2010 NFPA Conference & Expo

Will this be your first NFPA conference?

 
If you'll be joining us in Chicago, and it will be your first time attending our Conference & Expo, we look forward to meeting you! We've pulled together some helpful hints on what you need to know about the event, special events, our codes- and standards-making process, and our host city.

FREE! Sign up to atttend our "How to Get the Most Out of Your Conference Experience” webinar on Thursday, May 14 at 1:00 pm (EST).

We'd like to hear from you. If this will be your first NFPA meeting, please feel free to ask us any questions about the event. 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 question or comments in the white box. Then select “post”. (You can also read other people’s thoughts by clicking on the “comments” link.)

Fire protection at Chicago's McCormick Place: then and now

When Chicago’s original McCormick Place was completed in November of 1960, it was the largest exhibition center in the United States, housing nearly 1.2 million square feet of space for exhibitions, performances, conferences, and support facilities.

An article from Time magazine stated: “…Chicago outdid itself by building McCormick Place, an edifice along Lake Michigan that ran the size of six football fields… McCormick Place cost $35m to build, and one boast was that it would be 'more durable than the Colosseum.'”

But in the early hours of January 16, 1967, a tragic fire occurred. According to an NFPA Journal® report on the fire, “Within 30 to 45 minutes after the first alarm, the roof trusses started to buckle at the center, pulling the roof loose from the columns at the walls. The interior columns canted and the major portion of the roof collapsed. The fire in the upper level subsided only when the fuel was consumed.”

In all there were a total of five alarms and four special alarms responding with 94 pieces of fire apparatus including three fire boats, three Chicago Civil Defense Units, and more than 500 firefighters.

On Tuesday, June 9, from 8:00-9:00 am, Randy Tucker, of Rolf Jensen & Associates, and an NFPA Board member, will discuss the McCormick Place fire, the investigation, and resulting changes in codes and standards and the insurance industry.

Beginning at 9:30 am, Daniel Cozzi, fire marshal for McCormick Place, will lead a tour of the facility’s command center and discuss the fire protection features of the current 2.6 million square foot complex.

Register for the NFPA Conference & Expo now to be sure to take part in this special presentation and tour.

While you're in Chicago...

If you'll be in Chicago the weekend of June 6 and 7, and aren't attending one of NFPA's pre-conference seminars at McCormick Place, here's an event that's good for the soul...

The 25th Annual Chicago Gospel Music Festival will be held at Millennium Park and will feature more than 50 performances on three stages. Some of the performers will include Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, and Fantasia. And best of all, the event is free!

Millenium Park is an easy walk, or a quick cab ride from most of the NFPA event hotels.

Why do you attend NFPA meetings?

We recently surveyed people who attended our annual conference in Las Vegas last June, asking them a variety of questions about how they learned about the meeting, activities, and for feedback on the education topics we offered.

We’ll be reporting on some of the key findings of our survey. But more importantly, we want you to join the conversation by sharing your thoughts and opinions. 

It’s easy to reply. Under each entry on this blog, there’s a link for “comments”. Just click on that link, enter your name (just your first name is fine) and your e-mail address (this will NOT show in your post), and type your thoughts in the white box at the bottom of the page. Then select “post”. (You can also read other people’s thoughts by clicking on the “comments” link.)

OK, back to the survey. We asked attendees at the Las Vegas conference for the #1 reason they attended. Among the top answers:

• For general education or information
• To help me perform my job better
• Keep me up-to-date on the latest codes and standards information
• Networking opportunities

So if you’ve attended one of NFPA’s annual conferences in the past few years, what motivated you to attend? And if you’re thinking about attending this year’s meeting in Chicago, what will be the determining factor in your decision to attend?

We look forward to hearing from you.