NFPA Journal - May/June 2020 - 6

NFPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS
Keith E. Williams, Chair
Underwriters Laboratories, retired
Northbrook, Illinois
James Pauley, President
President and CEO, NFPA
Amy R. Acton, First Vice Chair
The Phoenix Society for Burn
Survivors
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Russell B. Leavitt, Second Vice Chair
Telgian Corporation
Tempe, Arizona

First Word

by Jim Pauley

NFPA President

Donald R. Cook, Secretary
Shelby County Department of
Development Services
Pelham, Alabama
Roger W. Montembeault, Treasurer
The Montembeault Group
Tampa, Florida
Kwame Cooper, Assistant Treasurer
Los Angeles Fire Department, retired
Los Angeles, California
*Sally P. Everett, Assistant Secretary
Secretary of the Corporation, NFPA
*Paul DeFronzo, Staff Officer
Chief Financial Officer, NFPA

ords cannot describe the
past few months as COVID19 took hold across the globe
and changed life as we knew
it. During this time, you
likely saw lots of information and resources
coming out of NFPA at an intense pace,
from fact sheets and white papers to videos
and podcasts, as we responded in real time
to the needs of health care professionals,
AHJs, first responders, and many others
who rely on NFPA to do their jobs safely
and effectively. The variety of resources we
were creating demonstrated what we are
now able to produce on a regular basis.
It was also a precursor to the future. We
are in the process of fundamentally transforming the way we deliver information in
this digital age. We know, as you do, that a
physical code book or a static digital version of a code are not the best ways to help
stakeholders solve problems in real time.
Technology is rapidly changing the way we
all work. We know you want information
faster, on different platforms, and in different languages. We also know you don't just
want the text of a code or standard: you
need context and insight that can help you
understand problems and develop solutions.
You may have already noticed the shift
NFPA is making, one that will become more
evident in the months ahead. We have been
working hard to create a new way to deliver
our content. It will be digital, more connected, and subscription based. This means

W

you will have greater access to a wider array
of material than you have today, and you
will have it at your fingertips. Our chief
objective in all of this is to better serve you.
These changes support our mission in
other ways, too. NFPA is a self-funded nonprofit, meaning that our critical mission
work-including research, public education,
and facilitating the development of codes

We have been working
hard to create a new way
to deliver our content.
It will be digital, more
connected, and
subscription based.
and standards-relies on NFPA generating revenue from the sale of codes and
standards, training materials, and certifications. Increasingly, though, that revenue is
threatened by the distribution of unauthorized copies of NFPA codes and standards.
Riddled with inaccurate and misleading
information, these copies can compromise
our fundamental safety mission and put us
all at risk. Coupled with ongoing challenges
to copyright protection, it is time for us to
do our work differently. In doing so, we will
maintain our essential collaboration with all
of you to make the world a safer place.
More to come.

James Sullivan
Westford, Massachusetts
Terms Expire in 2021
John D. Bonney
Alendi Consulting
Ropley, United Kingdom
Brion Callori
FM Global
Johnston, Rhode Island
Martha Connors
Digital Media & Marketing Consultant
Newton, Massachusetts
Reginald D. Freeman
Hartford Fire Department
Hartford, Connecticut
William J. Fries
Department of Defense
Washington, DC
R. David Paulison
Global Emergency Solutions
Davie, Florida
Louis Paulson
Contra Costa County
Fire Protection District, retired
Walnut Creek, California
Michael Wallace
West Palm Beach, Florida
Terms Expire in 2022
Hatem Kheir
Kheir Group
Cairo, Egypt
Patrick J. Morrison
International Association
of Fire Fighters
Washington, DC
Teresa L. Deloach Reed
Oakland Fire Department, retired
Oakland, California
Stacy N. Welch
Marriott International
Bethesda, Maryland

*Not a Board member

NFPA

Fundamental Shift

DIRECTORS
Terms Expire in 2020
Eric R. Rosenbaum
Jensen Hughes
Baltimore, Maryland

6 | NFPA JOURNAL * M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 0

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NFPA Journal - May/June 2020

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