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36:27

Not many artists actually hail from Tennessee, but the scenic valleys and rolling hills of The Volunteer State are part of Dustin Lynch’s DNA. In this episode of On the Bus, Country Thunder CEO Troy Vollhoffer sits down with Dustin to discuss his journey from playing fraternity parties and weddings across the southeast to being the first country artist with a club residency at the Wynn in Las Vegas. Plus, stick around for our new segment, Thunder Strike, where Troy features upcoming festival performer Riley Green’s hit song “Damn Good Day to Leave” to give you a taste of what’s to come at Country Thunder in 2025.…

The NFPA Podcast

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The NFPA Podcast is the place for safety professionals to stay up to speed on the fast-paced world of electrical, fire, and life safety. Hear in-depth conversations with people out in the field about how they are confronting new challenges and staying on top of emerging technologies to keep the world safe. Listen the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Email jroman@nfpa.org to send feedback or recommend a topic for future episodes.

230 episodes

The NFPA Podcast

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updated 6 days ago

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230 episodes

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The NFPA Podcast

1
The Construction Fire Problem 31:40

6 days ago31:40

31:40

As the weather in the Northern Hemisphere starts to shift to spring and construction season gears up, we revisist an episode from 2021 about the costly ongoing problem of fires in buildings under construction. In the United States, there's a fire in a building under construction or renovation every hour and a half, according to NFPA data. On this podcast, Angelo speaks with Kevin Carr (4:15), NFPA staff liaison to NFPA 241, Standard for Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations, to learn more about construction site fires and how to prevent them. Plus, a safety executive with a large Maryland-based construction company and the chair of the NFPA 241 technical committee weigh in on why they think NFPA 241 is underutilized and how that could change (22:24). Links: Read more about the latest edition of NFPA 241 and NFPA trainings related to construction site fire safety: https://www.nfpa.org/safetyfirst…

The NFPA Podcast

1
The Assault on Safety, Part 2 52:24

20 days ago52:24

52:24

This is the second part of our series looking at how fire and life safety codes are being delayed, erased, and watered down across the United States. On this episode, we talk to Ohio State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon about some of the challenges he's facing in his state, strategies to counter misguided legislative efforts, and why the fire service needs to get more involved if we are to reverse this dangerous trend (1:36). Then, NFPA Southeast Regional Director Robby Dawson chats with building code officials from Texas and Iowa about their local code enforcement experiences, the broader challenges facing building officials, and how NFPA can help (32:11). LINKS: Read, "The Assault on Safety," the cover story of the Spring 2025 issue of NFPA Journal.…

The NFPA Podcast

1
The Assault on Safety, Part 1 39:29

5 weeks ago39:29

39:29

There is a serious threat to safety happening now that isn’t getting nearly enough attention, according to many state fire marshals and fire service leaders. Across the U.S., anti-regulatory sentiments and well financed lobbying efforts are persuading lawmakers to weaken or erase the longstanding fire and life safety codes intended to keep the public safe. Today’s podcast is the first of two parts on this important issue, which is the also the topic of the cover story of the Spring 2025 issue of NFPA Journal. This week, we speak to Butch Browning, the executive director of the National Association of State Fire Marshals, about why safety codes are being delayed and dismantled, the effect it is having, and what fire and safety officials can do to reverse this dangerous trend. Links: Read “The Assault on Safety,” the cover story of the Spring 2025 issue of NFPA Journal.…

The NFPA Podcast

1
Making LA More Resilient 52:04

7 weeks ago52:04

52:04

As the Los Angeles area wildfires exploded in early January, a nonprofit organization called MySafe:LA leapt into action, disseminating timely information to guide residents through the chaos. But public messaging is just one of countless ways the group has worked to boost safety in greater LA. Over almost 20 years, MySafe:LA has grown into one of the most unique and comprehensive public/private safety and resiliency organizations in the U.S. Today on the podcast, we talk to David and Cameron Barrett, the husband-and-wife duo who founded and run MySafe:LA, about their organization, its role during and after the LA wildfires, and how safety-minded citizens in other cities can build their own programs to boost resiliency where they live. Links: Check out the MySafe:LA website Check out the Safe Community Project website Check out the group’s wildfire preparedness page Check out the new podcast Rebuild:LA See NFPA’s Outthink Wildfire , and its community risk reduction resources…

The NFPA Podcast

1
The Act that Transformed Fire Safety 52:46

9 weeks ago52:46

52:46

In 1973, fire killed and injured more people in the United States than in any other industrialized nation in the world. The next year, Congress passed the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act, a landmark bill that made significant investments in fire research, training, and education. Within a few decades, the U.S. had transformed from a fire-prone outlier, to arguably the safest country in the world. Today on the podcast, we talk to Dick Gann, one of the most prolific fire researchers in U.S. history, about a new paper that he co-authored that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Fire Prevention and Control Act. We discuss the legacy of this legislation, and explore several of the research achievements — many of which Gann himself was directly involved with — that have dramatically improved fire safety in the United States over the last half century. LINKS: Read the NIST Report, “A Legacy of Fire Safety” Read the NFPA Journal article by Jesse Roman about why the Fire Prevention and Control Act is still more relevant than ever…

The NFPA Podcast

1
Big Storage, Bigger Questions 44:18

11 weeks ago44:18

44:18

Modern warehouses and distribution centers are huge. Some have footprints larger than 60 American football fields and are filled with densely packed racks up to 100 feet tall. When a giant building like this catches fire, what can firefighters do? Today on the podcast, we talk to a veteran firefighter and a fire protection engineer who just co-authored a detailed report on the many challenges that the fire service faces in responding these storage fires. We find out what we know, what we need to find out, how modern warehouses are changing, and what fire departments should be doing now to prepare for fires in these giant facilities. LINKS: Read the full Fire Protection Research Foundation report: “Identifying Challenges to Fire Service Response in Storage Settings.”…

The NFPA Podcast

1
The LA Wildfires 40:53

13 weeks ago40:53

40:53

In the last week, huge swaths of metro Los Angeles have been devastated by wildfires fueled by parched vegetation and hurricane force winds. The images and videos of once vibrant neighborhoods reduced to smoldering ash are, in a word, horrifying. Today on the podcast, we try to make sense of what is happening in Los Angeles and what may come next. I talk to NFPA’s wildfire expert Michele Steinberg about the speed of the fires, the response, the lack of water, the evacuation, and the critical decisions that must be made next to ensure that LA is prepared for future wildfires. LINKS Visit MySafeLA, a community organization that has been helping spread critical safety messages to residents on the ground in the LA area Read Michele Steinberg’s latest NFPA Journal column urging Congress to act to help alleiviate the U.S.’s wildfire crisis…

The NFPA Podcast

1
Artificial Intelligence and the Fire Service 43:04

16 weeks ago43:04

43:04

You could make the argument that artificial intelligence was the most consequential new technology for fire and life safety in 2024. Several fire departments began dabbling with AI this year, and some even hope to have operational AI in the coming year. As we head into 2025, we thought it was a good time to revisit our most listened to episode of 2024, Jesse's interview with Preet Bassi, the CEO of the Center for Public Safety Excellence, about how artificial intelligence technologies could impact the fire service. How might fire departments use AI? What are the dangers? What guardrails need to be in place to ensure that the technology is reliable and safe? We pose those questions and many more to Preet. Links: Read the Winter 2024 NFPA Journal cover story on how fire departments, and others involved in life safety may soon be using artificial intelligence…

The NFPA Podcast

1
A New Dawn for Smoke Alarms 45:11

18 weeks ago45:11

45:11

This summer, long-awaited changes to the standard that sets the performance requirements for smoke alarms went into effect, marking a new era for the technology. For the first time, smoke alarms must now pass a test to show they are resistant to nuisance alarms triggered by cooking smoke. On today’s podcast, smoke alarm researcher Thomas Clearly from NIST joins to discuss the evolution of smoke alarm technology, the challenges of nuisance alarms, and how effective this new generation of smoke alarms are at reduceing nuisance alarms from cooking (4:44). Then, on Code Corner, engineer Shawn Mahoney discusses what NFPA standards say about smoke alarm placement (38:25).…

The NFPA Podcast

1
International Hospital Fires 25:32

20 weeks ago25:32

25:32

Although hospital fires are rare in the United States, that’s not the case around the world. Recent deadly fires at hospitals in India —including a fire in November that killed 10 newborn babies — show how hard it is to protect these complex facilities. In light of these recent tragedies, we are revisiting an episode from 2020 that looks at the reasons behind the higher occurrences of fire in hospitals around the world, compared to the U.S., and the initiatives and trends that experts hope will help fix the problem. Read a 2020 NFPA Journal feature story about the high occurance of fire in health care facilities around the world.…

The NFPA Podcast

1
The Single Exit Stair Debate 33:40

22 weeks ago33:40

33:40

Nearly all jurisdictions in the United States enforce codes that require two exit stairwells in residential buildings above three or four stories. Housing advocates say that increasing the cap to six stories will lead to better housing options and lower costs. That logic has persuaded lawmakers in some U.S. states to pass laws that raise the allowed height of single exit stair buildings, bypassing state building codes. These changes have alarmed fire officials, who say that having taller buildings with only one stairwell puts the lives of residents and firefighters at risk. With that as the backdrop, NFPA recently held a symposium where experts from both sides of the debate gathered to make their case and come to a better understanding. Today on the podcast, we talk to an NFPA engineer who helped organize the symposium. She explains the reasoning on both sides of the argument, what was learned from the discussions, and why single exit stair rules are suddenly such a big deal in statehouses and the code development world. LINKS: Read the recent NFPA Journal cover story on the single exit stair debate, “Single Exit, Many Questions.” Read the recently released NFPA report detailing the findings from the Single Exit Stair Symposium.…

The NFPA Podcast

1
Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems 36:02

25 weeks ago36:02

36:02

As online retail flourishes, distribution centers are installing new and more advanced automated storage and retrieval systems (or ASRS). These systems are like enormous vending machines that store, organize, and move product around the facility. The systems save time and space but have also introduced several new fire risks into storage operations. Today on the podcast, we talk to a safety risk consultant and engineer who has worked on numerous ASRS projects. We discuss how these systems work, the safety challenges, and some of the new designs that are keeping fire protection engineers up at night (2:46). Then, on a new Code Corner, engineer Shawn Mahoney discusses another concern for warehouses: making sure there is enough water supply for their massive fire sprinkler systems (28:52). LINKS Check out a blog that illustrates the various types of ASRS…

The NFPA Podcast

1
Babcock Ranch and the Future of Resilient Design 37:54

27 weeks ago37:54

37:54

When hurricane Ian tore through Florida in September 2022, 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 and what it could mean for the future of disaster recovery (3:46). This episode first aired in November 2022. Links NBC News list of local and national charities to help victims of Hurricane Helene Watch the 60 Minutes segment on Babcock Ranch Read a 2015 NFPA Journal cover story on the concept of disaster resiliency…

The NFPA Podcast

1
Make Smoke Alarms Work For You 40:37

29 weeks ago40:37

40:37

This month, a comprehensive new survey on smoke alarm use in the U.S. found that 16 percent of households—as many as 53 million people—do not having working smoke alarms. The new report comes just in time for Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 6-12), which will focus on smoke alarm use and maintenance. On today’s podcast, two NFPA experts discuss the findings of the new report, and why it is more critical than ever for residents to be educated about how to keep their smoke alarms working (3:04). Then, on a new Code Corner, engineer Shawn Mahoney tells us what the code says about where to locate smoke alarms in residential homes (33:27). LINKS: Visit the Fire Prevention Week 2024 homepage. Read the new U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report on smoke and CO alarm usage in the U.S.…

The NFPA Podcast

1
CRR's Hidden Challenges 48:21

31 weeks ago48:21