NFPA Journal - Summer 2024 - 45

Outreach by Lorraine Carli
ADVOCACY,
LEGISLATION,
AND PUBLIC
EDUCATION
Ecosystem Connections
A RECENT CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE AND
RELEVANCE OF THE NFPA FIRE & LIFE SAFETY ECOSYSTEM
recently served as
I
a
keynote at the 20th Annual
Fire Protection and Life
Safety Forum, in Ohio,
where my topic was " The
NFPA Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem™
-A
Platform for Enhancing Safety in Today's
World. " The intent of my presentation
to nearly 500 attendees was to bring
the concept to life using examples from
around the world, the kind of tragedies
that prompted the ecosystem's creation. I
described how the ecosystem can be effectively
used to solve some of today's most
pressing safety challenges.
As it turned out, my examples were
Today's fire scenarios
are reversing
amplified as my fellow speakers shared
illustrations of their own for why the
ecosystem is so important and relevant,
making connections that drove the
central message of my presentation.
NFPA created the safety ecosystem
(nfpa.org/ecosystem) in 2018 as a framework
for how to reduce loss collectively
and collaboratively. Eight key components or interconnected cogs
work together to help keep people and property safe from fire
and other hazards. Every part is essential; if any component is
missing or broken, the ecosystem can collapse, often resulting
in tragedy. We can (almost) always trace the cause of injurious
life safety incidents and other tragedies back to the breakdown
of one or more of these key components.
The ecosystem includes policymakers setting the right regulatory
framework; jurisdictions using the most updated codes
and standards; applying all the standards, including referenced
standards; prioritizing safety across the board; promoting the
development of skilled workers in design, installation, inspection,
and ongoing maintenance; supporting effective code
enforcement; providing effective preparedness and response
capabilities; and educating the public on the dangers posed
by these hazards so they can take action for their own safety.
One of the best parts of my role at NFPA is attending conferences
and other events where I can hear about the fire, life, and
the downward trend
of fire deaths
and demanding
renewed vigilance.
electrical safety challenges people face and
what NFPA can do to support them. For
my Ohio talk, my examples of ecosystem
failures included the 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse
fire in Oakland, California, and the
2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London. But
the speaker preceding me, Kevin Reardon,
Ohio's state fire marshal, provided two
stark examples of his own that represent
affronts to fire safety. He described the Ohio
legislature's efforts to roll back fire safety
provisions in state codes, urging attendees
to champion the use and enforcement
of the latest codes and standards. He also
noted attempts in an Ohio school system to
install an active shooter alarm system that
would impede the normal functioning of
the school's fire alarm system.
Kevin's examples provided me with an
ideal lead-in for how risk grows when a
safety ecosystem is broken. I described
how a healthy ecosystem is essential for
addressing our biggest safety challenges,
including fires associated with lithium-ion
batteries and wildfires in the wildland/urban interface.
The speaker following me underscored those points. As part
of her talk, Christina Francis, a fire and regulatory specialist
for Tesla, spoke about the importance of standards compliance
and first responder training-both key elements of the safety
ecosystem-as the world leans heavily into energy storage and
electrification in so many aspects of our lives. Like Kevin, her talk
illuminated the need for governments, companies, and others to
embrace the safety ecosystem to mitigate risk as new technologies
and emerging threats arise. Everyone plays a role in safety.
Still, examples of complacency and pushbacks abound. It may
come from our success in decreasing the fire death numbers in
recent decades, but the reality is that today's fire scenarios are
reversing the downward trend and demanding renewed vigilance.
The full-system approach of the NFPA Fire & Life Safety
Ecosystem is one of our most valuable tools.
LORRAINE CARLI is vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA.
NFPA .ORG/JOURNAL * NFPA JOURNAL | 45
MICHAEL HOEWELER
http://www.nfpa.org/ecosystem http://nfpa.org/journal
NFPA Journal - Summer 2024

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