NFPA Journal - Summer 2024 - 20

Dispatches Ecosystem
A SURVEY OF RECENT
EVENTS USING THE
NFPA FIRE & LIFE SAFETY
ECOSYSTEM™
NFPA.ORG/ECOSYSTEM
CODE COMPLIANCE
GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITY
Charged Charge
The owner of an e-bike shop in Brooklyn
was arrested in April and charged with
reckless endangerment, New York City's
first arrest under a new law that bans the
sale, lease, rental or distribution of e-bikes
and e-scooters whose batteries have not
been certified. The city council passed the
law in September in response to a rash of
fatal fires in New York sparked by faulty
and cheaply made lithium-ion batteries.
Istanbul Tragedy
A report alleges negligence
on the part of the owners
of a nightclub in Istanbul,
where 29 workers died in a
fire in April. The Masquerade
nightclub was undergoing
renovations when sparks from
machinery ignited highly flammable
sound insulation and
flooring materials. According
to the fire department's report,
the club had numerous safety
deficiencies, including a lack
of emergency lighting and
directional signage, and malfunctioning
fire extinguishing
systems and inoperative
fire cabinets.
ECOSYSTEM FAIL
ECOSYSTEM SUCCESS
INVESTMENT IN SAFETY
INVESTMENT IN SAFETY
SKILLED WORKFORCE
Battery Training
Citing a rise in lithium-ion-related
battery
incidents in the state,
the Rhode Island state
assembly is on the
verge of passing a bill
that would increase
funding to the state's
fire academy and
add more training for
firefighters about lithium-ion
battery hazards
and tactics.
ECOSYSTEM
SUCCESS
Historic Fail
In April, the 400-year-old
stock exchange building in
Copenhagen, Denmark, suffered
extensive fire damage,
joining a long list of iconic
European buildings that have
recently suffered the same
fate, including Notre-Dame
Cathedral, Windsor Castle,
and the Glasgow School
of Art. About one historic
building is damaged by fire
every day, according to an
estimate by Ingval Maxwell,
a Scottish consultant in
architectural conservation.
Experts say this is due to
complacency and a hesitancy
to outfit old buildings
with modern fire protection.
ECOSYSTEM FAIL
INVESTMENT IN SAFETY
Wildfire Ramp Up
Greece is boosting its wildfire
season preparation this year
with better firefightrer training,
increased interagency
cooperation, and a $2.3
billion equipment upgrade.
The money will also be used
to create a sensor network
to detect smoke in the early
stages of a fire.
ECOSYSTEM SUCCESS
20 | NFPA JOURNAL * SUMMER 2024
Maine Sprinkler Save
Automatic fire sprinklers activated and controlled a
blaze that began in the early morning hours in March
at the campus center at Southern Maine Community
College, officials said. South Portland Fire Chief Phil
Selberg said the damage could have been much
worse had no sprinklers been present. " This fire
occurred in the middle of the night, when no one was
in the building to discover it, " he said. " The sprinkler
system worked as it was designed. "
ECOSYSTEM SUCCESS
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http://www.NFPA.ORG/ECOSYSTEM
NFPA Journal - Summer 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Summer 2024
