The NFPA Podcast

Over the last decade or so, community risk reduction (CRR) has gone from a novelty to perhaps the biggest buzz term in the safety industry. And while more CRR is a great thing, its surging popularity has also caused some safety departments to rush out CRR programs before taking time to analyze their data to understand the what, whys, and hows of their plan. Without data and careful planning, departments might be spending time, money, and precious staff hours on efforts where the impact is dubious or unknown. To help us sort out the good CRR from the bad, we are joined by Fire Chief Landon Churchill, a passionate and experienced CRR leader. We chat about what effective CRR looks like, what it doesn't look like, how even the best of intentions can go sideways, and the key elements fire departments need to ensure that their efforts have the greatest impact. LINKS: Visit NFPA's CRR homepage to see tips, tools, resources. Learn more about NFPA 1300, Standard for Community Risk Assessement and Community Risk Reduction Plan Development. To sign up for NFPA's monthly CRR Kitchen Table, email crr@nfpa.org

In the United States, when someone calls 911 the call is routed to an operator at a public safety answering point, or PSAP. But news outlets across the country are finding that local PSAPs are struggling, and that 911 callers are waiting longer to get help. Today on the podcast, we speak to a researcher who just surveyed dozens of PSAPs to find out how well they are able to meet the call answering and processing times required by NFPA standards. The results were eye-opening. This episode first aired in June, 2023. Then, on a new Code Corner, with construction season about to ramp up, engineer Shawn Mahoney talks about the role of the fire prevention program manager on construction sites. LINKS: Read the 2023 NFPA Journal feature story, "Please Hold," about the challenges facing America's 911 dispatch system. Read the Fire Protection Research Foundation report on 911 dispatch call centers See the latest on NFPA 241, Standard for Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations Episode Image: Lauren Sauceda answers an emergency 911 call while working at her desk at the Harris County Emergency 9-1-1 Dispatch Center in Houston. Michael Paulsen/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images.

In even the most destructive wildfires, some structures survive untouched while everything around them is incinerated. It begs the question: What factors are most responsible for determining if a home is destroyed or survives during these events? A team of researchers spent years trying to answer that important question. They gathered massive troves of data from California's most destructive wildfires, then used artificial intelligence machine learning to analyze what factors make the biggest difference in home survivability. On today's podcast, we talk to wildfire researcher and study co-author Michael Gollner about what the team found out, how they did it, and how this valuable information will be used. We also discuss whether AI is changing the way we study and think about wildfire. LINKS: Read the wildfire research paper we discussed in this episode. Read the NFPA Journal article about this project Learn more about the Firewise USA program at NFPA

Not long ago, a dirty, sooty turnout coat and helmet was a badge of honor in the fire service—tangible proof that a firefighter was in the action. But as concern grew about the high levels of cancer in the fire service, that culture has totally flipped. Now, fire departments around the world are going to great lengths to ensure that their members never have to wear a uniform covered in carcinogens. But to do that, you need to know when it's actually clean. That isn't as easy as it sounds. For the past 10 years, PPE expert Jeff Stull has helped lead a Fire Protection Research Foundation project focused on answering those questions. Stull joins the podcast today to discuss the complexities of figuring out how clean is clean, the impacts the project has had on firefighter health, and what further research needs to be done as we move into the next generation of PPE. LINKS: Read Jeff Stull's NFPA Journal Feature story about the project and its impacts Read the project's scope, aims, and final reports Learn more about the new NFPA 1850

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 U.S. history, killed three students and injured nearly 60 others. Shawn and Alvaro now travel the country speaking to students and responders about their journey. Today on the podcast, we chat with them about the Seton Hall fire, their grueling recovery, and what parents, students, and first responders need to know as students return to campuses this month. This episode first aired in September 2022. LINKS: NFPA assets and information on campus fire safety and Campus Fire Safety Month The Center for Campus Fire Safety Learn more about Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos and see clips from the documentary, "After the Fire" If you have questions, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hello, you can reach The NFPA Podcast at podcast@nfpa.org.

Decades from now when we name at the seminal fires from the 21st Century, the Grenfell Tower fire in London, which killed 72 people in June 2017, will certainly be the list. Today on the podcast, we consider Grenfell's enduring lessons with Jose Torero, one of the world's most prominent fire protection engineers and a key figure in the United Kingdom's seven-year public inquiry into the tragedy. It's safe to say that no one has a better technical understanding than Torero of the underlying causes and impactful lessons of Grenfell— lessons that have already reshaped how people across the world think about regulation and building protection. LINKS: Read the final report from the United Kingdom's extensive inquiry into the causes of the Grenfell Tower Fire. Read an in-depth NFPA Journal report exploring the UK's final Grenfell report. Watch Jose Torero's keynote presentation from the 2025 NFPA Conference & Expo.

Since 2022, New York has experienced more than 800 fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries, leading to 30 deaths and more than 400 injuries. The sudden explosion of battery incidents led FDNY in 2023 to form the Lithium-Ion Task Force, a specialized unit dedicated to addressing the growing threat of fires caused by batteries, particularly those used in e-bikes and e-scooters. Today on the podcast, we talk to John Orlando, the FDNY fire marshal who led the Lithium-Ion Task Force until recently. We chat about the causes and scope of New York City's battery problems, the work of the task force, and how other departments and jurisdictions can work together to achieve similar results, even without FDNY's considerable resources. LINKS: See FDNY videos, campaign resources, regulations and more related to lithium-ion batteries See NFPA resources related to lithium-ion batteries Read NFPA Journal articles on: The growing concern about lithium-ion consumer products in homes; The copious amounts of research happening now to better understand and mitigate battery hazards; The growing concerns about the fire safety of e-bikes and other micro-mobility devices; The lessons from the Surprise, Arizona energy storage system explosion.

As summer weather begins in the Northern Hemisphere, we revisit this very relevant episode from 2023. Heatwaves aren't just uncomfortable, they are deadly for millions of people around the globe each year. Recognizing this growing threat, governments and safety departments are starting to reconsider their vulnerabilities to heat and are taking action to protect their populations and infrastructure. Today on the podcast, we talk to Eleni Myrivili, who was appointed as the first ever World Chief Heat Officer by the United Nations in 2022. Her job is to help cities think harder about heat and come up with plans to mitigate its effects (3:30). Then, on a new Code Corner, engineer Val Ziavras answers specific questions about how to calculate occupant load in the Life Safety Code· (47:00). LINKS Read the heat action plans for Ahmedabad, India and Miami-Dade County Heat action platform to help create a heat action plan in your community