The next meeting of the Tri-State SFPE 2016-2017 calendar year will be on April 19th at 11:30 am.
This will be a special meeting event - Sean DeCrane from Underwriter's Laboratories will be joining us to present on two separate topics:
- Lithium Ion Battery Systems and the Changes to IFC 2018
- Modern Fire Environment and the Impact on Occupant and Fire Fighter Safety
The meeting will be a "two-for-one" attendance cost - the regular attendance fee will cover both meetings. Come for one or both. Lunch will be ready before the first presentation, and snacks will be served in the break between the two meetings.
11:30 AM Meeting: Lithium Ion Battery Systems and the Changes to IFC 2018
Stationary battery storage systems utilizing lithium-ion and other battery technologies batteries are being installed in ever increasing numbers to address campus and local community energy needs. This includes systems used for grid balancing, reducing costly peak electricity usage, and mitigating renewable energy intermittent availability. This session will provide an overview of the new battery technologies and potential hazards associated with them, current fire code requirements, and changes to fire codes that will better address the hazards associated with the new battery technologies.
1:15 PM Meeting: Modern Fire Environment and the Impact on Occupant and Fire Fighter Safety
Today’s modern fire environment is a changing dynamic. We have seen a saturation of the market place of fuel loads with increased heat release rates. This changing environment exposes occupants, fire fighters and the building’s structural elements to greater extremes in the event of a fire. These changes have implications for occupants, responding fire fighters and how we construct and protect today’s built environment. In this proposed class we will look at the modern fire dynamics, growth rates, and its impact on occupant, fire fighter and structural safety. This presentation will review recent examples of code changes initiated or supported by the Fire Service and will discuss the importance of these changes to suppression operations. Recent developments in the codes by industry will potentially permit taller wood structures and outline limitations for energy storage systems. These issues could potentially impact building occupants and the responding fire fighters. These new developments will also impact fire inspectors and highlight the importance of robust plans review and regular inspections.