NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 6

NFPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS
Amy R. Acton, Chair
The Phoenix Society for
Burn Survivors, Inc.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
James Pauley, President
President and CEO, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
Russell B. Leavitt, First Vice Chair
Telgian Corp.
Tempe, Arizona

First Word

R. David Paulison, Second Vice Chair
Global Emergency Solutions
Davie, Florida

by Jim Pauley

NFPA President

John D. Bonney, Secretary
Alendi Consulting Ltd.
Ropley, United Kingdom
Donald R. Cook, Assistant Secretary
Shelby County Department of
Development Services
Pelham, Alabama
Roger W. Montembeault, Treasurer
The Montembeault Group, Inc.
Tampa, Florida
Kwame Cooper, Assistant Treasurer
Los Angeles Fire Department, retired
Los Angeles, California

suspect we are all glad
to put 2020 in the rearview mirror. All of us faced
so many challenges: the
pandemic, remote work
environments, business closures and slowdowns, and more.
But we also learned a lot of things that
will take us farther and faster into 2021
and beyond. At NFPA, we have had to learn
ways to become resilient in this new environment. Our technical committees have
been an outstanding example of that resilience. For any of you who have served on
one of our technical committees, you know
the amount of work and focus that it takes
to review all of the material and formulate
approaches that carry safety forward. But
the pandemic forced all of that work into
a remote environment, which created the
need for even more focus. Our committee
members stepped up and continued to
move the NFPA standards process ahead
with great success and with great results.
We adjusted and you adjusted.
We also saw a huge shift in how people
wanted training related to our codes and
standards. Our online library of training
now numbers more than 275 courses, and
we started offering instructor-led training
conducted in a virtual environment. Once
again, we adjusted, and you adjusted.
Our public-education efforts were also
thrown a curveball as fire departments
and public educators were unable to visit

I

schools, hold open houses, or conduct
their usual array of community events. So
we again took to the virtual environment
to share ideas on how public educators
could work in a pandemic setting, and we
drove home the point that fire prevention
becomes even more critical as more people
perform more activities at home than they
have in the past. Our Spotlight on Public

The challenges of 2020
taught us a lot that
will help take us
farther and faster into
2021 and beyond.

Education virtual event last fall attracted
more than 1,550 attendees from 54 countries. Attendees were thrilled with the
presentations, and not only on the day of
the event-they have continued to visit the
on-demand sessions. It was a great way for
attendees to hear new ideas and to network
with professionals across the public education field.
So goodbye 2020, and thanks for the
memories-or at least the ones that helped
us learn and evolve and thrive. More importantly, thanks to a year full of challenges
that made us more resilient in our efforts to
drive our mission.

*Sally P. Everett, Assistant Secretary
Secretary of the Corporation, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
*Paul DeFronzo, Staff Officer
Chief Financial Officer, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
Terms Expire 2021
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
Louis Paulson
California Professional Firefighters
Walnut Creek, California
Michael Wallace
West Palm Beach, Florida
Terms Expire 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
Term Expires 2023
Dr. Denis Onieal
US Fire Administration,
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, retired
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

*Not a board member

NFPA

Welcome 2021!

Keith E. Williams,
Immediate Past Chair
Underwriters Laboratories, retired
Northbrook, Illinois

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NFPA Journal - Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Spring 2021
