It has become imperative that the Security space plan, prepare, conform to the global migration to the omnipresent ethernet, as a common power platform.

BTU and NFPA are among those who have decided to, ‘not do nothing’, about the threat America’s School Students face each day.

Efforts are current and active, to change language that relates to Life Safety for all.

Heretofore, the Fire Alarm Control Panel was the only public building system designed, installed, commissioned, maintained and routinely inspected.

A system so important to Life Safety, that it has its own dedicated, secondary power source, local to the FACP.

State Licensed Officials conduct frequent tests to insure the system will operate normally, in the absence of AC power.

That Official (Authority Having Jurisdiction), has the authority to vacate and evacuate any building within his jurisdiction.

Imminent releases of Life Safety language will be published in a manner that includes, “Powered Devices” and “Power Sourcing Equipment”

Examples of PDs may include, IP Cameras, Access Control, FACP devices. Examples of PSEs may include, PoE Network Switches, NVRs and PoE Injectors.

Cameras, VOIP, Door Controllers, Microphones, Speakers, remote view capability have taken the same essential role in Life Safety, as the FACP.

Moving forward, their ability to operate normally during extended periods of off-grid run times, will be imperative for those who participate in Education spaces.

Parkland, Florida, another painful reminder that our world has changed

Blog Post created by James Pauley on Feb 19, 2018

Our hearts are heavy as details emerge from Parkland, Florida about yet another active shooting incident in our country. While the refrain, “when will it end?” has been uttered by politicians, pundits, and the public since a 19-old pulled the fire alarm at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida school and killed 17 members of an unsuspecting community, NFPA has been focused on another question, “how can we help?”

NFPA can’t prevent these tragedies, but we do think there is more to be done in how they are responded to. NFPA has sped up its typical standards development process to develop the world’s first standard to help communities prepare, respond and rebound from hostile events. NFPA 3000™ Standard for Preparedness and Response to Active Shooter and/or Hostile Events, slated to be available as early as this April, is being developed by a technical committee comprised of representatives from FEMA, DHS, the FBI, the fire service, law enforcement, emergency medicine, hospitals, facilities, the government, and public education.

While no standard or code in the world can prevent horrific attacks from occurring in the future, NFPA 3000™ is intended to make communities better-equipped to deal with such tragedies by providing guidelines for cooperative planning, integrated response, and whole community recovery. The document will hold policymakers and authorities accountable for cross-collaboration, enforcement, and public outreach; while emphasizing Run. Hide. Fight. and Stop the Bleed – key messages to minimize loss at the hands of perpetrators.

FBI statistics tell the story of the disproportionate number of active shooter and hostile events in the United States; and underscore the need for guidance for communities. NFPA 3000™ and efforts to make Active Shooter Hostile Event Response (ASHER™) programs mandatory will go a long way in helping cities, towns and jurisdictions establish safe infrastructures. But it’s going to take buy-in, practice, and coordination from policymakers, first responders, skilled professionals, code enforcers, and the general public. Without such an ecosystem, we will not only fail our citizens, but all those that have lost their lives in these tragedies.

This was posted on the NFPA site.  

One year after Pulse Nightclub tragedy, new NFPA standard for preparedness and response to active shooter and/or hostile events being developed

June 13, 2017 – As the nation marks the one-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando this week, a group of experts on active shooter/hostile incident response will assemble at National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) headquarters to develop NFPA 3000, Standard for Preparedness and Response to Active Shooter and/or Hostile Events. It is expected that the initial standard will be completed by early 2018; then the public will have the opportunity to offer input for immediate review. 

On June 12, 2016, a gunman took the lives of 49 people and wounded 58 others in a terrorist attack at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. It was the biggest mass shooting by a single shooter and the deadliest terrorist attack in our country since September 11th. 

”We have seen far too many of these hate crimes in recent years in places like London, Paris, San Bernardino, Boston, Sandy Hook, Fort Hood, Virginia Tech and Charleston. These tragedies highlight a need for first responders, emergency personnel, facility managers, hospital officials, and community members to have information when terror attacks occur,” NFPA President Jim Pauley said. NFPA 3000 will give authorities a resource to reference in the event that they are faced with a hostile event. 

“Our world is changing. It is critical that we do whatever it takes to protect it together,” NFPA Fire Services Segment Director Ken Willette said. “We need to join forces and share the collective wisdom that will help us build a framework for prevention, responsiveness and overall resiliency in the face of terror. The sense of urgency displayed by our Technical Committee and stakeholders to move this important standard forward has been both impressive and warranted.”

Fire Chief Otto Drozd III from Orange County Florida has been the driving force behind the development of NFPA 3000. Drozd’s efforts to establish a standard on active shooting events began in October 2016, shortly after the Pulse Nightclub incident.  A new NFPA Technical Committee was quickly formed and public comments were gathered in just four months so that development of NFPA 3000 could move forward. In April, the NFPA Standards Council unanimously approved the new standard and Technical Committee; development of NFPA 3000 begins this week in Quincy, Massachusetts at NFPA.

The NFPA 3000 Technical Committee is chaired by Richard Serino, recently retired COO of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), former Chief of Boston EMS, and current faculty member at Harvard University.  He is joined by Drozd, representatives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), National Association of EMTs (NAEMT), International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), EMS Labor Alliance, hospital officials, facility managers, private security authorities, university personnel, and others. 

The NFPA standards development process is open to anyone to view and participate in. The public and first responders can provide comments when the draft is posted, and can follow the development of NFPA 3000 by receiving updates.

For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research and resources, please visit the NFPA press room. 

About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global, nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.