The NFPA Podcast

Dampers are usually hidden away in ducts or ceiling cavities and seldom get much attention, but they're a critical part of the fire protection strategy for many buildings. In a new Code Corner, NFPA Engineer Shawn Mahoney gives us a rundown of the different types of dampers, how they work, and what NFPA standards say (1:31). Then, we are joined by two experts from the National Energy Management In...

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are three words that have quickly risen priority lists at fire departments across the world in recent years. While most agree on the importance of having a diverse and inclusive workforce, what do those words actually mean in practice for the fire service? Why has DEI increasingly become such an emphasis, and what does success in this area for the fire service ulti...

The latest data from NFPA shows that the number of fires in buildings under construction has been steadily rising over the past several years. On average, US fire departments respond to nearly a dozen such fires every single day. In this episode, we sit down with Kevin Carr, the NFPA staff liaison to NFPA 241, Standard for Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations, to discus...

About 80 percent of female firefighters say that their personal protective clothing doesn't fit right, and studies show that ill-fitting gear puts women at greater risk of being injured on the job. Today on the podcast, we talk to two textile researchers who measured dozens of female firefighters as part of a multi-year project on turnout gear for women. They tell us why designing protective cloth...

In his stunning new book, American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics, former paramedic Kevin Hazzard explores the largely forgotten history of the Freedom House Ambulance Service. Hazzard joined the podcast to talk about his book, the early beginnings of EMS, and how a dedicated group of men from a downtrodden section of Pittsburg paved the way for...

Today on the podcast we examine one of NFPA's oldest and most significant publications, the Fire Protection Handbook. Guests Nick Dawe, a fire marshal in Georgia, and Casey Grant, a fire protection engineering consultant and longtime NFPA employee, discuss what the FPH means to them and what's new in the new edition. It's been 15 years since the last edition of the handbook was published. Copies o...

As cold weather begins to move into the northern latitudes, families all over the world are struggling with high heating bills, leading some to make desperate choices that can dramatically increase fire risks. On today's podcast, a prevention officer and public health expert from the United Kingdom's National Fire Chiefs Council share the work being done in the UK to help firefighters reduce these...

We are ringing in the New Year by rerunning one of our favorite episodes of all time, which originally aired in January 2017. It might seem strange now, but firefighters dying from falling off fire trucks used to be a huge problem—from 1977 to 1987, an average of nearly four firefighters died this way each year. That all changed after the 1987 publication of NFPA 1500, the first fire service occup...

Believe it or not, a reported home fire in the US today is more likely to be fatal than it was in 1980. In fact, a new NFPA report reveals that the number of fire deaths per 1,000 reported home fires has risen 13 percent over the last 40 years. On today's podcast, we talk to NFPA's director of research and its vice president of Outreach and Advocacy about why home fires are more dangerous now, why...

Shockingly, cooking fires now kill more people on average per year in the US than they did in the 1980s. As Thanksgiving nears, we are re-airing this episode from November 2020 looking at this growing problem. First, Jesse talks to an NFPA communications manager about cooking fire causes and the resources available for prevention educators (1:57). Then we explore the science behind those viral vid...

When hurricane Ian tore through Florida in September, it left a trail of destruction—but not at Babcock Ranch, a 2,000-home development designed to be both sustainable and to withstand the worst natural disasters. Today on the podcast, we speak to an engineer who lives in and helped design Babcock Ranch about the community's unique features, as well as the growing trend toward building resiliency...

For years, flame retardant chemicals have presented a catch 22. When applied to furniture they can help prevent fire ignition and potentially save lives, however, many scientists believe the chemicals are harmful to both human health and the environment. Today on the podcast, we talk to pair of experts about the ongoing debate over the use of flame retardants, as well as some exciting breakthrough...

A new book called California Burning details Pacific Gas & Electric's 117-year rise to becoming one of the largest utilities in the United States—as well as how the company's negligence, a changing climate, and state energy policy have all contributed to devastating wildfires in California. Today on the podcast, we welcome the book's author, Wall Street Journal energy reporter Katherine Blunt, to...

Thirty years ago, NFPA released NFPA 921, the world's first comprehensive guide on fire and explosion investigation. Since then, the profession has advanced leaps and bounds. However, a recent report on the profession argues that fire investigation can still be more art than science, with a lack of consistency, no system of peer review, and no higher-education requirements for investigators. On to...

On January 19, 2000, Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos, then 18- year- old freshman roommates at Seton Hall University, were severely burned when the residence hall they lived in caught fire. The blaze, one of the worst at a college campus in US history, killed three students and injured more than 50 others. Shawn and Alvaro now travel the country speaking to students and responders about their journ...

For more than 50 years, firefighters have relied on aqueous film forming foam—better known as AFFF—to quickly and effectively put out dangerous liquid fuel fires. However, due to health and environmental concerns, AFFF is now being rapidly phased out across the world. On today's podcast, we talk with one of the world's leading researchers on firefighting foams about why AFFF is going away, the wor...

As the number and severity of wildfires increase in many parts of the world, experts have concerns over what the health impacts of wildfire smoke inhalation might be. In today's episode, we hear from three researchers who are studying that topic by exposing mice to wildland fire smoke. So far, their research suggests inhaling wildfire smoke can lead to serious lung, heart, and even reproductive is...

In May, journalists Madison Hopkins and Cecilia Reyes were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for their investigative series, "The Failures Before the Fires," which exposed dangerous systemic flaws in how Chicago handles building code enforcement. On today's podcast, Hopkins and Reyes join us to discuss the details of their award-winning investigation, how the enforcement process can be biased in favor of l...

SMART fire sprinklers, which use less water and can employ a range of sensors to target exactly where a fire is happening, have potential to be a game changer, according to some experts.   Today on the podcast, Jesse talks to Dr. Yibing Xin, a research manager at FM Global, who has conducted numerous fire tests on these devices. He discusses how the technology works, and what these and other SMART...

From elevators that can decapitate you to grills that can explode in your face, short-term rental properties aren't short on things that can hurt you—or worse. In fact, short-term rental safety expert Justin Ford calls these properties the most dangerous sector of the travel and hospitality industry. In this episode, Angelo sits down with Ford to discuss a brief history of the short-term rental ma...

Battery-powered electric bicycles and scooters, collectively known as micromobility devices, have exploded in popularity in recent years, but so too have fires involving these devices. From New York City to India, e-bikes and e-scooters batteries have sparked fires that have killed dozens of people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars of property. Today on the podcast, Angelo interviews...

In 2011, longtime electrician Brandon Schroeder was involved in an accident on the job that left him severely burned and without the use of his hand. After a long and grueling recovery, Schroeder became a vocal advocate for electrical worker safety and now travels the country to offer his own story as a warning. In honor of Electrical Safety Month, we invited Schroeder on the podcast to discuss hi...

For more than a decade, the small, wooded town of Grizzly Flats, California has participated in Firewise USA, an NFPA program where residents voluntarily work together on community projects to lessen their risks from wildfire. In August 2021, however, the Caldor Fire tore through Grizzly Flats, putting its mitigation efforts through a major test.   Today on the podcast, we talk to Megan Fitzgerald...

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) has taken on an unrelenting burden since Russian forces invaded more than two months ago. Among other tasks, the SES's 60,000 responders put out fires, search for survivors buried under rubble, clear landmines, and recover the dead—all while being shot at and shelled by the Russian military. On today's episode, we speak with a top SES official about the...

Research suggests that two-thirds of US adults aged 65 and older use at least three prescription medications. Meanwhile, older adults are twice as likely as the general population to experience a fatal fire, and deaths and injuries from accidental falls have skyrocketed in this age group over the last decade. It begs the question: Do certain prescription drugs increase the fall and fire risks for...