November 29, 2011 – The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Board of Directors has extended President James M. Shannon’s term for an additional two years. Shannon will remain in the position through June 2014, two years beyond his previous contract which was set to end in June 2012.
“The Board is delighted that Jim agreed to extend his tenure as President until June 30, 2014,” said Tom Jaeger, NFPA Chairman of the Board. “NFPA is in the midst of implementing an aggressive strategic plan and we look forward to working with Jim and the leadership team as they continue to make NFPA an even greater organization.”.
Shannon was scheduled to complete his second five-year term in June 2012. Prior to becoming President, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel having begun his employment at NFPA in 1991.
Shannon said, “I have been honored to work at NFPA for the last twenty-one years and to serve as President for the last ten. While I had expected to retire from NFPA next June, I am excited at the prospect of working with the staff, the Board, our volunteers and members over the next two and a half years as we implement our new strategic plan and continue our work to improve fire and life safety across the globe.”
During his tenure, Shannon has expanded the influence of NFPA through several key NFPA advocacy initiatives including: home fire sprinklers, fire-safe cigarettes, wildfire issues and electric vehicle safety training.
Prior to his work at NFPA, Mr. Shannon was Massachusetts Attorney General (1987-1991) where he was known as a staunch consumer and civil rights advocate. He was a Senior Partner in the Boston offices of Hale & Dorr (1985-1987) and was a member of the United States House of Representatives (1979-1985) where he served on the Ways and Means Committee. Mr. Shannon earned his BA degree at Johns Hopkins University and his JD at George Washington University School of Law.
About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building, and life safety. The mission of the international nonprofit organization founded in 1896 is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
National Association of Fire Equipment Dealers (NAFED) DOT Training
Don't forget to sign up before the end of the year for your DOT training. They are offering training in New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois and California. Click the link to register!
Monday, November 28, 2011
FSSA Presents Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle Challenges at SFPE
Members of FSSA’s technical committee recently prepared and presented a review of emerging fire protection issues in data centers that employ hot aisle/cold aisle containment techniques.
In response to requests from FSSA installer members, the technical committee set about to itemize the numerous fire protection challenges posed by various methods of containing hot and cold air in a data facility.
Technical committee members Steve Carter, Jeffery Kidd, John Spalding and Paul Rivers developed and presented a review of their findings at the resent Society of Fire Protection Engineers annual meeting held in Portland, Oregon this past October.
Their presentation highlighted five main challenges that hot asile/cold aisle containment system pose to fire protection systems:
In response to requests from FSSA installer members, the technical committee set about to itemize the numerous fire protection challenges posed by various methods of containing hot and cold air in a data facility.
Technical committee members Steve Carter, Jeffery Kidd, John Spalding and Paul Rivers developed and presented a review of their findings at the resent Society of Fire Protection Engineers annual meeting held in Portland, Oregon this past October.
Their presentation highlighted five main challenges that hot asile/cold aisle containment system pose to fire protection systems:
- Obstructions
- Inadequate automatic obstruction removal
- Multiple areas of containment
- High temperatures
- High airflow velocities
Monday, November 21, 2011
What We Are Thankful For.....
RemTec International is thankful for our employees going above and beyond this year when it comes to those in need. We are proud to share this letter with you to show our gratitude to our family here at RemTec for being so generous even in this down economy.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
‘Africa wants solar powered fridges cheap’
By Ackel Zwane
The refrigeration project, however, is still at pilot stages with Palfridge in Matsapha Swaziland being one of the manufacturers after funding was made available through cooperation with Giz, the German cooperation agency. Most technical aspects of the project are coordinated through Solarchill.
The issue of affordability also took centre stage when members of the African network of journalist attached to ODSONET also felt there was need for a breakdown of the transfer of technologies. They were also concerned whether the knowhow would remain in Africa and be used by the Africans to produce the fridges for their own benefit. The concern also went to cover the use of local materials instead of importing.
Alvaro Zurita of Giz, however, said it was not possible to produce entire fridges without importing certain components.
He further referred to the case of Swaziland when he explained to journalists that Palfridge was among the local companies to benefit from the Terminal Phase-out Management Programme (TPMP) of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), these being gases that are phased out as per the dictates of the Montreal Protocol.
Other countries where the solar project is piloted are Kenya and Columbia. It is hoped that funding would be secured for all countries wishing to produce them.
The more companies involved in the production of the refrigerators the lower will be the cost per unit and thus affordable to Africa. Swaziland is represented by Ozone Unit Officer in the Swaziland Environmental Authority, Thabile Dlamini who delivered the country report on the status of Swaziland in the implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
n On the basis of the Vienna Convention, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was negotiated and signed by 24 countries and by the European Economic Community in September 1987. The Protocol called for the Parties to phase down the use of CFCs, halons and other man-made ODCs.
n After a series of rigorous meetings and negotiations, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was finally agreed upon on September 16, 1987 at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal.
AFRICA wants the solar powered refrigerators currently being developed in the wake of efforts to eradicate ozone depleting substances, these being some of the harmful gases traditionally used in the fabrication of refrigerators.
Participants attending the 15th Joint Meeting of Ozone Officers Network for Africa (ODSONET/AF) at the Monomotapa Crowne Plaza hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe, felt the current estimated costs at about 1 500 Euros (approximately E13 500) fell way over what residents of the continent would ever afford.
Participants attending the 15th Joint Meeting of Ozone Officers Network for Africa (ODSONET/AF) at the Monomotapa Crowne Plaza hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe, felt the current estimated costs at about 1 500 Euros (approximately E13 500) fell way over what residents of the continent would ever afford.
The refrigeration project, however, is still at pilot stages with Palfridge in Matsapha Swaziland being one of the manufacturers after funding was made available through cooperation with Giz, the German cooperation agency. Most technical aspects of the project are coordinated through Solarchill.
The issue of affordability also took centre stage when members of the African network of journalist attached to ODSONET also felt there was need for a breakdown of the transfer of technologies. They were also concerned whether the knowhow would remain in Africa and be used by the Africans to produce the fridges for their own benefit. The concern also went to cover the use of local materials instead of importing.
Alvaro Zurita of Giz, however, said it was not possible to produce entire fridges without importing certain components.
He further referred to the case of Swaziland when he explained to journalists that Palfridge was among the local companies to benefit from the Terminal Phase-out Management Programme (TPMP) of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), these being gases that are phased out as per the dictates of the Montreal Protocol.
Other countries where the solar project is piloted are Kenya and Columbia. It is hoped that funding would be secured for all countries wishing to produce them.
The more companies involved in the production of the refrigerators the lower will be the cost per unit and thus affordable to Africa. Swaziland is represented by Ozone Unit Officer in the Swaziland Environmental Authority, Thabile Dlamini who delivered the country report on the status of Swaziland in the implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
About the Montreal Protocol
n In 1985, the Vienna Convention established mechanisms for international co-operation in research into the ozone layer and the effects of ozone depleting chemicals (ODCs). 1985 also marked the first discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole.
n On the basis of the Vienna Convention, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was negotiated and signed by 24 countries and by the European Economic Community in September 1987. The Protocol called for the Parties to phase down the use of CFCs, halons and other man-made ODCs.
n After a series of rigorous meetings and negotiations, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was finally agreed upon on September 16, 1987 at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Ozone Depletion A Bigger Deal Down Under
The Earth’s thinning ozone layer is synonymous with a singing and dancing seagull named Sid — at least it is in New Zealand and Australia.
“This time of year there is a huge push to ‘Slip, Slop, Slap,’” says Hamish Talbot, a native New Zealander. These publicly funded commercials implore people to “slip” on a t-shirt, “slop” on some sunscreen and “slap” on a hat.
All this protection is necessary because New Zealand’s location in the Southern Hemisphere puts it very close to the “ozone hole” that forms over the South Pole at this time every year. The ozone is so thin in this part of the world that the weather report on the nightly news includes five-minute sunburn alerts.
Ozone is Earth’s natural sunscreen. The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, or stratosphere, absorbs harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. In the 1980s, scientists discovered that manmade chemicals destroy ozone to the point where an actual ozone hole occurs.
The good news is that this hole isn’t getting any larger.
“In fact, we have definitive evidence to show that these manmade chemicals are decreasing,” says Paul Newman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s chief atmospheric scientist.
These chemicals, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), peaked in the year 2000 and began coming down due to actions taken to save the protective ozone layer beginning in the1980s. That’s when nearly 200 nations agreed to the Montreal Protocol, which strongly regulates ozone-depleting chemicals.
Scientists believe that about 80 percent of the chlorine molecules in the stratosphere are due to human-produced chemicals. Halogens such as chlorine and bromine, which are mainly responsible for chemical ozone depletion, come from chlorine-containing CFCs, which were commonly used as aerosols and in refrigerators, and bromine-containing halons, which were used in fire suppression, among other uses. Originally thought to be harmless, scientists discovered that these chemicals travel into Earth’s stratosphere. Once there, ultraviolet radiation splits the CFCs or halons apart, and the chlorine and bromine containing molecules can then react with ozone, ultimately tearing away at the ozone layer.
Even though CFCs are now regulated, Newman cautions that they have a long lifetime.
“In 2100, CFCs will still be 20 percent more abundant in the atmosphere than they were in 1950. So while it’s not getting any worse, it won’t get better fast.”
A complication to this chemistry is cold temperatures.
“Surface temperature doesn’t affect ozone, but it is extraordinarily cold about 70,000 feet above Antarctica,” Newman says.
At that altitude, clouds form in the polar regions that enable a chemistry to occur that doesn’t happen anywhere else. “These clouds are made up of water, nitric acid and sulfuric acid,” Newman says. These clouds kick start the process by releasing chlorine from a chemically inactive form into a form that can catalytically destroy ozone. With a little bit of sunlight to energize the reactions, a chlorine atom can destroy thousands of ozone molecules.
“So you need CFCs for the chlorine, really cold temperatures for the clouds, and a little bit of sun. That’s the recipe for the ozone hole,” Newman says.
While it is very hard to predict year-to-year stratospheric temperatures, scientists have been able to measure the success of ozone protection efforts for more than 40 years using NASA satellites. Data records began with the NASA Backscatter UltraViolet (BUV) Instrument on Nimbus-4 in 1970. By 1979, scientists were able to measure the size of the ozone hole using NASA’s Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS). The record continued with the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), supplied by the Netherlands and Finland on the NASA Earth Observing System satellite Aura.
“At first scientists made predictions that chlorine was destroying the ozone, and we indeed found that it was happening,” Newman says. “Now the challenge is to confirm that our predictions of ozone recovery are playing out as we said they would.”
Researchers will continue to collect ozone data with the launch of the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP), scheduled for Oct. 28. Aboard NPP is the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS), a new design consisting of two ozone-measuring instruments. The ‘limb profiler’ views the edge of the atmosphere from an angle to help scientists observe ozone at various levels above the Earth’s surface, including the protective ozone layer in the stratosphere. The other instrument is “nadir-viewing,” meaning it looks down from the satellite, measuring the total amount of ozone between the ground and the atmosphere.
NASA satellite data and models predict that the ozone hole will not return to pre-1980 levels for decades. In the meantime, Newman says OMPS will continue the data record into the future — and additional ozone-monitoring instruments are already planned for after NPP.
“We need to really care about the ozone because it is our natural sunscreen. UV radiation can lead to skin cancer, cause cataracts, suppresses the immune system, impact crops, and contribute to degradation of materials,” says Newman.
While OMPS and other instruments will continue to monitor the health of our ozone layer, the fact that it will take a long time for our atmosphere to recover from the damage caused by CFCs, means that Sid the Seagull will keep on singing “Slip, Slop, Slap” — warning people to spend less time outside and more time under a floppy hat.
USA & Netherlands. Sea-Fire 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid at METS
Wednesday, 09 November 2011
Sea-Fire continues to be a leader in the development of highly effective and environmentally responsible extinguishing systems. The most recent leap forward is its use of 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid. The halon and CO2 replacement has virtually no Global Warming Potential (GWP), is non-toxic and won't harm delicate electronics.
"GWP has moved to the forefront as a major environmental concern," said Sea-Fire president Ernie Ellis. "In the 1990s, Sea-Fire addressed ozone depletion with FM-200. Novec 1230 also has zero ozone depletion potential, but a GWP of just one. Compared to halon's atmospheric life span of 300 years, Novec 1230's is only 5 days.
"More and more countries, authorities and consumers require or opt for environmentally sound products," Ellis continued. "Sea-Fire is committed to supplying best-of-class solutions to our agents, distributors and dealers throughout the world."
Novec 1230 interrupts fire at the molecular level by removing heat to the point where it is extinguished. According to 3M, the fluid has the highest heat capacity of any commercially available halon alternative. It can be used on combustible material, electrical and flammable liquid fires.
Completely safe, Novec 1230 is perfect for protecting staff-occupied areas such as engine or pump rooms, and communication or control centers. Non-corrosive and electrically non-conductive, it vaporizes quickly. Novec 1230 won't damage computers or sensitive equipment such as radar and sonar. Unlike foams and powders, the extinguishing agent is clean, leaving behind no residue to clean up.
Sea-Fire offers Novec 1230 in pre-engineered systems protecting areas from 0.7 to 42.5 cu. m, as well as custom applications for spaces up to 495.5 cu. m. Requiring smaller and lighter cylinders than CO2 systems, storage and handling is easy and efficient.
Complying with strict global standards, Novec 1230 certifications include RINA, DNV, USCG, ABS and all major international approvals. It will be available worldwide with no environmental restrictions.
Novec 1230 was designed to avoid being subject to phase-outs. To this end, 3M backs its product with a unique 20-year Blue Sky Warranty. If Novec 1230 is banned from or restricted in use as a fire protection agent due to ozone depletion potential or global warming potential, 3M will refund the purchase price of the fluid.
Editor's Note: Sea-Fire will host a press event and reception to launch Novec 1230 at METS in Amsterdam, on Wednesday, November 16 at 4pm in Sea-Fire booth 2.208.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Replacing Halon in Fire Protection Systems: A Progress Report
By Robin Bennett, Hazardous Material Leader, Product Development. Environmental Performance Strategy
The aerospace industry has been working to find effective replacements for halon
in airplane fire-extinguishing and suppression systems since production of the chemical
was banned in 1994. industry has conducted extensive research on halon alternatives,
but fully replacing the chemical will require multiple regulatory approvals and the
cooperation of all stakeholders. Click Here to read more
in airplane fire-extinguishing and suppression systems since production of the chemical
was banned in 1994. industry has conducted extensive research on halon alternatives,
but fully replacing the chemical will require multiple regulatory approvals and the
cooperation of all stakeholders. Click Here to read more
Courtesy of www.boeing.com
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
See what RemTec's Tank Refurbishing Department Can Do!
RemTec can refurbish any cylinder in almost any condition! Check it out!
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