has got a new team in place - a "green action" team, to be exact.

Home to the 2009 NFPA 2009 Conference & Expo in June, McCormick Place is aggressively seeking new ways to provide an environmentally responsible facility and services. According to general manager David Causton, several initiatives are already underway, including the purchase of new receptacles that will help visitors easily sort garbage from materials that can be recycled. In addition, the facility's "West Building" recently attained LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Build Council, the organization that sets the standards for what is officially considered environmentally-friendly or “green”.  The West Building is the largest new-construction facility in the country to be certified. 

We'll be striving to make our 2009 conference in Chicago as green as possible, and we'll update you on our plans as we get closer to the event.

We'd like to hear from you: do you have any ideas on how NFPA can make its annual conference more environmentally-friendly? It's easy to respond: just click on the "comments" link below, enter your name (just your first name is fine) and your e-mail address (this will NOT show in your post), and type your comments in the white box. Then select "post".

We look forward to hearing from you.

- Linda Bailey

Topics of pre-conference seminars announced

Why not take advantage of your time in Chicago next June by taking one or more of our pre-conference seminars? These popular one- and two-day seminars give you a head-start on all of the learning you'll be doing at the NFPA Conference & Expo.

Full details - including speakers, pricing, and scheduling - will be coming soon, but here's a preliminary list of topics that will be covered. Visit our conference web site for descriptions of these sessions.

Note: When the final list of pre-conference seminars is announced, pre-registration will be required, but full conference regislation is not required.

• Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) Primer
• Code Requirements for Maintaining Fire & Life Safety Systems
• Crowd Safety and the Life Safety Code
• Dust Explosion Hazards
• Emergency Evacuation for People with Disabilities   
• Environment of Care: The Next Evolution of the Physical Environment
• Explosion Prevention and Protection
• Fire Alarm Code (NFPA 72)
• Installation of Sprinkler Systems (NFPA 13)
• Life Safety Code® Essentials
• Life Safety Code® Plans Review
• NFPA 1, Fire Code^TM
• NFPA 45 Fire Safety in Research Labs
• NFPA 70E®, Electrical Safety in the Workplace
• NFPA 72® - Proposed Changes
• NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities
• NFPA 921, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations
• NFPA 1600, Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs
• Sprinkler Hydraulics
• Sprinkler System Plans Review

Conference session to focus on collapse of World Trade Center Building 7

On Wednesday, June 10, we will feature a presentation from Dr. Shyam Sunder of the National Institute of Standards and Technology-NIST.  Dr. Sunder, Director of the Building and Fire Research Laboratory, was NIST's lead investigator for of the World Trade Center disaster. He will discuss his report on the collapse of World Trade Center Tower 7.  This presentation will describe the investigation process, and the analysis necessary to determine the sequence of events that resulted in the collapse of Building 7.

NFPA to host The Second City comedy troupe

We've got a special treat in store for this year's General Session. On Monday, June 8, from 1:00-3:00 pm, we'll be hosting The Second City, the acclaimed improv group that's been performing sketch comedy in front of audiences for nearly 50 years. So much talent has come from the ranks of The Second City that it reads like a "who’s who" of contemporary American comedy: the long list includes John Belushi, Gilda Radner,  Dan Aykroyd,  John Candy, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Steve Carrell, and Stephen Colbert.

Last July, Joanne Durham, Manager of NFPA Conferences & Meetings, and I took in a Second City show when we were in Chicago for a site visit. Talk about funny! It was a terrific show and we know you'll thoroughly enjoy yourself at their presentation at the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place in June.

- Linda Bailey