NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 17

misled into thinking that security takes
precedence over life safety," Greg Harrington, NFPA staff liaison for NFPA 101,
said after the Guatemala fire.
Malaysian authorities say they are
now working to inspect and upgrade
religious schools across the country.
Several have already been found to
contain faulty wiring and no fire extinguishers, according to CNN.
China
NFPA renews MOU with Chinese fire
safety organization
In September, NFPA renewed its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the
China Fire Protection Association (CFPA),
continuing a collaboration that dates
back more than 20 years.
NFPA President Jim Pauley signed the
renewal before giving a presentation
at CFPA's 17th China Fire: International
Fire Protection Equipment Technology
Conference and Exposition. The MOU
guarantees a robust information-sharing
program between NFPA and CFPA. "The
information exchange that we have with
various authorities throughout China and
the world allows us to build knowledge
for our respective roles," Pauley told
an audience of government officials,
firefighters, and others gathered for the
conference. "Now, more than ever, it is
critical that we stay current in our jobs.
We can't simply stick to what we know.
We have to prioritize fire protection, fire
suppression, code awareness, and safety
enforcement strategies. Otherwise,
everyday fire issues and new technology
will outpace us."
NFPA's involvement in fire and life
safety in China runs deep. About 30
NFPA codes and standards as well as
NFPA public education materials have
been translated into Mandarin.

in wildfires throughout the country.
The acreage burned in Portugal alone
accounts for about half of all the acres
that have burned in wildfires in all of
Europe this year.
"We are now living in a moment
of uncertainty when wildfires easily
become urban and industrial ones,"
Patrão told NFPA in a recent blog post.
"Wildfires in Portugal are now clearly
being assumed as a social problem.
They have human causes, they provoke
human losses, and solutions are in
human hands."
To read more about what Patrão had
to say about the fires, visit the "Fire
Break" blog on NFPA Xchange, at
community.nfpa.org.
United Kingdom
After Grenfell fire, sprinkler push
picks up steam
It was the deadliest fire in modern
British history. At least 80 people died
when a massive blaze engulfed London's
Grenfell Tower, a 24-story apartment

building, in June. The building was
found to have combustible exterior
cladding and insulation, only one stairwell, and no fire sprinklers. In the wake
of the fire, fire safety advocates and
legislators are leading a push for more
widespread adoption of fire sprinklers in
the United Kingdom.
"If they'd had a sprinkler system [in
Grenfell], the fire would have been deluged before it got to the cladding," Paul
Atkins, who was previously contracted
to work on Grenfell Tower, told BBC
News. "People would've had plenty of
time to leave the building."
Efforts by sprinkler advocates like
Atkins seem to be paying off. Thirty out
of 33 sprinkler companies surveyed
by the BBC say they've seen a surge in
customer inquiries. Additionally, at least
two local government associations in
London have pledged to install sprinkler systems in their housing buildings
reaching 10 stories or higher.
NFPA has been one of the strongest
proponents for the adoption of home
fire sprinklers. For more information, go
to firesprinklerinitiative.org.

NEWSCOM

Portugal
Wildfire season is the worst ever
for Portugal
Over three dozen people were killed
in wildfires that tore through Portugal
and Spain in mid-October. Most of the
fatalities were in Portugal, which is still
recovering from a massive wildfire that
killed more than 60 people over the
summer.
This has been the country's most devastating wildfire season ever, according
to António Patrão, a forest engineer and
fire prevention specialist. From January
through October, over 100 people had
died, hundreds more had been injured,
and over 1.2 million acres had burned

Portugal's worst wildfire season in history has burned more
than 1.2 million acres and killed more than 100 people.

N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2017
