NFPA Conference & Expo

NFPA Introduces Electronic Voting at Technical Session

For the first time, NFPA will be using electronic voting technology during the 2011 Association Technical Meeting. This year's Technical Meeting will be held  on the following dates:

• Tuesday, June 14, 2:00 pm - completion
• Wednesday, June 15, 8:00 am - completion

When members with voting privileges check-in for the Technical Session, they will be issued a small automatic polling device to use during the Session. In the event of a vote that is too close for the Presiding Officer to call, in lieu of a standing count, members will be instructed to register their vote using the device. As members leave the Tech Session, they’ll return the units to NFPA Staff. 

-Amy Cronin. Division Manager, Codes & Standards Administration and Secretary to the Standards Council

Make the Most of Your Trip: Eddie Vedder Live at the Wang Center

If you’re sticking around Boston for a few days after the conference, or attending any of our new post-conference sessions on Thursday the 16th - here’s a great concert opportunity for you. Singer, songwriter, activist, and perhaps most famously Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder, will be performing a solo set at Boston’s Wang Theatre on Thursday, June 16^th at 7:30pm. Sure, he’s more widely known via his band – their album Ten is definitely in my top, uh, ten – but his solo performances get rave reviews, as fans love the intimate setting and Vedder’s ability to carry a room with his distinctive voice. And this time, he’s touring with a ukulele. You can find ticket info here.

Here’s the lead single from his new album, Ukulele Songs:

The 2011 NFPA Conference & Expo is sure to be a great time, and will be even more fun if you get out and explore its host city of Boston while here. We’ll keep providing events and activities as ideas for your time here in Boston during our annual meeting. Check back each week for a new one!

-Jon Palmer

An overview of the education sessions at NFPA's Conference & Expo in Boston

Erik Holden, Senior Project Manager in NFPA's Professional Development division, provides an overview of the education opportunities that will take place at this year's NFPA Conference & Expo this June.

NFPA C&E Exhibitor Presentation Theater

Learn about exciting new and proven products directly from their developers. Thirty minute presentations, given by exhibiting suppliers, will run during expo hours in the exhibit hall theater.  (Location, 1400 aisle.)

Tentative schedule (with more to come):

Sunday

• New End to End FIRERAY® 3000 Beam Detector – Fire Fighting Enterprises
• Using ROV (remotely operated vehicle) for Fire Water Storage Tank Inspections without Draining – Conrady Consulting Services
• Revolutionizing Clean Agent Suppression – N2 Towers, Inc.

Monday

• Advancements in Smoke Detection Technologies Using Open-Area Smoke Imaging Detection (OSID) -- Xtralis
• Water Driven Proportioners – Fire Safe Services - FireDos
• Innovation Alarm Monitoring Solutions: The Digitize Advantage – Digitize, Inc.
• VESDA VLI Industiral Strength Fire Detection Technology Purpose Built for Industrial Environments -- Xtralis
• Introduction to FORCE500™  Clean Agent Fire Suppression System –SEVO Systems

Tuesday

• Victaulic Vortex™ Fire Suppression System, A Unique Hybrid Fire Suppression Technology that Protects Areas with Nearly Zero Wetting – FireFlex Systems, Inc.
• Protection of CSST Gas Piping from Electrical Arcing – Victaulic
• Protection of CSST Gas Piping from Electrical Arcing -- OmegaFlex

For greater detail on presentations of interest, visit the C&E Exhibitor Presentations website.

-Jerry Carter, ROC-NFPA, LLC

Hospitality Suite: Spanish Sessions

Room: 151B - Sponsored by:  
  
NFPA’s Latin American Programs are sponsoring a Hospitality Suite where free Spanish sessions will be offered daily. The following topics and speakers are part of the 2011 program: 

Sunday June 12, 2011

9:00 - 9:50 a.m. Servicing Portable Fire Extinguishers: Cesar Covarrubias (US), Export Director, Brooks Equipment Company

10:00 - 10:50 a.m. Solar Photovoltaic Systems and the U.S. Regulatory Environment: Alfredo Ramírez (US), Regional Manager, Regulatory Services, Underwriters Laboratories.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Fire Protection in Storage Areas with CMSA, Standard or ESFR Sprinklers: Javier Sotel (Colombia), Director, Osho Ingeniería

Monday June 13, 2011

9:00 - 9:50 a.m. Where to find the Requirements in NFPA Codes and Standards: Eduardo Álvarez (Argentina), Director, EDAR Ingeniería 

10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Lessons Learnt from the World’s 10 Largest Fires in the Last Decade: Jaime A. Moncada (US), PE, SFPE, Director, IFSC

11:15 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Latin American Section annual meeting and elections

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. The New NFPA 3, Commissioning: Michael W. McDaniel (Mexico), CEPI, General Director, FTECH

Tuesday June 14, 2011

9:00 - 9:50 a.m. RENI: National Statistics System in Argentina: Nestor Spósito, PPR Consultora; Luciano Spósito, Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Guillermo Eduardo, Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; y Javier Ferlise, Consejo Nacional de Bomberos de Argentina 

10:00 - 10:50 a.m. Clean Agents, the Future of FM200-HFC227ea: Yosti Mendez, Regional Manager for Latin America, KIDDE Fire Systems y Fenwal Protection Systems  

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. NFPA 600 Requirements as an Aid for Work Safety and Health Management Systems: Ramon Castillo, Risk Management Manager, Cervecería Nacional Dominicana

 

For more information please visit the Congresos NFPA blog.

 

-Gabriela Mazal, NFPA International Communications Manager

"Good Will Hunting" - films that feature Boston, site of NFPA's Conference & Expo

"Good Will Hunting", a 1997 film directed by Gus Van Sant, earned writers/actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Set in Boston (although much of the movie was filmed in Toronto), the film follows Will Hunting, who works as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He's a math genius, but suffers from emotional issues and a hot temper. Faced with jail time after punching a police officer, Will agrees to study mathematics and see a therapist to avoid a stretch behind bars. Funnyman Robin Williams plays Will's therapist, a role that nabbed him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The movie went on to earn more than $225 million worldwide. 

We want to hear from you! What's your favorite movie that takes place in Boston? We might pick your movie to highlight in a future blog post. 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".

- Mike Hazell

Make the Most of Your Trip: The Boston Common

During your free time while attending the Conference this year, why not visit the oldest city park in the United States? Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden are located downtown, a short distance from the Boston Conference and Exposition Center, and are easily accessible by way of Park Street Station, America’s first subway station. The park serves as the starting point of the Freedom Trail, the walking trail that winds through some of Boston’s historic landmarks. The Massachusetts State House, with its golden dome, sits at the far end of the Common.

If the history doesn’t appeal to you, well, it’s just a great place to relax on a sunny day. Stroll around, take a ride on a swan boat, or explore nearby Chinatown and the North End. And if you want to see more of Boston’s greenery, check out what’s known as the Emerald Necklace, our Olmstead-designed network of parks and waterways!

June is the perfect time of year to get outside and explore the historic and exciting city, including the Boston Common and Boston Public Garden. We’ll keep providing events and activities as ideas for your time here in Boston during our annual meeting. Check back each week for a new one!

-Jon

NEW for 2011! Post-Conference Seminars

Post-Conference Seminars are being offered for the first time this year at the 2011 NFPA Conference & Expo in Boston! The four 1-day seminars will be held on Thursday, June 16^th and earn attendees .7 CEUs upon completion.

 
The seminars include:

NFPA 99: Standard for Health Care Facilities Update: James K. Lathrop, Vice President, Koffel Associates Since 2005, NFPA 99’s technical committees have been working to completely revamp this important standard. Join TC member James Lathrop as he discusses some of the major changes in store for the 2012 edition including changes to requirements for electrical equipment and systems, medical gasses, gasses equipment, and laboratories.

NFPA 3: Recommended Practice on Commissioning and Integrated Testing of Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems: Shane M. Clary, PhD, Vice President, Codes and Standards Compliance, Bay Alarm Company, Inc. In this seminar you will receive an overview of the new standard, as well as descriptions of each component of the commissioning plan. Join us to hear the what, where, when, and how of this new document—and to whom it applies.

NFPA 101®: Life Safety Code®: Changes Joe Versteeg, Principal, Versteeg Associates NFPA 101 addresses construction, protection, and occupancy features necessary to minimize danger to life from the effects of fire. Join TC member Joe Versteeg as he discusses some of the major updates planned for the 2012 edition of this vital code.

Fire Alarm Interfaces: Lawrence J. Wenzel, CFPS, PE, Sr. Fire Protection Engineer, Hughes Associates, Inc. Learn about systems and equipment that are typically controlled or monitored by the fire alarm system including: networked fire alarm systems, suppression systems, security systems, elevators, smoke doors, and HVAC. Designed for anyone involved with fire alarm interfaces including: designers, engineers, installers, inspectors, facility managers, insurers, and project managers.

If you haven’t yet registered for this year’s conference or would like to register for any of the above post-conference seminars, please visit the website here.

-Lauren Backstrom

Wildland Fire Management Section Sponsors Breakout Sessions at NFPA Conference

The Wildland Fire Management section is happy to announce it is sponsoring two breakout sessions during the NFPA Conference and Expo, June 12 -15 in Boston.  

The first will be held on Sunday, June 12 at 8:00 a.m. The topic of discussion is “ Brush and Wildland Fires: The Surprising Facts You Need to Know.” Then on Monday, June 13 at 11:00 a.m. we’ll present “Flames in the WUI:  How Wildfire Mitigation Planning Can Minimize Risk to People and Property.”

Visit our conference site to register and learn more about the sessions. Stay tuned for up-to-date information on the conference!

We hope to see you there.

--Dave Nuss, Director of Wildland Fire Operations Division

Conference Registration Discount for Technical Committee Members

It is National Volunteer Week and we wanted to be sure and thank all Technical Committee (TC) members for their support! In recognition of your commitment to the NFPA codes & standards process, we are extending a special 20% discount off your 2011 NFPA Conference & Expo registration.

NFPA Conference & Expo offers you the opportunity to select from more than 130 education sessions, choose from 26 pre- and post-conference seminars, meet with more than 300 solution providers at the Expo, and network with your colleagues. Mark your calendar now to attend the Conference along with these special events:

Committee Leadership Conference - Sunday, June 12, 8:00 am

The Committee Leadership Conference teaches NFPA committee officers how to carry out their duties and responsibilities. The conference is open to anyone who wishes to attend, but committee officers are required to attend one of these sessions.

NFPA Standards Forum - Monday, June 13, 2:00 pm

New NFPA members are invited to attend session M40, the NFPA Standards Forum. The Forum will provide a refresher about insights into the NFPA codes and standards development process. Hear about new changes to improve the overall committee member experience and the updates to the proposed Re-engineering of the codes and standards process, and how NFPA is planning to streamline the process.

Association Technical Meeting - Tuesday, June 14, 2:00 pm and Wednesday, June 15, 8:00 am

The NFPA's Association Technical Meeting (Technical Session) is an important step in developing a complete record to assist the Standards Council in determining the degree of consensus achieved on proposed changes to NFPA documents. During this meeting, NFPA members are given an opportunity to vote on proposed changes and members of the public can voice their opinions on these actions.

Register by May 6 for Early-Bird Savings!

TC member + NFPA member: $585 (After May 6, $650)
TC member only: $715 (After May 6, $795)

To activate your discount:
1. Go to the list of NFPA codes and standards
2. Sign-in on your Document Information page
3. On the Technical Committee tab, click on the Conference Registration link

For more information or to register by phone, call 1-888-397-6209 and mention priority code 3U-BAA-1Z.

Thank you again for your contributions to the codes and standards process. You help to make NFPA the foremost leader in overall fire protection and life safety. We look forward to seeing you in Boston!

-Lauren