NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 25

Dispatches Briefs
Study will
examine
electrical load
requirements
in hospitals
Are electrical systems
in health care
facilities oversized?
That's the question
researchers hope
to answer using
data from hospitals
whose electricity
use spiked during
the COVID-19
pandemic.
While research
has shown there
was a drop in overall
electricity use globthe
Fire Protection
Research Foundation
will look at the
broader issue of
electrical system
sizing in health
care facilities and
determine whether
present electrical
load requirements,
like those found in
the National Electrical
Code®
to change.
" The sizing of
electrical systems
is an important
issue in health care
electrical design, "
according to a draft
NFPA recognized
for online
training
excellence
In September, NFPA
was recognized with
international awards
for its online training
programs.
NFPA won six 2021
, may need
Excellence Awards
from the Brandon
Hall Group, an
international organizational
research and
analysis firm. NFPA
was recognized with
three gold awards,
two silvers, and one
bronze, bringing
director of education
and development at
NFPA.
NFPA's online
trainings can be
found at nfpa.org/
onlinelearning.
Researchers
strive for 'theory
of wildfire' in
space
Scientists are bringing
wildfire research
to space.
A new study
funded by the US
National Science
Foundation and
sponsored by the
International Space
Station (ISS) US
National Laboratory
will use the microgravity
conditions
aboard the ISS
to better understand
how flames
spread on Earth-an
endeavor aimed at
eventually determining
a " theory of
wildfire " that could
help predict and
model how wildfires
grow and spread.
ally in 2020 because
of the COVID-19 pandemic-a
result of
restaurants, movie
theaters, and other
public spaces either
closing or operating
at lower capacities-
the trend has been
reversed for the
health care industry.
Hospitals experiencing
a surge in
COVID-19 patients
can expect to see
a 5 to 10 percent
increase in electricity
use, according to
a study published in
the journal Energy
and Buildings in July.
Using a year's
worth of pandemic
energy use data
from several hospitals
in the United
States, a study
commissioned by
of the research
report. " Many
hospital electrical
engineers believe
that the current
way of calculating
electrical system
sizing leads to significant
oversizing
of hospital electrical
systems. ... The
COVID-19 pandemic
created an opportunity
to collect
electrical load data
from hospitals and,
specifically, hospital
spaces that might be
experiencing abnormal,
and potentially
historic peak,
demand. "
The report is
expected to be published
by the end
of the year and will
be available at nfpa.
org/foundation.
its total number of
Brandon Hall Group
awards to 10 in the
past three years.
The awards are
given annually to recognize
organizations
that have successfully
launched
programs, strategies,
systems, and tools
that have achieved
measurable results.
This year's award
winners will be honored
at a conference
scheduled for Palm
Beach, Florida, in
February 2022.
" NFPA has been on
a journey to improve
its online education
offerings so that
skilled professionals
keep learning
during the pandemic
and beyond, " said
Bartholomew Jae,
" Right now, our
ability to develop
a physical wildfire
model and use such
a model to predict
what an active wildfire
will do in a useful
timescale is very limited, "
said principal
investigator James
Urban, an assistant
professor of fire protection
engineering
at Worcester Polytechnic
Institute. " By
understanding how
flames behave on
a smaller scale, we
can gain insight and
apply that to wildfire
behavior. "
Experiments will
take place both
in ground-based
settings and in
microgravity settings
aboard the
ISS, examining how
flames spread along
the surface of combustible
objects.
Experimenting in
microgravity will
allow the team to
eliminate the effects
gravity and wind
can have on flame
behavior.
" The ultimate
goal, " Urban said, " is
to reduce the loss of
lives, structures, and
the danger posed to
responders. "
Responder
Conference
Series program
set for January
After a holiday break,
NFPA's 125th Anniversary
Conference
Series will resume
in January with a
program on leadership
for emergency
responders.
Organizers say
the daylong event,
scheduled for January
25, will feature
a lineup of virtual
presentations and
discussions focused
on diversity and
inclusion, mental
health and resilience,
data-driven leadership,
community risk
reduction, and more.
" Whether you
aspire to rise in the
ranks or are committed
to being the best
teammate or community
partner you
can be, developing
leadership skills can
help drive effective
performance and
deliver improved
results, " said Nicole
Comeau, segment
development director
at NFPA and
executive secretary
of the International
Fire Marshals Association,
an NFPA
member section.
" We're offering a
program that looks
at three dimensions
of leadership specific
to emergency
responders-personal
leadership,
technical leadership,
and community
leadership-to help
you perform better,
regardless of your
role. "
Visit nfpa.org/
conferenceseries to
learn more.
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NFPA Journal - Winter 2021

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