ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Fire Protection Research Foundation's executive director today said first responders play a big role in what the organization does and can benefit from the research that is being produced.
"We're doing a lot for the fire service right now," Kathleen H. Almand, who is head of the NFPA affiliate, said.
This week, engineers and researchers have come together at the 14th Annual Suppression and Detection Research and Applications Symposium, known as SUPDET, at the DoubleTree Resort in Orlando, Fla.
"We're applying the latest research to practical issues pertaining to suppression and detection," Almand said during the conference's opening day. "This is the place where research hits the standards -- and those two sides don't usually mix."
Over the course of the next four days, 34 research papers covering different issues dealing with fire suppression and detection will be presented to attendees.
A record attendance is expected at the conference this year -- just under 200 attendees. She said that for the small conference, it's quite an accomplishment in the current economy.
She said one highlight of the conference will explore fire protection concepts for "high challenge" warehouses. With the tragedies of Charleston and Worchester of the last decade, this is one topic fire service members can relate.
Firefighters and fire officials alike can learn something from the research shared at SUPDET, according to Almand.
She used mass notification as an example, saying the fire service is a central player in a lot of what needs to be done.
"We're mostly talking about systems going into a given building. The fire department is an essential part of that system."
Furthermore, over the last several years, members of the fire service have been strong supporters of a push by the NFPA to have fire sprinklers required in all new home construction. Last October, they descended on the International Code Council's annual conference in Baltimore and succeeded in keeping a mandate passed the pervious year in the books.
"The fire service is definitely an important part of the NFPA's constituency," she said.
Paul Peluso is a Firehouse.com staff writer and has worked for the Web site since 2006. Previously, he worked as a reporter for several community newspapers located in the suburbs of Baltimore, Md. Since joining the newsteam, Paul has covered various fire service issues including fire sprinklers, grants, line of duty deaths and technology. While he started out at the Beltsville, Md. office, he has since moved to Florida where he works out of his home office in Tampa.
