Fire Marshal's Corner: December 2007

This month on Fire Marshal's Corner, host Ed Comeau goes international again! First, however, we're starting on this side of the Atlantic with a segment from the National Association of State Fire Marshal's featuring New Hampshire Fire Marshal Bill Degnan. Marshal Degnan will be covering alternative heating fire safety, which is a very timely topic as we move into the winter season here in the United States.

We then move over to the United Kingdom for a talk with Philip Hales, the Head of Community Fire Safety for the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Services in the United Kingdom. The fire service in the UK adopted a new approach to fire prevention and safety in 2002 that is much more risk-based, and Phil is going to provide us with a fascinating overview of how it is working and what possible lessons we might learn from it in the United States.

We are then joined by Dr. Jim Marsden from the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Services for a discussion on the environmental impacts of fire and how it is contributing to global warming. This is an effort and research program that is very much in the initial stages, and Dr. Marsden has been working on efforts to quantify how much structural fires are contributing to global warming and the role of fire safety in developing a sustainable community.

Please send any suggestions, questions or comments, to: [email protected].

Related Links:


• National Association of State Fire Marshals

• Chief Fire Officers Association (UK)

• Cheshire Fire and Rescue Services

• Dr. Marsden's presentation at Fire Summit 2007 (PPT)

• Downloadable flash animations about the environment and fire safety

• Map: 2007 Catastrophic, multiple-fatality fires;

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