NFPA Journal - Fall 2023 - 21

Like so many others, I was a
big Rita fan. We had a great
relationship, though doing
media was not her favorite
thing-but we could always
joke about that. Her impact
on safety across the globe
is immeasurable.
-LORRAINE CARLI
Vice President, Outreach & Advocacy, NFPA
" Among her other contributions, Rita's work on
poverty and fire in the United States was a significant
step forward for NFPA and our sector. "
-DANIELLE ANTONELLIS
Founder and Executive Director, Kindling
" She combined that
vision of what was
needed with a care to be
precise when describing
what had actually
been done. I remember
watching her in meetings
and trying to read
her expression so I
could get on her right
side-but her poker face
was too good for me. "
-STEVE GWYNNE
Research Lead,
Movement Strategies
What impressed me
the most about Rita
was that she brought
attention to the issues,
not herself. She was
happy to stay in the
background as long as
the research findings
got out there. Her tremendous
impact in the
world of fire safety will
continue, but I will
miss her on a personal
level as a dear colleague
and friend.
-RICHARD CAMPBELL
-Senior Research
Analyst, NFPA
" Rita was a great
person to work
with and talk
to. At NFPA conferences,
Rita,
Guylene Proulx,
and I would skip
the later social
events to sit and
talk about human
behavior and the
convergence with
fire protection
technologies. "
-ROBERT
SCHIFILITI
President (retired),
R.P. Schifiliti
Associates, Inc.
The name 'Dr. Rita Fahy' had
appeared numerous times
throughout my career in
educational articles I read,
and it was an honor to be
listed with her as a co-author
on one of her reports. She was
great to work with and was
very patient as she guided
me into my new position
working on the NFPA
firefighter fatality study.
She will be missed by all, but
especially by the fire service.
-JAY T. PETRILLO
Fire Data Analyst at
NFPA and Battalion Chief with
the fire department in North
Providence, Rhode Island
" Her influence on so many topics-human
behavior, firefighter health and safety, and
data collection, among others-have had, and
will continue to have, impacts all over the
world for years to come. She was a mentor to
the next generations of researchers who are
now recognized as the experts in these fields. "
-ROBERT SOLOMON
Principal Engineer and
Chief Development Officer, SLS Consulting
I will always remember Rita with a mug of tea in her hand, talking
passionately about fire safety science. We covered many topics in our
talks, from data collection to fire spread on building facades, and I
always learned something from her. I will miss her dearly.
-BIRGITTE MESSERSCHMIDT
Director, Research Division, NFPA
Rita was the first NFPA colleague
I saw the morning after the
horrific Station nightclub fire
in 2003. She was the first to say,
" we're not supposed to see things
like this happen anymore. " She
took fire safety seriously and
personally, and in her I saw my
role model for my work at NFPA.
I miss her more than I can say.
-MICHELE STEINBERG
Director, Wildfire
Division, NFPA
" Rita shared her
intellect, humor, and
groundbreaking research
with the world for more
than 40 years. Her impact
is immense and will guide
future generations tackling
fire problems. "
-JIM PAULEY
President, NFPA
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NFPA Journal - Fall 2023

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