NFPA Journal - September/October 2017 - 46

International by Donald P. Bliss

THE NFPA VIEW ON
GLOBAL FIRE AND LIFE
SAFEY ISSUES

A Matter of Will
AFTER A STRING OF RECENT TRAGEDIES, IS THE WORLD FINALLY
READY TO DO WHAT'S NEEDED TO PROTECT PEOPLE?

he world knows a lot

to work in high-rise buildings that are
about fire; we know how
clad with highly combustible insulating
to prevent it and how to
material like that used in Grenfell. For
keep people from dying
years, we've been holding our breath,
from it. But as the string
wondering when a fire in one of these
of recent tragedies in Oakland, Iran,
buildings would turn deadly-and it
Hawaii, and now London illustrate, comfinally happened in London.
mon-sense safety measures keep getting
Beyond high-rises, every day thousands
lost in the noise of everyday life-and
of garment factory workers in Banglawe are paying with human lives. It is
desh still go to work in buildings with
unacceptable.
inadequate exits. Every night, people
The Grenfell Tower apartment fire
around the world crowd into unsafe
in London in June, where at least 80
entertainment venues that don't come
I'm incredulous
people died, is a prime example of our
close to meeting the basic principles
that there isn't even
failings. In past columns, I've talked
of NFPA's Life Safety Code concerning
about the challenge of high-rise fire
egress, occupant load, interior finish,
universal acceptance
safety in developing nations, but here
fire protection features, and crowd manon the need to include
we are, in one of the most sophisticated
agement. Every day, families around the
automatic fire
and affluent cities in the world, looking
world move into substandard, newly
sprinkler protection
at many of the same fire-safety defibuilt homes that aren't protected with
in new construction,
ciencies that I've seen in some of the
fast-acting residential sprinkler systems.
especially in high-rise
world's most impoverished cities. Most
Why is any of this considered acceptresidential buildings.
of these fire tragedies share similar facable? Unfortunately, I don't have a good
tors: the owner wanted to save money;
answer. Frankly, I'm incredulous that
construction plans weren't reviewed;
there isn't even universal acceptance on
tenant complaints about safety were
the need to include automatic fire sprinignored; the fire protection systems
kler protection in new construction,
weren't maintained; bad decisions were made about the safety especially in high-rise residential buildings. While we don't
of building components; the contractor wasn't knowledgeable know for certain what the loss of life in London would have
about fire safety; people didn't know what to do when the fire been if a sprinkler system had been installed, we know that
broke out. Based on what I've read and what I learned on a sprinklers played a critical role in preventing casualties in simrecent trip to England, many of these factors were at play ilar fires in Dubai and other locations.
before, during, and after the Grenfell Tower fire. Sadly, these
I'm sure that many policies, procedures, and actions will be
systematic fire safety failings aren't unique to the developing investigated and turned upside down in the aftermath of the
world, or to England.
Grenfell Tower fire. I and many others hope that Grenfell will
Every day, high-rise buildings across the globe are built with be a global call to action to make the necessary changes-such
only one stairwell and no automatic sprinkler protection, just as more timely code adoption, more diligent regulation, and
like Grenfell Tower; in many cases, the stairwell is not even more effective oversight and enforcement-to increase fire
enclosed to prevent the vertical spread of fire and smoke, a safety across the globe. We have the knowledge; what we need
basic and essential concept of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, now is the will.
and NFPA 5000®, Building Construction and Safety Code®. Each
day, thousands of people all over the world come home or go Donald P. Bliss is vice president of field operations for NFPA.

46 | NFPA JOURNAL * S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2017