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Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts

Hard Code Sections [How to Understand Them]


Have you ever been reading through the code and come to a section that you just can’t understand? One of those code sections that you read, read it again, think about it, then re-read it. Only to still not understand what it is saying? I’ve been in this spot more than once. So, how do you get past it? What are some steps to understanding what you are reading?

Here are the four steps to understanding hard code sections:

  1. Annex information. Is there an asterisk by the code section (for NFPA codes and standards)? If so, refer to the annex for this code reference or section. Additionally, reading the code section before and after the problem section can help by providing context. If these sections have annex information, then review that, as well. 

  2. Other editions. Refer to past editions and future editions of the same code section or language. Sometimes the same concept is stated or explained another way in other editions. Other editions may make the concept to be more clearly understood.

  3. Handbooks. Many codes have handbooks that are published by the code organization, or even outside publishers. Refer to the code section in the related handbook for potential commentary, explanation, or illustration, for clarity.

  4. Google search. Finally, do a Google search of key phrases from the code section, the code reference, or copy and paste the entire code section into the search bar. This may produce other resources such as articles, blog posts, social media comments, and other items that may provide clarity and direction for understanding.

How do you comprehend hard code sections? 


Innovating Our Industry [Seven Survival Skills]

Innovator. An innovator is defined as a person who introduces new methods, ideas, or products. these are individuals who blaze a trail into a new territory. Innovation is necessary for our survival - as a people, and as an industry.


In his book Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, Tony Wagner provides a clear argument for the changes that are needed in our educational system (and to some extent, our parenting styles) to create innovative people. Without innovation, we will cease to develop and exist. In his previous book, Tony identified seven survival skills that people need to possess and foster in others in order for us to continue to thrive.  These skills are also what is needed within our industry of fire protection, life safety, and codes and standards development, to enable its continued growth and impact.
  1. Critical thinking and problem solving.
  2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence.
  3. Agility and adaptability.
  4. Initiative and entrepreneurship.
  5. Accessing and analyzing information.
  6. Effective oral and written communication.
  7. Curiosity and imagination.
Tony adds to this list, “perseverance, a willingness to experiment, take calculated risks, and tolerate failure, and the capacity for “design thinking”.

The U.S. Army understands the importance and urgency to create innovative thinkers and leaders. In 2015 the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command released a “Learning Conceptpaper that identified three components that would contribute to a more competitive learning model.  These three actions can be implemented within our industries to enhance innovative thinking and growth.

  1. Convert most classroom experiences into collaborative problem-solving events led by facilitators (vs. instructors) who engage learners to think and understand the relevance and context of what they learn.
  2. Tailor learning to the individual learner’s experience and competence level based on the results of a pre-test and/or assessment.
  3. Dramatically reduce or eliminate instructor-led slide presentation lectures and begin using a blended learning approach that incorporates virtual and constructive simulations, gaming technology, or other technology-delivered instruction.
How can we foster these traits within our organizations and personnel? What tools are you using to encourage and create innovation with your company, organization, or industry at large?

What our readers are reading?


A few months ago we conducted our annual reader survey, and the results are in! Though I use the survey to collect data and measure multiple points there are three areas that I am primarily concerned with - what is your #1 challenge and what are the most valuable posts (MVP’s). It is the answer to these two questions that let me know how this blog can better serve your needs.

#1 Challenge:
The primary challenges stated are all related to the topic of education. The educational challenges are related to one of three areas:
  • Codes, standards, and compliance - knowledge and interpretation of current codes and standards, and how to properly apply them for compliance.
  • Fire protection systems - understanding the guidelines, references, and standards for system designs
  • Building owners - educating building owners on codes and standards, and the importance of compliance, and how to achieve buy-in.

MVP’s:
The most valuable posts to our readers are ones that provide explanations and details for specific codes and code sections. A good example is these top viewed posts:

Consistent with the above, many readers stated a desire for training products. These products could include webinars, in-person classes, and courses that provide CEU’s. Moving forward we will potentially be developing content, products, services, and opportunities that fill this need.

This reader survey also asked about what other blogs TheCodeCoach.com readers were also reading.  Here’s the top four blogs and sites that were listed:

As always, thank you for being dedicated readers.  I am always open to feedback and requests. Feel free to contact me anytime!

Top 5 Presentations for Fire Prevention Organizations - #FirePreventionWeek



This week the National Fire Protection Association will sponsor the annual Fire Prevention Week. The theme this year is "Look. Listen. Learn. - Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere."

Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.

In observance of this Fire Prevention Week, TheCodeCoach.com presents the top 5 most viewed educational presentations (from Slideshare).  Feel free to share and use these resources with your departments and organizations.

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#5: 







Don't Leave It In Vegas - NFPA Conference & Expo 2018

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”,  may be a great slogan for your evening activities, but not for the content of the 2018 annual NFPA Conference and Expo. Every attendee receives valuable knowledge, tools, and resources that they should bring back to their respective fire departments and organizations. Educational sessions, vendors, and networking opportunities abound for all functions and components of fire protection and life safety:
  • Healthcare
  • Fire Service
  • Emergency Management
  • Fire Protection Engineering
  • Fire Protection and Alarm Systems
  • Facilities Management

General sessions featured two speakers that focused on the theme of future innovations. Futurist, Jim Carroll, provided a broad overview of the future of technology, and how that future is already here. He challenged attendees to stay attuned to the world around us and strive for continuous growth and development with the quote, “The future belongs to those who are fast.”

Keller Rinaudo inspired the audience with the accomplishments of his company, Zipline. Zipline is utilizing “futuristic” drone technology to bring life saving medical supplies to the most remote parts of the world. The company is currently in the process of opening its second distribution center which will provide the entire country of Rwanda with readily available blood and medicines.

NFPA President, Jim Pauley, introduced the “fire and life safety ecosystem” concept. The ecosystem is eight elements that must work in harmony to protect people and property. Pauley stated, “We have forgotten that safety is a system – not a singular action, piece of equipment, or event.”



My particular interests led me to presentations on pre-incident planning, human factors and behaviors, risk and resilience, media relations, and training and development.  Two of the most impressive presentations were case studies, one from Uber and the other from Carvana.

In “The eVTOL Revolutions: How the Next Generation of Air Travel Will Impact Fire and Life Safety”, representatives from Uber presented the next phase in their growth strategy and its impact on the fire and life safety industry. Celina Mikolajczak, Director of Engineering, painted a picture of the what Uber plans to do with electric VTOL travel and transportation. Rex Alexander, Head of Aviation Infrastructure, discussed the impact that this new form of public transportation would have on codes, standards, and FAA regulations.

Carvana, the online-only used car dealer, created the innovative concept of the car vending machine.  Their presentation, “Carvana: Performance-Based Design of an Automated Vehicle Storage and Retrieval System” demonstrated how they were able to implement the performance-based design process to create a product that would garner acceptance from a variety of local officials and regulatory agencies.  


The NFPA Conference & Expo is one of the world’s biggest and most comprehensive fire, electrical, and life safety events. It's an opportunity to gain valuable insights, meet with industry experts and learn about new products and solutions.  With 110 knowledge enhancing presentations, several hundred vendors exhibiting in the expo hall, and more than 1,000 attendees to network with, the NFPA Conference and Expo should be the primary event on the fire and life safety professional’s calendar.  

Handouts of the all presentations are available for download from, NFPA.org/conference.

Featured New Developments:




Spray Applications and the Fire Code



This presentation provides an overview of the fire protection requirements for spray booths as stated in NFPA 1, Chapter 43. Operations, functions, hazards, and fire protection system requirements are shown. This presentation will provide a thorough understanding of how to properly apply the fire code requirements for these types of operations and structures.



2016 Reading List


Looking for a way to spend those Amazon gift cards? This year I read more than I had in previous years.  I read more fiction to stimulate creative thinking and imagination. I read more fire/emergency/disaster specific books.  Here’s what I was reading in 2016.


Non-Fiction
Will It Fly?, Pat Flynn
Plan 4 It, Tim Cool
Key Person of Influence, Harrington/Priestly
Booked, Josh Turner
House of Lies, Martin Kihn
Mentoring 101, John Maxwell
The McKinsey Mind, Rasiel/Friga
Visual Theology, Challies/Byers
The Rich Employee, James Altucher
The Firm, Duff McDonald
Flirting With Disaster, Gerstein/Ellsberg
The Single Family Office, Richard Wilson
Ask., Ryan Levesque
The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker
The Millionaire Booklet, Grant Cardone


Fiction
Salvation Boulevard, Larry Beinhart
Alpha, Greg Rucka
Seduction of the Innocent, Max Allan Collins
Quarry, Max Allan Collins
Sleep Tight, Jeff Jacobson
Stateline, Dave Stanton
Malevolent, EH Rhinehard


Past Reading Lists


5 Insights From My Reader Survey


In December I launched my second annual reader survey.  This survey is meant to, ultimately, serve the reader. It is through this survey that I can know who you are and what type of information is most valuable to you.  I am then able to create the content that you want.

Some of the questions that were on this years survey included:

  • Do you work within the private or public sector?
  • What industry do you work in?
  • What do you need ongoing support for?
  • What is the #1 challenge in your business today?


"Original" survey crew - US Geological Society 

By collecting and analyzing your responses to these questions (and a few others), I was able to find answers to the following 5 questions:

  1. Who are you? You, the participants of this site, are evenly made up of private and public sector personnel.  As many of you work within municipal fire departments as work for private companies and organizations.
  2. What do you do? All industries have a need for fire protection and life safety professionals.  Some specific industry sectors that were options included: industrial, manufacturing, aviation, educational, and facilities management.  However, the two top professions that you are part of is, municipal fire departments (fire inspectors, fire officers, firefighters), and fire protection/life safety consultants.
  3. What is your biggest challenge? Some of the biggest challenges stated had to do with manpower, finances, and communication.  But the common response was the need for quality and effective training for personnel and  community/client education.
  4. What specific training do you need? The training most requested is explanation and in-depth education of specific codes and standards, and resources and guidance on new construction and plans review.
  5. How often do you want to hear from me? You would not mind to get an update or e-mail from me once a week.
What does this mean for you? TheCodeCoach.com will continue to provide great (and improved) content for the fire protection/life safety industry.  My posts and products will be more focused on the needs of municipal fire prevention personnel, and individuals within the consulting industry.  I will write more about specific codes and standards, systems and processes, guides and checklists; and will write less about career development and leadership topics. I will also be providing this content by utilizing different mediums, instead of a blog only, I will be adding a podcast, video content, and interviews. 

If you want to get these weekly updates, you can subscribe to my e-mail list .

If you participated in the survey, thank you for taking the time to do that. I consider it a gift.


2014 NFPA Conference and Expo - Review






The Venue


The site of the 2014 NFPA Conference and Expo was the Mandalay Bay, in Fabulous Las Vegas.  This was my first visit to Las Vegas.  It is a great place! There are lots of things to do to occupy your time.  It is enjoyable just walking the strip and visiting the different hotels, casinos, and bars. The weather was amazing (even at 103 degrees, it’s not an oppressive heat). I stayed at the Luxor.  The room was low priced ($55), comfortable, and clean.  I look forward to visiting this location again in the future.  There is not much more I can say, because as you know…what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

The Value

The 2014 NFPA Conference and Expo provides great value in the number of educational sessions that are offered.  There are sessions that appeal to every part of the fire protection industry.  

The general session was highlighted by speaker, Michael Beschloss author of, Presidential Courage.  A vivid story teller, he reveals the qualities that have made great presidents in history and shows how to apply these qualities to leadership today.

Kurt Schwartz, Director of Homeland Security for Massachussettes during the Boston Marathon bombings gave an in-depth presentation on the local, regional, and state planning process for the 2013 marathon. He discussed the multi-jurisdicational/multi-agency response, challenges encountered, lessons learned, and best practices for response to and recovery from an attack.

A few of the sessions that I found interesting included:

NFPA 1730 and the Identification, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Fire Prevention Program -  Referencing the requirements of NFPA 1730, Standard on Organization and Deployment of Code Enforcement, Plan Review, Fire Investigation, and Public Education Operations to the Public, this program outlined the steps used to analyze data from a community risk assessment, identify appropriate fire prevention programs, and develop, implement, and evaluate those programs. This session also served to provide a guide for the conduct of a community risk assessment.

Management of the Complex Fire Scene: Lessons Learned From the West Texas Explosion -  utilizing NFPA 921:26, this session addressed many of the challenges raised by the complex fire scene where multiple federal, state, and local entities, together with private parties, each have a legitimate interest in the fire scene.

Revisiting Analysis of Potential Fire Sprinkler Performance in the Great Adventure Fire of May 11, 1984 – using computer modeling,  this presentation was able demonstrate what the results of this tragic fire could have been had fire sprinklers been installed. The presenters shared A history of the fire including construction details, interior finish, travel distance and available exits. Exhibits also included, pre- and post-fire photographs, facility plans, re-creation of the sprinkler plan used in the trial, and a smokeview movie of the fire timeline.

Aircraft Down--Are You Ready? – this session, presented by Duane Kann, Fire Chief, for Orlando International Airport, provided an overview of preparedness considerations, and applicable NFPA standards and FAA regulations for emergency response.

Life Safety for the Vegas High Roller Observation Wheel - This presentation described the safety analysis conducted, including the redundant power drive systems, external drive mechanism, and quality control measures. Also discussed was the emergency procedures for unloading passengers and methods for emergency passenger extractions. The Vegas High Roller is the world’s tallest observation wheel.



The Visitors
At the 2014 NFPA Conference and Expo, as with all conferences, the greatest value is in the people that you meet and the connections that are made.  Besides the opportunity of receiving an eclectic learning experience by sitting under the instruction of those who are more knowledgeable, provide a different perspective, or perform in another sector, is the opportunities to meet others in your field.  Its always interesting to hear how others are doing things, how other departments function, how the private sector and public sectors differ in their thinking.  From the speakers to the people you meet on the plane, these introductions serve to add as much value as the conference presentations itself.

HGTV Sprinkler Promo

The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition has completed a 30-second TV spot that will run on HGTV this week. It is estimated this spot will reach more than 3.2 million viewers. 



For more information visit the, Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition.




Learn to SCORRE

DynamicCommunication.cover
I remember attending a conference keynote that was being delivered by a prominent author of a widely read fire investigation textbook.  I looked forward to it, as this was to be a person with much experience and interesting fire scene stories.  However, I found myself fighting sleep and wondering why he wasn't getting to the meat and potatoes of his presentation.

We've all suffered through fire department presentations, classes, conferences, and in-service training, delivered ineffectively.  This is unacceptable.  The fire service naturally lends itself to interesting content that people want to hear.  Why do we deliver so poorly?

This should not be.  Here is a great resource to make all your presentations effective.

For more than 30 years, Ken Davis, author of Secrets of Dynamic Communications: Prepare with Focus, Deliver with Clarity, Speak with Power, has been teaching people the art and science of public speaking through his SCORRE Conferences.  In, Secrets of Dynamic CommunicationsDavis shares the SCORRE process, and educates the reader on how to deliver powerful and memorable presentations. The book is divided into 3 parts:
  1. The Preparation - outlines the SCORRE process
  2. The Presentation - teaches effective speech delivery skills
  3. The Application - how to use the SCORRE process to achieve great results
Each sections is tied in closely to the SCORRE elements:

S - Subject

C - Central Theme
O - Objective
R - Rationale
R - Resources
E - Evaluation

Davis provides a clear model outline process for the actual presentation, and how to present within given time frames. This is one of the most clear and concise titles on public speaking that I have read.  It offers great content and presentation techniques.  With only 144 pages, this book can easily be read in a single afternoon, literally improving your presentation skills overnight.  Whether you are a chief, company officer, inspector, life safety educator, or one that desires to be a better communicator, Secrets of Dynamic Communications is a must read. 





Related posts:




Youth Firesetter Intervention

Here is an overview of the youth firesetting intervention program for the state of Florida. Pay special attention to relation between program cost and program impact:





Find out more at, www.stopfiresetting.com, or the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association.

Other posts on youth firesetting:

How to calculate downtime...

The impact of a fire related incident can be devastating, resulting in loss of property, financial hardship, and often times, death. I started this blog as a way to ensure the continued success of its readers  organizations by eliminating the risk of fire loss.

Here at the Code Coach I attempt to do just that in the following ways:
  • Education - through this blog and shared articles readers are educated as to what fire/life safety components should be in place, and how to prevent fire/life safety issues from occurring.
  • Consulting - providing FREE plan review services to ensure fire/life safety code compliance; providing life safety evaluations of facilities; being part of the commissioning process; overseeing new construction and incident recovery projects.
  • Speaking - host and speak at fire prevention/life safety conferences/seminars/events; conduct site specific training; provide employee fire prevention and life safety training.
By combining these elements fire protection and life safety can be achieved. To determine the value that these tools could have for your organization, check out this "Downtime Calculator".  This calculator lets you see the cost of lost time due to a fire or other emergency.