May 23, 2013 – As the Memorial Day Weekend kicks off the unofficial start of summer, grillers everywhere are dusting off their spatulas and are eager to let the grilling season commence. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is recommending that grillers be mindful of safety, especially as the peak months for grilling fires, June and July, approach. While gas grills contribute to a higher number of home fires than their charcoal counterparts, all grills pose a risk for fires and burns.

May 20, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is sponsoring the “Fire Service Safety & Health Quiz” Sweepstakes in conjunction with International Fire/EMS Safety and Health Week, which will be June 16-22, 2013. The theme of the week, and of the contest, will be “Saving Our Own… An Inside Job.”

May 17, 2012 ? The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Firewise® Communities Program reached a milestone and announced the 900th community to earn recognition as a Firewise Communities/USA® site. The city of Lakeway in Travis County, Texas is the latest neighborhood to take action to improve residents’ safety from threats posed by brush, grass and forest fires.

May 16, 2013 – Recent wildfires in Minnesota and Wisconsin highlight the threat to homes and property in communities across the Midwest. According to news reports, the Germann Road Fire in Douglas and Bayfield Counties in northwest Wisconsin burned 9,000 acres while just across the border in northern Minnesota, the Green Valley Fire has consumed more than 7,000 acres. Dry and windy conditions continue to contribute to an outbreak of wildfires across both states, and many homes and commercial properties remain under threat.

May 9, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Firewise Communities/USA® Recognition Program is honoring 34 official Firewise communities from 17 states as they each celebrate a 10-year anniversary of continued participation and successes in reducing wildfire risks. The communities were nationally recognized in 2004, and were among the earliest adopters of the Firewise Communities/USA process.

May 9, 2013 – The Fire Protection Research Foundation (Foundation) has released a report on a study of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. The Foundation, an affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and its affiliated Property Insurance Research Group (PIRG) requested a study of the flammability of Li-ion batteries in bulk storage to inform the development of sprinkler protection criteria.

Sunday May 19, 2013 marks the beginning of National EMS Week and presents an opportunity to honor the men and women who deliver pre-hospital 9-1-1 emergency medical care throughout the United States. This vital public safety service is provided primarily by cross-trained, multi-role emergency responders who are based in our nation’s fire departments.

May 5, 2013 – The recent Springs Fire in Ventura County near Malibu, on the Pacific Coast, highlights the threats to homes and property from wildfire in communities across California. Driven by windy, dry conditions, the fire has burned close to 8,000 acres and many homes and commercial properties remain under threat.

May 1, 2013 – Electrical fires remain one of the top causes of home structure fires, according to a new report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The Home Electrical Fires report estimates that an electrical failure or malfunction factored in 45,000 to 55,000 home structure fires reported to the U.S. fire departments every year since 2000.

April 30, 2013 – Fellowships were awarded to four senior fire officials to participate in the Harvard University Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program, co-sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

April 30, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Firewise® Communities Program named Patti Maguire the Firewise advisor for its Southwest 2 Region to help expand the association’s community wildfire safety activities. Maguire will join the program’s five existing regional advisors and oversee Firewise activities in communities in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.

April 25, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced the new Company Officers Responsibility for Incident Safety (CORFIS) program. The program was developed to serve as a resource for fire officers and others whom are responsible for supervising firefighters during firefighting operations. NFPA teamed up with Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) of Ashland, Massachusetts which will add this program to their existing library of training programs and deliver it to the U.S. fire service.

April 25, 2013- The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) appointed Donald P. Bliss as vice president of Field Operations. In his new position, Bliss will oversee NFPA’s International Division, Government Affairs Division and NFPA’s Regional Operations.

April 25, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced the new Company Officers Responsibility for Incident Safety (CORFIS) program. The program was developed to serve as a resource for fire officers and others whom are responsible for supervising firefighters during firefighting operations. NFPA teamed up with Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) of Ashland, Massachusetts which will add this program to their existing library of training programs and deliver it to the U.S. fire service.

April 23, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) new report on home fires shows that U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 366,600 home structure fires from 2007-2011. Seven people died each day in U.S. home fires, on average, and older adults were the age group most likely to die in a home fire. Cooking equipment remains the leading cause of home structure fires and home fire injuries; however, smoking materials persist as the leading cause of home fire deaths, according to the report.

April 22, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced the 2013 Fire Prevention Week theme: “Prevent Kitchen Fires.” NFPA selected this theme to encourage greater care when cooking and an awareness of kitchen fire dangers. As cooking is the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries, NFPA will use the week of October 6-12 to promote safe kitchen habits with stoves, microwaves and other appliances. Remaining attentive while cooking and managing how close children and pets are to anything hot will help keep families safe.

April 18, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released an updated report on the Total Cost of Fire in the United States. It can be seen from the report that the total cost of fire in 2010, adjusted for inflation, is 38 percent higher than in 1980, while its proportion of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) has declined by roughly one-third.

April 16, 2013 – The Fire Sprinkler Initiative® (FSI), a project of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), announced its first recipient of the Home Fire Sprinkler Champion Award: Tom Lia, the executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board for over a decade.

April 12, 2013 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced the release of a new DVD, Before the Smoke! Preparing Your Community for Wildfire (Strategies for Small & Volunteer Fire Departments). Aimed at small and volunteer fire departments in the wildland/urban interface (WUI), Before the Smoke! emphasizes the importance of relationship-building between local fire departments and residents, and how these partnerships can make a marked difference in a community’s effort to reduce its wildfire risk despite department budget cuts and limited fire suppression resources. The DVD is available at no charge through NFPA’s wildfire safety online catalog.

CHICAGO (April 12, 2013) – Presented by ROC-NFPA, LLC, the 2013 NFPA Conference & Expo begins Monday, June 10 and concludes Thursday, June 13 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center. More than 4,500 fire and life safety professionals will attend to learn about the latest technologies, newest research advances in life safety, and current building codes that affect the general public.