When I google NFIRS I find my suspicion (actually what I already knew but wanted to verify before my foot slid on something evil) is correct; NFIRS is a under the eye of USFA which is now a part of Homeland Security and NFPA is merely an Important Contact associated with NFIC, but without a direct link, only contact information, which you can find referenced on a USFA/NFIRS webpage but that also doesn't provide a direct link, certainly leaving the impression that although NFPA may be considered an important entity within fire world (as my wife calls us) it is playing Futbol whilst NFIRS is playing Football (or vice versa). Looking for loves in all the places again?
On Sat, Jan 29, 2011 at 10:57 AM, å... .... <[email protected]> wrote: > The forum's candor and perspective are sincerely appreciated, > though > you might have difficulty believing I sincerely mean that. For > instance, > I sincerely respect those who fund the Sprinkler Academy. > Which is a weird reference that came to mind, because I see the > Sprinkler > Academy responded before this letter went out. > > Regarding "NFPA could and should champion better data collection on > sprinkler system > performance"... what was referred to was... > > > NFPA asking better questions on its NFIRS (or sequel) existing data > collection system. > One of the secrets to better statistical understanding is simply.... > asking better questions. > > > NFIRS could ask better questions regarding sprinkler system performance, > as well > as ask better questions regarding other parameters from the fire scene. > In fact, NFPA > could make submittal of such data ridiculously easy for the FF and these > data could be > posted via the Net and available for ... at least the NFPA membership to > see as it > updates instantaneously. Who knows, maybe John Hall could get some > summer > interns who can figure out a way to Tweet the data in, and we all could > listen in. Maybe > it would be an interesting enough site that NFPA could sell > advertizements in the margins > because they were getting so many hits. If it improves the fire safety > of our communities, > without collateral damage from the adverts, I am for the consensus > process sharing > more of its valuable information so that we all learn faster. > > NFIRS was in place when I was riding backstep. I didn't save any lives. In > fact, > I am pretty sure I didn't do anyone any good while I was in that world, but > it certainly > made me humble and appreciative of the people that do. And it made me > appreciate > the kick in the butt I deserve for not communicating clearly and wasting > people's time. > > But while I was not very good as a firefighter, that does NOT mean that > there are > NO fire departments out there qualified to evaluate sprinkler systems. That > statement, > while perhaps true in its attempt to brush a particular hue across an > enormous canvas, > does not encompass the many exceptional, remarkable and outstanding > individual > departments that excel at: sprinklers, fire prevention, cause and origin, in > addition > to good old fashioned manual suppression. Sure, there are a lot of > departments > that are resting on their civil salary laurels, but just as sure, there are > plenty that > are taking fire prevention to building associations, developers and city > planners. > That takes real cojones, or ovaries, to do one's job so well, that you > reduce the > need for your own job function, and you do it anyway because it helps > society. > > To say "no" fire departments have qualified individuals to speak on > cause-and-origin > or fire sprinkler performance, when firefighters have seen and breathed more > smoke > and had more black snot come out of their noses (days after a fire) --- than > any of us > every wiped off our kids noses... to say that there are no fire departments > out there > qualified to evaluate the smoking remains of what they themselves were > burning in > and were the few who intimately knew the scene before overhauling and > turning > the pile of ashes over to the investigators. There are plenty of men and > women fighting > structure fires who have forgotten more about fire and ignition than > most of us could dream up in one of our half-baked explanations for an > overpaid and > demoralized litigation, cause-and-origin investigation. > > There has been a lot of BS and ten-dollar words that pass for what is called > expert witness testimony > in fire tort. I don't provide expert witness testimony. That is one world > I prefer to stay far, far away -- from except for reading handed-down > decisions and notes from > depositions. but for those individuals that do monetarily leverage > themselves with this system, > they should be required to reveal who pays them (as if it is not painfully > obvious from some > of their tortured explanations) and how much the motivation is. In fact, > the courts should > Tweet these stats. One could also consider rendering fuller disclosure, and > Tweet the > monthly nut of the testifying witnesses... to provide an additional insight > as to the real world > backpressure experienced on the wallet of those sworn to tell the truth, the > whole truth and > nothing but the truth. That or just hire independent panel of experts, > rather than a jury that is > usually so far over their head with the presented evidence, that they vote > on who makes them > feel good. > > > Scot Deal > Excelsior Fire > > > What is NCIS and CSI? I don't watch TV, I prefer that other reality: > reading. > > P.S. to answer "why do BFV fail so quickly?" the plated butterfly valves > might be experiencing > a "completed" circuit where the axial rod of the blocking plate inserts into > the dissimilar metal > (cast iron?) housing. Perhaps after years of service, at this axial-rod > point-of-contact ... > the plating first rubs off, exposes the underlying substrate metal and > completes the > circuit for galvanic corrosion to start. That or, perhaps the pressures > against the relatively > thin wafer of the BFV creates hairline fractures (same as the hairline > fractures in > 21 foot sticks of galvanized pipe) which become the conduit for completing > the galvanic circuit. > _______________________________________________ > Sprinklerforum mailing list > [email protected] > http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum > > For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [email protected] > > To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[email protected] > (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) > -- Ron Greenman Instructor Fire Protection Engineering Technology Bates Technical College 1101 So. Yakima Ave. Tacoma, WA 98405 [email protected] http://www.bates.ctc.edu/fireprotection/ 253.680.7346 253.576.9700 (cell) Member: ASEE, SFPE, ASCET, NFPA, AFSA, NFSA, AFAA, NIBS, WSAFM, WFC They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [email protected] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[email protected] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
