NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 6

NFPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
First Word
by Jim Pauley
NFPA President
Invest Now
F
ollowing the devastation
wrought by Hurricane Helene
in September, I read a New York
Times article that provided some
useful context for what had just
occurred in North Carolina. I was saddened but
not surprised to learn of a series of legislative
actions over the last 15 years that have thwarted
advancements in safety in the state. The homebuilding
industry seemed to have influenced all
of these decisions.
In the article, the reporter, Christopher Flavelle,
offered several examples where the state
had bypassed key provisions in standards or
extended the time in which codes could be
updated. Typically, codes and standards are
updated every three years, a schedule that
allows for case experience, learnings from
research, and new technologies to be incorporated
into new editions. In a time when the
landscape of risk is in a constant state of rapid
change, it is imperative for stakeholders to be
able to access and utilize the latest information
to help them take actions that minimize risk.
Instead, in 2013, North Carolina moved to an
every-six-year code cycle. In 2023, the state's
legislature voted to forgo updates to the building
code until 2031.
NFPA and other safety organizations weigh
in during these kinds of deliberations, but they
are often outmatched by persistent opponents.
The New York Times article cited data from
OpenSecrets, a research group that tracks the
flow of money in government and politics,
indicating that the homebuilders' association
6 | NFPA JOURNAL * WINTER 2024
had contributed $4.3 million to North Carolina
politicians over the last three decades.
We have seen this tactic used before by
those interests who opposed requirements
around home fire sprinklers. ProPublica, an
independent public interest media organization,
covered the work of homebuilders to
fight code requirements to include residential
sprinklers in new homes. According to an
article published by ProPublica in 2016, the
homebuilding industry spent more than $517
million to prevent mandatory requirements
for home fire sprinklers in 25 states-a reality
that is still in place today, despite homes being
the place where the majority of fire deaths in
the U.S. occur.
I am not naïve enough to believe that we
would entirely prevent the devastation that
comes with a hurricane like Helene, or that
no one would die in a fire if the latest codes
and standards were required. But I do know
that up-to-date codes and standards are a key
tool in reducing loss, and that they have been
instrumental in doing so for more than a century.
In collaboration with enforcement, public
education, and the incredible work of our first
responders, they help save lives and property.
We will continue to see more climate-driven
events and we will see more home fires. We
need to ensure we are better prepared by using
the latest standards.
We don't need more of these stories about
undue influence resulting in jurisdictions
bypassing safety for dollars. We need investments
in safety.
OFFICERS
R. David Paulison, Chair
Global Emergency Solutions
Davie, Florida
James Pauley, President
President and CEO, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
John D. Bonney, First Vice Chair
Alendi Consulting Ltd.
Ropley, United Kingdom
Roger W. Montembeault,
Second Vice Chair
The Montembeault Group, Inc.
Tampa, Florida
Lou Paulson, Secretary
California Public Employment
Relations Board
Walnut Creek, California
Kwame Cooper, Assistant SecretaryNew
York City Fire Department
New York, New York
Stacy N. Welch, Treasurer
Marriott International
Bethesda, Maryland
Reginald D. Freeman,
Assistant Treasurer
HAI Group
Cheshire, Connecticut
Russell B. Leavitt,
Immediate Past Chair
Telgian Holdings, Inc.
Phoenix, Arizona
*Suzanne Gallagher,
Assistant Secretary
Secretary of the Corporation, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
*Paul DeFronzo, Staff Officer
Chief Financial Officer, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
Terms Expire 2025
H. Butch Browning
National Association of
State Fire Marshals
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Adrián Gallardo Landeros
SIE Consultores
Mexico City, Mexico
Mark Ghilarducci
Emergent Global Solutions
Mather, California
Patrick J. Morrison
International Association of
Fire Fighters
Washington, DC
Terms Expire 2026
Dr. Denis Onieal
US Fire Administration,
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, retired
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Brigadier General Mohamed
Abdullah Al-Nuaimi
Civil Defense General
Headquarters, Ministry of
Interior
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Terms Expire 2027
Raj Arora
Jensen Hughes
Baltimore, Maryland
Christina Francis
Tesla
Auburn, Alabama
David Hittinger
Electrical Contractor
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
*Not a board member
NFPA
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024

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