NFPA Conference & Expo

Museum of Science and Industry tops the list for our Chicago native instructors

See what a couple of NFPA's Instructors have to say about their hometown Chicago.  What's the must see on their list?  

Jerry Schultz, PE shares his personal experience at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). "Having grown up in Chicago, I have been spoiled by all the city has to offer.  The architecture is unbelievable and the entire downtown area is fantastic but one place that has always fascinated me is the Museum of Science and Industry.  As a boy, I remember spending time at the museum just running from display to display to push the next button to see what happens.  As an adult, I have actually slowed down and read the displays yet I still hurry to push the next button only to wonder why these kids are moving so fast and beating me to the button.  The U-505 (German U-Boat captured during WWII) has been relocated inside and to watch the film on how it was captured and then tour the sub itself is an experience that all should have.  I may not be able to beat the kids to the buttons anymore but I still love the museum as a place to spend a day."

Like Jerry, Dean Larson, PhD is a big fan of the U-505, noting it was significant for two reasons: capture of the code machine which allowed the Allies to read the German submarine encrypted radio messages and it was the first time U.S. forces captured an enemy man-of-war since the War of 1812.  In his opinion, this is an "EXCELLENT exhibit".

If you make time to visit MOSI, be sure to tour the German submarine, enjoy the history and press lots of buttons!

Join Schultz for his 3-day pre-conference seminar on NFPA 13 Installation of Sprinkler Systems (2013) – June 8-10.  

Join Larson for his 2-day pre-conference seminar on NFPA 1600 Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs – June 8-9.

For discount passes to this and other top tourist attractions around Chicago, visit our discounts page.

Your opportunity to meet noted historian and Pulitzer Prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin!

Doris Kearns Goodwin, world-renowned historian and author of the best-selling book Team of Rivals:  The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, will be giving the keynote address at the NFPA Conference & Expo on Monday, June 10.  Team of Rivals was re-released to coincide with Steven Spielberg's new film Lincoln, based in part on the book.  Following the general session, there will be a book signing in the exhibit hall at booth #695 near the grand prize drawing area.  Stop by to meet Doris and bring one of her books to have it signed.  Since many of you are reading e-books these days we will also have complimentary photographs of Doris available for her to autograph. 

Be a firefighter for a day on Sunday, June 9th!

On Sunday, June 9th you can spend a full day at Chicago's Quinn Fire Academy! This is truly an experience that you will remember if you aren't a trained firefighter.

I participated in a similar day of training at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy last year. We received instruction, put on the HEAVY gear and used the breathing apparatus. Then we did search and rescue in darkened buildings, used different extinguishers, pulled hoses up flights of stairs, went up in the ladders and more! At the end of the day I was tired, exhilarated and had a new appreciation for the fire service! (That's me on the left in the picture and not too thrilled being up so high from the ground!)

Sunday, June 9th  | 8:15 AM - 3:45 PM

In Chicago, you'll learn how NFPA Standards are utilized in the design of personal protective equipment, self contained breathing apparatus, fire apparatus, and fire service training. After being briefed on how the Standard applies, you will receive basic safety instructions, don the equipment and participate in several firefighting evolutions, including: 

• exterior fire attack
• advancing a hose line up a staircase
• search and rescue
• fire apparatus overview and use of fire extinguishers for flammable liquid fires

This is your opportunity to experience what firefighters face and how NFPA Standards make a dangerous job safer. Past participants have included: fire protection engineers, architects, plan reviewers, building/code enforcement officials, facility owners/managers, fire protection systems designers, life safety consultants/special experts, and project managers.

The day’s activities comprise 6 firefighting skill evolutions and observing live fire demonstrations. You'll be offered firefighter protective clothing, consisting of fire coat and pants, boots, helmet, protective hood and gloves and it is recommended you wear comfortable work clothing such as jeans and work shirt. You'll be allowed to participate in the evolutions to your level of comfort and safety and can observe any evolution at any time, as opposed to direct participation. This is a rain or shine event. Class size is strictly limited due to hands-on instruction. Departure from McCormick Place at 8:15 am and return at 3:45 pm.  Get more registration info.

Inherent in this event is a level of risk and physical exertion. Participants will be required to be properly attired in work clothing, wear firefighter protective gear as offered by the Chicago Fire Department, and sign a waiver holding NFPA harmless from any loss, cost, damage or injury. NFPA may deny participation in appropriate circumstances.

 

There are still a handful of slots open for Sunday, June 9th. Firefighter for a Day:  NFPA Standards at Work.

Experience it with NFPA Technical Staff and City of Chicago Fire Department Staff at Chicago's Quinn Fire Academy! 

Did you know there is a Firefighters’ Memorial Park near McCormick Place?

Did you know there is a small yet beautiful park dedicated to honor the memory of Chicago’s fallen firefighters and paramedics?  It is called the Chicago Firefighter/Paramedic Memorial Park.  Located on the southeast side of McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center and adjacent to the Lakefront Trail, this landscaped 3.5 acre park faces Lake Michigan and can be seen in the distance from inside the convention center.  

The city funded the tree planting and landscaping, but the Gold Badge Society – which helps survivors of fallen firefighters and paramedics – provided the hand laid stones inscribed with 573 names of firefighters and paramedics who have lost their lives in the line of duty from 1857 until 2002.  There is also a bronze sculpture of a pair of boots and helmet by Sculptor and Firefighter/Paramedic John Alaniz.  The park was dedicated on September 11, 2002.

If you have some free time while at the NFPA Conference & Expo this June, stop by and check it out! 

Water Mist Solutions for Sensitive Environments

Consulting – Specifying Engineer, one of our NFPA Conference & Expo media partners, featured an article in a recent issue entitled, “Water Mist: A wise recipe for extinguishment”.

Water mist systems represent a preferred fire safety system selection for any situation where an abundant amount of applied water is not desired.

Water mist systems are implemented to protect electrical equipment rooms, flammable liquids storage areas, power generation utilities, oil and fuel pump rooms, museums, libraries, historic structures, data centers, and more.

By blanketing the fine-spray water droplets over a wide surface area, an activated system will maximize heat absorption while displacing oxygen. These systems also efficiently absorb and remove both smoke and toxic gases from a fire.

If you’re working on an application in buildings with sensitive equipment or materials, take a moment to read more.

And, be sure to visit NFPA Conference & Expo in Chicago where all the leading suppliers of water mist systems will be showing their latest solutions. The exhibitor list now features over 330 companies. Register for the expo for free (a $95 value) by calling 1-800-344-4555 or nfpa.org/conferenceregister.

Here is the list of NFPA codes and standards to be considered in Chicago

NFPA's Association Technical Meeting will begin at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, June 12 and will continue on Thursday, June 13. Only NFPA members of record as of December 14, 2012 who are currently in good standing are eligible to vote, and must have either a full conference registration or an Association Technical Meeting registration.

Wednesday, June 12
Starting at 2:00 PM

• Public Safety Telecommunicator Professional Qualifications
  NFPA 1061 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Public Safety Telecommunicator
• Structural and Proximity Fire Fighting Protective Clothing and Equipment
  NFPA 1851 Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting
• Fire Protection for Nuclear Facilities
  NFPA 801 Standard for Fire Protection for Facilities Handling Radioactive Materials
• Pyrotechnics
  NFPA 1123 Code for Fireworks Display
• Venting Systems for Cooking Appliances
  NFPA 96 Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations
• Liquefied Petroleum Gases
  NFPA 58 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code

Thursday, June 13
Starting at 8:00 AM

• National Electrical Code®
  NFPA 70 National Electrical Code®
• Road Tunnel and Highway Fire Protection
  NFPA 502 Standard for Road Tunnels, Bridges, and Other Limited Access Highways
• Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems
  NFPA 130 Standard for Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems
• Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Systems
  NFPA 25 Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems

Read more about the Association Technical Meeting in Chicago, including the Fall 2013 and Annual 2013 Motions Committee Reports, which includes the list of Consent Documents in these cycles that received no "Notice of Intent to Make a Motion" (NITMAM) or were forwarded directly to the Standards Council for issuance.

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Meet us in Chicago for 6 days of fire alarm and signaling training

Get access to a full week of building and life safety classes

Amazon top-rated books about Chicago

Are you interested in learning about Chicago, the host city to the 2013 NFPA Conference & Expo?  Or maybe you're just looking for a good book to read.   In the coming weeks, I'll be highlighting some of the customer top-rated (four and five star) books about Chicago from Amazon.com.  Have a favorite book about Chicago that you'd like to share? Tell us about it in the Comments section. Enjoy!

City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago

The masterfully told story of 12 volatile days in the life of Chicago, when an aviation disaster, a race riot, a crippling transit strike, and a sensational child murder roiled a city already on the brink of collapse. 

When 1919 began, the city of Chicago seemed on the verge of transformation. Modernizers had an audacious, expensive plan to turn the city from a brawling, unglamorous place into "the Metropolis of the World." But just as the dream seemed within reach, pandemonium broke loose--the city's highest ambitions suddenly under attack by the same unbridled energies that had given birth to them in the first place. 

It began on a balmy Monday afternoon when a blimp in flames crashed through the roof of a busy downtown bank, incinerating those inside. Within days, a racial incident at a hot, crowded South Side beach spiraled into one of the worst urban riots in American history, followed by a transit strike that paralyzed the city. Then, when it seemed as if things could get no worse, police searching for a six-year-old girl discovered her body in a dark, North Side basement. 

Meticulously researched yet expertly paced, City of Scoundrels captures the tumultuous birth of the modern American city, with all of its light and dark aspects in vivid relief.  By Gary Krist.

Meet us in Chicago for 6 days of fire alarm and signaling training

Plan an entire week of fire alarm and signaling training at NFPA Conference & Expo. Take a 2- or 3-day seminar, then mix and match 3 days of classes from over 150 fire and life safety classes. Classes in the detection and notification track delve into the code requirements and design issues affecting the application of new technologies in alarm and signaling systems, and the impact of maintenance on system performance. Plus, check out the expo where there will be over 330 companies, several of which are industry leaders in signaling products and services!

Pre-Conference Seminars

NFPA 72^® National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (2013)

Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Fire Alarms Certificate (2013 NFPA 72^®)

Conference Sessions - Monday, June 10

8:00 – 9:00 AM
M05 Fire Detection Performance and Requirements in High Airflow Environments (Data Centers and Telecommunications)
M11 Smoke Alarm Response and Tenability in Residential Structures

9:30 – 10:30 AM
M29 Parameters for Indirect Viewing of Visual Signals Used in Emergency Notification

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
M50 Mass Notification System Maintenance—A College Perspective

Conference Sessions - Tuesday, June 11

8:00 – 9:00 AM
Featured Presentation:  The Pentagon, Fire and Life Safety — Ten Years Later

9:30 – 10:30 AM
T16 Electrical Transformer Fire Detection and Suppression
T18 2013 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code — Changes

2:45 – 3:45 PM
T42 Flame Detection for Silane and Other Pyrophoric Non-Hydrocarbon Fires

4:15 – 5:15 PM
T69 Fire Alarm System Documentation Requirements — Understanding the New Chapter 7

Conference Sessions - Wednesday, June 12

9:30 – 10:30 AM
W23 Performance Based Design: Fire Alarm Visual Notification Appliances — Mathematical Guide

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
W40 Notification Appliance Requirements of NFPA 72, 2013 Edition

NFPA Conference & Expo. Register today.

$24 in 24 in Chicago

Ever hear of Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King on the Food Network?  Well he’s from
Chicago and he’s taking his passion for food to the streets, searching for the
best budget-friendly eats across America. With just $24 he’ll hunt down
breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes in only 24 hours. 

Find out his picks on $24 in 24  or discover your own and share it with us!

Jeff Mauro, winner of the seventh season of Food Network Star, now hosts the
cooking show Sandwich King and the new series $24 in 24.

Sprinklers and more! Design a schedule with a full week of fire suppression classes.

Plan an entire week of fire suppression training at NFPA Conference & Expo. Take a 2- or 3-day seminar, then mix and match 3 days of classes from 25 classes. Classes in the Fire Suppression track delve into the proper design, installation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and plan review for sprinkler systems. Plus, what a great opportunity to check out the expo with over 330 companies, several of which are industry leaders in fire suppression products and services!

Pre-Conference Seminars

NFPA 13 Installation of Sprinkler Systems (2013)

Special Suppression Systems

Changes to NFPA 25 Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems (2014 Edition)

Conference Sessions - Monday, June 10

8:00 – 9:00 AM
M06 Large Loss Fires and Their Connection with Fire Sprinkler Performance
M12 Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion — An Overview
M17 Protection for Storage Occupancies 101

9:30 – 10:30 AM
M27 Applying NFPA 25: Design Evaluation vs. ITM

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
M39 Flammability Characterization of Lithium Ion Batteries for Storage Protection
M46 NFPA 13 Sprinkler Omission Rules Explained 

Conference Sessions - Tuesday, June 11

8:00 – 9:00 AM
Featured Presentation: The Pentagon, Fire and Life Safety — Ten Years Later

9:30 – 10:30 AM
T10 Testing and Reclassification of Aerosol Cooking Oil Sprays
T15 Using Live Side-by-Side Burns to Enhance Controlled Training Fires to Educate and Advocate for Greater Safety
T16 Electrical Transformer Fire Detection and Suppression

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
T28 NFPA 25, 2014 Edition: What Is New and Different?
T34 What Fire Protection Engineers Should Know About Fire Fighting
T36 Residential Sprinkler Update (NFPA 13/13R/13D)

2:45 – 3:45 PM
T41 Evaluating Fire Protection for Automatic Storage and Retrieval Systems
T44 Road Tunnel Fire Safety — Compatibility of Fixed Suppression and Evacuation

4:15 – 5:15 PM
T61 Sprinkler Protection Criteria for Exposed Expanded Group A Plastics
T64 Changes to the 2014 Edition of the Standard on Commercial Cooking (NFPA 96)

Conference Sessions - Wednesday, June 12

8:00 – 9:00 AM
W04 Impact of Home Fire Sprinklers on Fire Injury
W06 Recent Developments in Clean Fire Suppression Agents
W13 Protecting Vegetable Oil in Consumer Packaging in 40-Foot-High Buildings
W16 Fire Performance Evaluation of K25 Standard-Response Upright Sprinkler for Protection of Rack Storage of Group A Plastic Commodity

9:30 – 10:30 AM
W22 Sprinkler Protection for Cloud Ceilings
W28 Plastic Aerosols: A Unique Path to the Market

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
W49 Engineering Performance of Water Mist Fire Protection Systems with Antifreeze
W52 Reviewing Sprinkler Hydraulics

NFPA Conference & Expo. Register today.