IFSJ Influencer: Milan Dubravac, President, CTIF

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
President of International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire (CTIF) Milan Dubravac shares his views

The International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire (CTIF) is the oldest and largest international Fire Association in the world. It was founded in 1900 in Paris, France with the main objective written in its founding document: to exchange knowledge. This objective remains at the centre of all CTIF activities.

The most important part of CTIF is its associate members (Corporations and businesses) who can participate and contribute to the work the technical committee is undertaking. At present there are 70 Associate members which puts the organisation in an strong position in being able to merge fire services with fire industry and have some influence on where the fire and safety industry is headed in the future.

Looking ahead, climate change is going to be a big future challenge. The global market of fire and safety industry is expected to grow rapidly in next few years and the and the green transition is going to play a significant role in how it develops. The importance of cooperation between fire and safety industry and CTIF is going to be bigger than ever.

CTIF’s Extrication New Technology Commission is directly connected with many companies and is involved in contribution of ideas for future new products and technologies. The main objective of these collaborations for CTIF is to contribute to the development of new products and follow new trends in the field of health and safety of our operational members.

New energy source in transportation, decontamination of firefighting PPE, new regulation on the use of non-fluorine foams and new concepts on fighting wildfires are some of priorities where CTIF is working together with the fire safety industry.

In the last year CTIF organised a webinar on climate changes topics as well as organising one of world’s largest firefighting events: the International Fire Brigade Competitions, popularly called the Firefighting Olympics. We also restarted all Commissions and working groups activities after the pandemic subsided.

In next year we will face new challenges with ISO standard 17840 implementation. We are involved in several EU Projects and continue work in all Commissions and working groups. We will also extend our collaboration with firefighting organisations in South and North America.

Global changes will bring more challenges in the future to fire service’s role in the community. The increasing importance for international cooperation between firefighters worldwide and stronger Communication with other organisations will be vital. In CTIF we are aware of that and will continue our more than 120 year-long international dedication for sharing knowledge between firefighters.

CTIF welcomes professionals and volunteers from around the world. Currently there is 40 member countries and brings together the people and resources in a non-hierarchical setting where chief and firefighter, professional and volunteer are on equal footing, appreciated by personal merits and achievements over title and rank.

The core of CTIF are our ordinary members who send representatives once per year to the CTIF Delegates Assembly, to vote on important issues and to elect representatives in the CTIF Executive Committee. The main work of CTIF is done in 17 different Commissions and working groups with wide area of activities. CTIF is open Association and is sharing all results through website www.ctif.org. CTIF prepares also worldwide largest annual fire statistic report.

About the influencer

Milan Dubravac, the President of International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire (CTIF) is a career senior fire officer from Slovenia, the EU Country with highest number of firefighters per capita in the world. Dubravac’s 35 years of experience in firefighting led him to several head operational Command positions within Slovenia.

He joined CTIF in 2001 as member of HazMat Commission and became Vice President in 2015. In November 2020 he was elected as a President. Dubravac is external lecturer of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and co-author of IAEA Manual for first responders which is the most downloaded manual in the history of IAEA. He is also trained expert in EU Civil Protection Mechanism and was a member of EU forest fires expert group until 2015.

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Dr. Reginald D. Freeman, CFO, FIFireE, Fire Chief for the City of Oakland, CA

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
Fire Chief for the City of Oakland, CA, Dr. Reginald D. Freeman, CFO, FIFireE, shares his views and predictions for the fire and safety industry for the year ahead

There is no question that the 21st century fire service not only has its challenges but is equally well positioned for proactive leadership to leverage opportunities. As baby boomers continue to retire, not only are members of Generation X ascending to positions of authority but so are Millennials.

There is twice the number of Millennials in the world than Gen X’ers so that should not come as such a shock. What is shocking is our lack of preparation to pass the baton to individuals who are well trained, well educated but lack actual executive officer experience.

If we were proactive, we would have a five-year community driven strategic plan that included at least one goal, objective, and task that spoke to the need of having a robust professional development program (PDP). Designed for the members, by the members. Now, you cannot have a strategic plan that calls out a PDP and not also mention the need for a relevant succession plan.

 A professional development program, succession plan and strategic plan go together like a cheeseburger, French fries and a milk shake. You cannot enjoy one to its fullest potential without the other two. Having one on its own would be, ok but it’s just not the same. I call the utilisation of all three of these initiatives, “Tri-Advancement Planning” or TAP.

Addressing the retirements of current persons in positions of authority through TAP allows you to focus on the next challenge that we will face as a profession within the next 12 months which is decreased funding and consolidations.

Approval for capital expenditures will possibly be reduced which is why if you already do not have a codified 10-year capital improvement plan in the hands of your elected officials and or city managers, you need to make it a priority. By doing so, you will demonstrate that you proactively manage and will not have to gather the team to develop a list of priorities when city finances become strained, and your boss asks for it because they must determine what they will fund and will not fund. Oftentimes, proper and proactive management gets a vote of confidence, and you just may put yourself in the front of the line ahead of your peers because of it.

Lastly, in the next 12 months, persons in positions of authority from Lieutenant up to fire chief will be challenged significantly by things mostly out of our control. Because of the lack of funding, minimum staffing may be reduced which inherently will negatively impact morale. Fire chiefs will have to stand up for their members when city hall comes to reduce the budget.

Recruitment nationwide is at record lows which mean a lot of departments will be forced to implement mandatory overtime rules which again, negatively impact morale, health and safety as well as home life for our members. How do we address all these issues? Take all your arrows to the chest. Lead your members and put service over self.

About the influencer

Dr. Reginald D. Freeman, CFO, FIFireE, is the 31st Fire Chief for the City of Oakland, CA. Prior to Oakland, Chief Freeman served as Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director for the City of Hartford, CT and Fire Chief for Lockheed Martin. He also served as a civilian Fire Chief in Iraq for the U.S. Department of Defense from 2004-2008. He has worked in many fire service capacities in his career including Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Fire Captain, Fire Service Instructor, Assistant Fire Chief, and Fire Chief.

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Mark Buckingham, Head of Emergency Preparedness, Abu Dhabi Airports

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
Head of Emergency Preparedness at Abu Dhabi Airports, Mark Buckingham, shares his views views and predictions for the fire and safety industry for the year ahead

I have been lucky in my career to have been exposed to many different industries, governances, and indeed states – and have learned a lot from all.  As I look at the next 12 months and beyond, I, personally cannot be anything but excited about what things lay in store, and the strategic practices that I believe the industry needs to adapt to. For me, some of the main challenges are around sustainability led development.

None of us are far from the sustainability conversation, as the world is becoming aware of the changes it needs to make and invests in the technology and the thinking to do so. From a fire and safety perspective, some of these initiatives bring new hazards – and as the initiatives are realized within our businesses, our infrastructure, and our way of life, then there is a need for Fire and Safety professionals to be embedded in the planning and delivery of the outputs. 

A great example is the emergence of the Lithium battery and its integration into vehicles. At present, the fire industry as a whole is working hard to fully understand the best way of dealing with the hazards presented by an incident, typically a fire, involving such vehicles. The hazards are very different to conventional fuels:  toxicity of the gasses emitted when involved in fire, fire intensity, thermal runaway, increased hazard when on charge, to name but a few.

In a recent project that I was involved in where the hazards and necessary firefighting considerations were highlighted, it became evident that the electrification project within the business – an airport – needed total review, and should have involved fire professionals from the start.

When you consider an airport, electrification of airside vehicles is developing exponentially, not to mention the move toward autonomous technology, which will only add to the complexity. Other high hazard industries are beset with similar challenges.

The need to help fire professionals understand some process safety techniques, such as HAZID and HAZOP becomes essential, as inevitably, they are going to need to be at the forefront of the integration of new technologies like this.  With this comes the development of communication skillsets beyond the relative comfort of ‘the fire community’, learning to help a broader community understand the key factors to ensure that fire and safety are integrated earlier into the implementation of such step changing technologies.

This need to adapt the communication and stakeholder management skill set beyond the traditional fire community ‘comfort zone’ I believe is critical. Some will relish this opportunity, and some will feel less comfortable – so maybe we are beginning to redefine some of the core attributes that we ask our fire professionals to have at the outset of their careers and to acquire as they progress.  I believe the challenges for our industry are as poignant as they ever have been, but I am of the opinion that the present set put us in the middle of a step change.

About the influencer

Mark Buckingham is an industry professional of some 27 years, having started his career with Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in the UK.  Progressing through the ranks to Station Officer, he took the opportunity to diversify his fire career by taking a role as Deputy Senior Officer at Luton Airport.  Forced changes over the next few years saw him achieve approval to operate a Civil Aviation Fire Training College in the UK, before moving to the UAE, operating initially an Emergency Response contract in an Industrial mega project.  Since July 2022, Mark has been developing the Emergency Planning function within the 5 airports of the Abu Dhabi Airport Company.

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Fiona Perrin, Chair of the IFE Women in Fire Engineering Networking Group

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
Chair of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) Women in Fire Engineering Networking Group (WiFENG) shares her views and predictions for the fire and safety industry for the year ahead

We are facing a huge crisis in the Fire Safety sector with a severe shortage of skilled workers. At the time of writing this piece there were 3,207 jobs being advertised on LinkedIn in the UK using the key words ‘Fire Safety’. That is a lot when considering there are only 17,000 hits on LinkedIn when doing a similar ‘people’ search. That is about a 20% vacancy rate. And out of those 17,000 fire safety people – how many are really competent for the roles being advertised?

I am the current Chair of the IFE Women in Fire Engineering Networking Group (#WIFENG) and I believe women are the answer. Women can not only help reduce the vacancy rate and increase retention rates, but they can also bring about diversity of thought and in turn increase profits.

The benefits associated with diversity of thought in the workplace are especially notable at the leadership level, where excessive homogeneity (i.e., too many old white men) can stifle innovation, and leave critical blind spots. A recent study found that companies with the most women board directors outperformed those with the least by up to 26%.

At the moment only 21% of women go into Engineering fields from school and up to 83% of women end up leaving their STEM careers before they are 35. If women do choose to stay on in their engineering careers, they can look forward to earning approximately 11% less than their male counterparts. This pay-gap widens the more senior the position.

So, what can organisations do?

Diversifying leadership can offer much-needed female representation, encourage younger women into the industry, and encourage them to apply for senior and more well-paid roles. Female leaders can also act as mentors for women entering the field and give them invaluable advice and support based on their own experience.

Over half of women in engineering reported having experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace. Organisations need to foster a culture to support and grow women. This often requires greater flexibility as women often take a larger share of the child caring responsibilities. Flexible working is not just allowing working from home two days per week, it is compressed hours, less hours or different start/finish times to work around childcare. Be willing to think outside the box.

Combating stereotypes, offering equal pay and offering women promotions into leadership roles will all help. Supporting Women in industry groups and award schemes will also help.

At WIFENG we are trying to do the following: support women at all levels within the industry; develop women and help them gain the confidence and skills to get that promotion; and inspire the next generation of females to get into Fire Safety and Engineering.

What can you do to help women in the fire safety industry?

About the influencer

Fiona Perrin has been working in health and safety for nearly 20 years and in fire safety for almost as long and has recently graduated as a Fire Engineer.

Fiona has had a varied career which has involved consulting, media, heritage, constructions, local government and housing. She spent 12 years at the BBC where she could be found fire risk assessing international offices, large events, numerous TV sets, stunts and special effects.

Fiona is a Chartered Fellow with IOSH and a Member of IFE. She is also the Chair of the IFE Women in Fire Engineering Support Group and advocates and supports women in the fire industry.

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Bob Caputo, President, American Fire Sprinkler Association

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
President of The American Sprinkler Association (ASFA) shares his views and predictions for the fire and safety industry for the year ahead

When I travel outside the US, I am surprised at how few buildings are protected with fire sprinklers. The growth and development of the global population with taller buildings in growing cities can only be sustained with the installation of water-based fire protection systems. This technology is the only way to protect the population due to the height of buildings and response times, obstructed by city traffic. The big areas I see as rapidly developing and most impacted by the need for fire protection systems continue to be storage and distribution facilities and large-scale residential occupancies.

Storage facilities have changed dramatically in terms of the increased fire challenge created by the amount of synthetics and other plastics (petroleum based) products and packaging materials compounded by increasing storage and building heights. Automated retrieval systems also add to the fire control challenge by removing flue spaces which normally allow heat to get to the ceiling sprinklers and allow water to cascade through to lower levels to attack the fire.  The sprinkler manufacturers and the listing/approval labs can expect a long term, robust cycle of keeping the pace and staying ahead of the rate of change in storage methods and occupancies.

Secondly, residential occupancies, especially high-density occupancy like apartments and condos are outpacing the construction of single-family dwellings in the US and globally. Each resident exposes neighbouring residents to fires caused by human error, including unattended cooking, candles, or smoking materials. The greater use of residential sprinklers globally is another area that needs to expand rapidly, to keep pace with new, lighter weight construction materials with sprinkler manufacturers leading the way in technology to help provide better protection at reduced costs.

Like any mechanical system, water-based fire protection systems require periodic inspections and testing.  NFPA 25 provides requirements for periodic inspection, testing and maintenance but these requirements are not as widely enforced in the robust manner necessary to ensure systems will operate as expected when the eventual emergency occurs. Unfortunately, when such events occur and these systems work as intended, the news media tends to report the incident as a water damage event as opposed to what would have been the result of uncontrolled fire. 

When I look to the future, fire sprinklers offer the only solution to the fire and life safety equation. As we see shifting population growth, emerging vertical cities and the challenges of our changing globe, the fire protection industry is facing enormous growth and opportunities. Whether you believe in global warming or not, we are seeing higher temperatures, less rain in some places, with flooding in others. The construction industry in the USA is challenged by a shortage of manpower, inflation, and supply chain issues. The world is becoming smaller and smaller by the year with people working remotely from almost anywhere in the world.

I encourage everyone to remember that nothing good lasts forever, nor does anything bad.    Controlling fire has been a challenge since the time of early man. Fire sprinklers are the answer!

About the influencer

Bob Caputo, President of the American Fire Sprinkler Association, is chair of the NFPA 24 and NFPA 291 Technical Committee and a member of multiple NFPA technical committees, including NFPA 13 and NFPA 25.  Caputo is a contributor of the NFPA 13 and NFPA 25 Handbooks, and the NFPA Inspection Manual.

Caputo is an instructor at the National Fire Academy and an advisory board member at Oklahoma State University School of Fire Protection Engineering & Safety. Caputo’s industry distinctions include “Fire Prevention Officer of the Year” from San Diego County in 1994; “Man of the Year” from Fire Protection Contractor magazine in 1997; and the Henry S. Parmelee award from AFSA in 2017. Caputo attended the University of Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a US Navy veteran and former volunteer fire fighter.

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Russell B. Leavitt, CFPS, SET, Executive Chairman, Telgian Holdings, Inc.

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
Executive Chairman of Telgian Holdings Inc., Russell B. Leavitt, CFPS, SET, shares his views and predictions for the fire and safety industry for the year ahead

There are definite “headwinds” as we look at the global fire and life safety industry over the next 12 months. It is almost certain that we face a global economic recession. The questions to which we can only speculate include how deep it will go and how long it will last. When added to the global geo-political issues, that are especially severe at the present time, it is easy to draw a pessimistic view of the prospects for our industry for the coming year.

However, even with the economic challenges we are facing, the fire and life safety industry will continue to grow, albeit more slowly than it has over the past decade. One area where we are seeing increased investment is in the transition from traditional storage methods to Automatic Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS). This is a move that is rapidly evolving and is taking place worldwide. There is little in the way of prescriptive protection methods. As a result, performance-based protection scenarios are the norm due to the uniqueness of these systems. My firm is involved with a number of full-scale fire tests for the diverse types of ASRS systems to determine appropriate protection methods. The conversion to these automatic storage systems will continue for the next 12 months and beyond.

Another significant challenge and opportunity for the industry is associated with the effects of climate change on the urban wildland interface. It has become painfully obvious over the past 20 years that wildfires are growing in frequency and intensity. We are experiencing wildfires in parts of the globe where their occurrence was historically extremely low and even non-existent. The impact on the urban interface has created a demand for more education on how to protect residential and business occupancies. In my role as the chair of NFPA, I have witnessed firsthand the increased demand for resources to fight wildland fires and for information on how communities and individuals can keep the risk of fire loss to a minimum.

A major challenge for our industry is the lack of skilled engineers and technicians needed to design, install, and maintain fire and life safety systems. We are losing a considerable number trained and experienced individuals each year as they “age out” of the workforce. We are not replacing these individuals, much less adding trained professionals to an expanding market. As a result, we are faced with a potential degradation of the skills needed to ensure that our built systems will provide the needed protection when called upon. This is especially concerning in an industry where we save lives and protect property.

The good news is that fire and life safety is an essential piece of our world, and the demand continues to expand. The not-so-good news is that we are challenged to keep up with the demand and to prepare for future needs. In the end, we are fortunate to earn a living doing something that really matters, and I am confident we will rise up to meet the challenges ahead.

About the influencer

Russell Leavitt is the Executive Chairman of Telgian Corporation, an international fire protection and life safety services organization. He is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, holds a Level IV certification from NICET in Fire Sprinkler Layout, and is a Certified Fire Protection Specialist. He is a licensed contractor with 33 years of experience in the design, installation, and testing of fire protection systems and is a Chair of the board of directors for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Terry Johnson, Technical Services Manager, Emirates National Oil Company

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) Technical Services Manager, Group HSE Department, Terry Johnson, shares his views and predictions for the fire and safety industry for the year ahead

As we head to the last quarter of 2022, we ask ourselves, ‘is the fire industry in a good place?’ and ‘what can we expect in 2023?’ My perspective is that there have been many difficult and far-reaching challenges in recent years resulting in lower levels of confidence due to many reports of large tragic fires and often cases where fire safety was compromised. However, I continue to be confident that the fire Industry remains resilient, passionate, and robust enough to tackle any challenges or threats.

We must, however, re-establish virtuous confidences with a regenerated dynamic approach and look inwardly to the fire expertise within the fire industry. There should be a search for broader solution-based technologies and a platform of cross-border shared learning from past experiences and post incident reports.

The Fire Industry Globally is a relatively small family with the ability to communicate freely and distinctively. Hence, we all have something to contribute collectively, some regions and fire authorities more than others as has been their rapid learning due to economic growth and development.

Typically, the United Arab Emirates and particularly Dubai is an example of amazing growth with many challenging solutions required to satisfy fire and life safety, which is a very important issue for potential developers and confidence of its residents regarding growth and market stability.

In order to tackle these issues locally, it was decided to develop a UAE fire and life safety code of practice. True, this was not a million miles away from other established codes initially, but as a start this proved to be extremely successful and to take ownership was in itself a boost to confidence within the fire and safety sector.

This then brought the fire sector together, with many inputs from the resident sector expertise resulting in evolved versions of the codes that have been subsequently published, the latest being 2022. This now reflects a great deal of practical incident learning which is inclusive and understandable by all, flexible to reflect market demands, and robust to withstand testing and target the challenging issues. The most important element is the confirmation and assurance that things are progressing and any influences are fact checked and reported back into the fire safety sector.

Going forward into 2023 I feel that it is vital to evaluate comprehensively all the learning we can gather from all sources involved within the fire sector. Importantly, we must share the inputs and jointly propose solutions from tested and certified materials. Regarding construction we have to understand fire behaviour patterns and develop engineered design concepts for advanced fire and life safety systems.

We must look at technological advances with assured certified guarantees, carefully selecting those that positively influence integrity. We must also share tactics and rehearsed operational solutions with best options for equipment and tools. These will all influence the success and rise to the challenge, secure confidence and stability, and ensure the successful growth and well-being of the fire industry.

About the influencer

Terry Johnson’s career began in the UKFRS and progressed to international development with the United Nations Development Program (UNIDO) as an ‘Technical Assistant Expert’ Fire Safety Training in the Oil & Gas sector. Johnson represented Dubai Civil Defense on various Emergency Crisis committees and working groups as a Senior Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services Professional, disciplined for All Operational requirements, including Major Emergency Incident planning and crisis liaison.

Now, Johnson is currently engaged by Emirates National Oil Company ENOC, looking at sustainable and environmental solutions to match the resilience needed for asset and response team protection for ENOC assets.  

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Nicole Boston, CEO, SFPE

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), Nicole Boston, shares her views and predictions for the fire and safety industry for the year ahead

As I think about what lies ahead in 2023, it is essential first to recognise how much has changed over the past couple of years. So, with one eye on the past, I see more change ahead regarding our fire safety and fire protection workforce and our collective appetite to learn.

Through my role at SFPE I have the distinct pleasure of talking with our members regularly. Members from across the globe, and so many of them are saying the same thing: that finding and retaining employees is more challenging now than it has been in quite some time. While there are many reasons for today’s workforce challenges, members I have talked with seem to agree that the impact of employee turnover on businesses is substantial.

Recognising this, SFPE is doing more to position the SFPE Career Connect portal as more of a resource – helping employers with an easy-to-use job board that is targeted to professionals in our industry while also providing job seekers with free resources like resume review, networking tips, interviewing best practices, and so much more. The way we see it at SFPE – if we can help connect employers with the right candidates, everyone wins. And the sooner we can return to a steadier workforce, the better.

This brings me to my second prediction – that our appetite for learning will continue to grow. As someone who is energised by in-person educational events and experiential learning, I am so happy that it is safer now for us to convene again and learn from one another. And, apparently, many others in our industry are energised by this, too – the demand for our in-person education has never been this high.

We had record attendance at our recent annual conference and expo, and the desire to speak at our upcoming conference and expo in Berlin this March also far exceeded our targets – and to be honest, I think that the Berlin conference will have another record-setting number of attendees. With additional SFPE in-person events planned and in development for 2023, we hope to see many IFSJ readers at SFPE events, too. 

I want to note, though, that I also expect the demand for virtual learning to remain strong, too. SFPE regularly has 200, 300, or even 500 people register for our webinars — one of our webinars just a couple of months ago had 750 people register – confirming that people continue to find value in learning online from the convenience of their home or office, too.

I also confidently say that the digital engagement that has grown in popularity these past couple of years will continue to grow. The conversations that I see taking place amongst engineers in the fire safety community on LinkedIn are rich and informative, our private virtual community “SFPE Connect” regularly has 1,500 contributors/readers each month, and the demand for SFPE digital publications has never been higher. People value the benefits that are provided through digital engagement. 

To learn more about the Society of Fire Protection Engineers or any of the SFPE programs that I mentioned here, visit sfpe.org. To chat about something I shared, e-mail me at ntboston@sfpe.org.

About the influencer

Nicole Testa Boston, CAE, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, a global professional society of engineers dedicated to reducing fire risk, where she has served in that role since 2013. Nicole has over 25 years of experience in the engineering industry, having previously served as deputy director of Fiatech, an industry-led consortium in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to that, she served as executive director of the Building Futures Council and held senior management positions at the Civil Engineering Research Foundation at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Joaquin Ramirez, President, IAWF

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
President of the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) Joaquin Ramirez shares his views

The most significant challenge facing our fire industry in 2023 is wildfire, but solutions are close at hand to make a difference now. The threat posed by wildfire is a global crisis and the only question going into 2023 is when and where the next hotspot will be.

Following the devastating 2020 and 2021 California fire seasons, I spent this past summer in Spain watching wildfires spread across borders and challenge the various prevention and suppression efforts that fire and forestry agencies valiantly made to reduce loss. The Mediterranean region, much like the western United States, faces prolonged heatwaves and a drier landscape that fuel the flames and place our communities and infrastructure at heightened risk.

Yet, with a new year in front of us, I see a pivotal role for science and technology solutions that can importantly forecast the consequence of wildfire. Simply knowing the probability of a wildfire does not explain what the possible consequences are, and no two ignitions are the same. Fire services need to be able to proactively plan for the risks ahead.

In this new reality of extreme wildfire, we cannot just suppress our way to the solution. While additional air resources, proper protective equipment, and firefighter training are certainly needed, fire modeling science can make those actions more effective and our firefighters safer on the line. 

In the United States, CAL FIRE’s new Intel Unit is a great example of an agency using technology solutions to understand and act upon consequences from wildfire risk. They are using this knowledge to pre-deploy and advance pre-fire mitigation activities most effectively and efficiently on limited budgets. Every wildfire alert is immediately assessed to help define the appropriate response, as many of them can appear at the same time, like 600 within a week in August 2020.

At the same time, electric utilities are using wildfire risk modeling to better manage the risk their infrastructure can pose to wildfire ignitions. From asset hardening plans, to removing power from certain lines during high-risk weather events, they are making efficiencies in their systems with science to guide their efforts. Utilities can evaluate millions of virtual wildfires across the network. Preventing ignition starts before an extreme weather event happens can make the difference, as the tragic 2018 fire season reminds us.

As we enter 2023, the fire industry must acknowledge that living with wildfire is something we must accept. We cannot fight fire so aggressively anymore and expect the same result. Advancing the science behind risk modeling will improve prevention efforts towards resilient landscapes and provide fire agencies the planning tools to confront wildfire most effectively. Citizens too can be informed in advance and be a part of the solution with more precise and dynamic risk evaluation.

About the influencer

Joaquin Ramirez, PhD, is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Technosylva, Inc., in San Diego, CA. He is the current president of the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) for 2022-2023 and is a professor of Technologies on Wildland Fires at the University of Leon (Spain).

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.

IFSJ Influencer: Ajit Raghavan, National President, FSAI

by Featured NewsIFSJ Influencers
National President of the Fire & Security Association of India, Ajit Raghavan, shares his views and predictions for the fire and safety industry for the year ahead

India has seen a surge in demand driven by the rising construction of smart homes and buildings in the residential and commercial sectors, enforcement of NBC 2016 by several governments and extensive media coverage of recent fire-related incidents.

Part 4 of the National Building Code (NBC) of India, 2016, ‘Fire and Life Safety’ is quite comprehensive and covers the requirements for fire prevention, life safety in relation to fire and fire protection of buildings. The code specifies occupancy-wise classification, constructional aspects, egress requirements and protection feature that are necessary to minimise danger to life and property from fire. NBC Part 4 also specifies guidelines for drills and evacuations for high-rise buildings and mandates the appointment of a qualified fire officer.

Challenges

Fire service is a state subject and has been included as a municipal function in the XII schedule of the Constitution. In many states, municipal corporations and local bodies are responsible for providing fire services. Hence, adoption of NBC 2016 guidelines is left to the state thereby resulting in a lack of Uniform fire safety legislation.

There is an overall gap of more than 65% in terms of number of Fire Stations in the entire country. Furthermore, attendance time, fire cover and rescue operations are exacerbated by delays in reaching buildings, especially tall buildings often located in densely populated and congested urban areas with traffic gridlock.

Developments

BIS has been harmonizing its standards with the standards of ISO by adopting these standards as Indian standards.

National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has accredited UL’s Fire Laboratory in India called UL – Jain Fire Laboratory (UL-JFL), the first-of-its-kind facility the company established as a joint venture with the Jain University in 2016.

UL–JFL will support the fire protection manufacturing community in India with globally renowned capabilities at affordable cost.

Issues

Design criteria stipulated in BIS standards for fire protection, normally adopted by government organisations, differ from NFPA or BS/EN/ISO standards. Most of the consultants do not specify fire rated cable for general power systems, HVAC, fire alarm, security, and communications systems for the DCOA (Designated critical operations areas) to ensure that the cable will continue to operate in the presence of a fire, also identified as Circuit Integrity Cable.

Pre-formatted checklists are not available in current IS codes to instil confidence on the effectiveness of the FP systems provided and most importantly personnel associated with inspection, testing and maintenance are not trained to the required level of competence for evaluating system performance.

The Fire Suraksha Index (FSI) formulated by Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI) is a fire rating that has been introduced wherein the building owners can fulfil the compliance requirements stipulated in the FSI guidelines and earn a rating for the fire and life safety quotient of the building. This will augur well for the fire and life safety of the building occupants.

About the influencer

Ajit Raghavan has spent more than 30 years in the Fire, Security, Cable & Engineering Industry in the Asia & Middle East Regions. Currently he is the National President (2022-24) of Fire & Security Association of India (FSAI). He was the National Secretary of FSAI in 2007-08 & 2015-2016. He is also on the Bureau of Indian Standards committee CED 22: Fire Fighting Sectional Committee & CED 36: Fire Safety Sectional Committee.

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.