NFPA Journal - May/June 2019 - 44

Derek Vigstol, senior electrical content specialist
at NFPA, on how to safely prepare marinas for the
busy summer season:
As many know, electricity can find its way into the
water in myriad ways and can be deadly before an
issue is noticed. Taking a deeper dive into the integrity of the electrical system in and around docks and
marinas before the boats arrive can help ensure that
the summer doesn't start off with tragedy. Here are
three considerations you must keep in mind:
Test, test, and test some more. Devices like GFCI
receptacles need to be tested to ensure that they
will work when they need to work. This can usually

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be accomplished without the need for fancy
testing equipment-often a simple plug-in circuit
tester is sufficient.
Check the physical condition of the wiring system. The shoreline can be brutally hard on electrical systems. Check wiring around expansion joints
and where conduits or other types of raceways
connect to fixed equipment. Keep an eye out for
raceways that have pulled loose from boxes and
terminations around equipment like shore power
outlets or lamp posts.
Obtain a leakage current measurement device.
These devices are required per the 2020 National
Electrical Code® where there are more than three
receptacles that supply shore power to boats. This
allows the boats themselves to be tested to see
how much current is leaking into the water from
the vessels. However, they will only work to prevent
hazards from the boats if marina owners have them
and use them.

44 | NFPA JOURNAL * M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 9

RECENT BLOGS BY NFPA
TECHNICAL STAFF

The recent fire at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris
had NFPA engineer Kristin Bigda contemplating
NFPA 909, Code for the Protection of Cultural
Resource Properties-Museums, Libraries, and
Places of Worship:
NFPA 909 has a unique, teamwork-centric emphasis
to its planning process when designing a protection
plan for a cultural resource property. It states that
the governing body of the property must identify
a planning team to oversee the development of
the protection plan. The planning team must then
collect all relevant information, standards, and regulations to begin the process. Chapter 5 of NFPA 909
provides the governing body with the framework to
develop the protection plan.
No matter what type of culturally significant
property is being addressed, teamwork is a common
theme throughout NFPA 909. This includes day-today protection of the property, as well as protection
during construction and renovation projects. Identified and agreed upon roles, responsibilities, and documentation are a minimum to ensuring the adequate
protection of such valuable and treasured property.
Whatever transpires with the future of Notre-Dame
or other communities around the world that may be
reassessing the safety, security, and resiliency of their
own cultural and historical structures, one thing is for
sure: it will involve teamwork, contributions, and buyin from all stakeholders involved in the process.
Meghan Housewright, director of the NFPA Fire &
Life Safety Policy Institute, on the recent uptick
in fires in buildings under construction and what
communities can do about the problem:
March was a rough month for fires in buildings
under construction, resulting in millions of dollars
in damage and causing major headaches for public
officials. The toll underscores the scope of the problem as defined by NFPA statistics: between 2010 and
2014, according to data collected by the association,
more than 6,310 fires occurred in buildings under
construction, demolition, or major renovation.
To help prevent these fires, local officials must insist
that fire safety is a priority for construction site owners,
managers, and workers. To do this, they can take three
critical steps. For starters, they can require the use
of the most current edition of NFPA 241, Standard for
Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition.
Second, they can make sure the community requires
written fire prevention plans as part of the construction
permit process. Finally, they can encourage fire officials
to go beyond the minimum requirements, including
extra security, a more thoroughly trained workforce,
and more fire suppression and detection measures.
The NFPA Fire & Life Safety Policy Institute has
developed a policy brief to raise awareness and offer
steps for policymakers to take to reduce risk in their
communities. You can download the brief online at
nfpa.org/policyinstitute.

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NFPA Journal - May/June 2019

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