New Fire Equipment Industry Benchmark Shows Positive Conditions for Early Summer
 
CHICAGO, Illinois. (July 17, 2019) – The fire equipment industry has a new, innovative industry benchmark, and it shows positive business conditions for the month of June 2019. The benchmark, the “NAFED Gauge,” is an exclusive index from the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (NAFED).
 
"This cutting-edge benchmark will help companies in the fire equipment industry make better business decisions,” said Danny Harris, CAE, NAFED Executive Director. “It is one more way that NAFED is contributing to our members' success as they seek to protect the lives and property of others."
 
This first-ever NAFED Gauge was well represented in the number and geographic distribution of responses. A large majority of these June 2019 responses rated current business conditions as positive, with 88% choosing that answer when asked the question, “How would you describe your current business conditions?” This translates to a NAFED Gauge reading of 121, with a number over 100 indicating conditions are positive.
 
"While that number by itself is helpful, NAFED members can also access other important measures for future business expectations, current challenges, and current sources of revenue," said Tim Krulan, NAFED President. "This is a goldmine of information that makes NAFED membership a critical business tool for any company involved in the fire protection services and equipment industry."
 
While this is the first month for the NAFED Gauge, future months will allow the industry benchmark to project trends that can be of ever greater help in planning for the future.

You can view the June benchmark data here.
 
Members will be able to access all future benchmark data by logging in to the member area of the NAFED website at www.nafed.org. Those companies that are not currently members can also find membership information on the NAFED website.
 
For more information about NAFED or the NAFED Gauge, contact Tamara Matthews, Communications Manager, at tamaram@nafed.org.
 
 
About NAFED
The National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (NAFED) is a trade association serving companies that sell, distribute, and service fire equipment. Members sell and service portable fire extinguishers in addition to a full range of fire protection services including the installation and/or maintenance of pre-engineered kitchen systems, industrial systems, fire alarms, security systems, sprinklers, fire hose and standpipes, and emergency and exit lighting. NAFED members work in commercial, industrial, and residential settings making buildings safe and giving individuals the tools they need to fight early-stage fires.

Reason for Recall: 
Honeywell learned of a quality issue affecting certain lot numbers of Fibre Metal E2 Cap and North Peak A79 hard hats that may render them unable to provide the impact protection for which they were designed and certified.

Risk to Health: 
Although Honeywell is not aware of any safety incidents involving the affected hard hats, in cooperation with Health Canada and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, they have initiated a voluntary product recall of the items involved. The hard hats included in the recall may not provide the level of protection for which they were designed and certified in the case of impact.

Remedy:
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled hard hats and contact Honeywell to receive a product credit or voucher equal to the purchase price of the recalled hard hat.

Consumer Contact:
Honeywell toll-free at 888-212-6903 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.honeywellsafety.com and click on Voluntary Product Recall for more information.

If this is an item you may have purchased from Brooks, those item numbers are:
YHH1
OHH2
WHH1
YHH2

View the CPSC recall here.

Read additional notes from Honeywell here.

​Now Available: Print–on–Demand Wall Certificates
You are now able to print your own wall certificates on myICC for your ICC Certification. Instead of waiting for the mail to get your wall certificate, ICC has added a Print-on-demand option for you to print your own certificate in your home or office. This comes at no additional cost to you.
 
Easily Print Your Certificate Online
When you are logged into myICC, click on the square "Certifications" button. Under "My Certificates" you will find a new column that gives you the option to print your certificate. When you click the print button, a new tab will appear where you will be allowed to download and save your certificate as a PDF or print from your computer.
 
Need to Use a Print Service?
You can send the downloaded PDF of your certificate to a print service, such as Office Depot, Kinko's, or Staples (costs for print services vary, but are generally less than $1.00 per page). Just upload your Certificate PDF and choose the Paper Type and Color on which you wish to print your Certificate. We've found that printing on heavier paper results in a wall certificate that looks great!

​Following the 2018 annual meeting in St. Louis, NAFED instated three new board members who will serve out two-year terms with the option to renew for another two years. Congratulations and welcome to our new board members.
 
Region One Director: Michael Hein, Gordon Fire Equipment, LLC
Region Seven Director: Mary Krinbring, AAA Fire Protection Inc.
Director-at-Large: Daniel C. Laughlin, Pro-Tech Fire Protection, Inc.
 
On the executive committee, Tim Krulan has transitioned to president and George Seymour is now past president. Rodney Lee Lawson has taken on the role of treasurer.
 
Per the new bylaws, directors can roll over their term and serve for another two years. Staying on until 2020 are Charles Sanford, Michael Teeter, Christopher Jones, and Ken May.

The Fire Equipment Manufacturers' Association has released a whitepaper on mounting extinguishers in compliance with the ADA and NFPA 101.

(PDF of the whitepaper available here)

​The following is the text of the whitepaper:

There is an important discussion currently underway about the manner in which portable fire extinguishers are installed, especially as it relates to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and health care occupancies required to comply with NFPA 101. It should be noted that ADA was adopted into law in 1990, and the wall projection criteria related to the mounting method of portable fire extinguishers hasn’t changed; therefore, it would be inaccurate to say that current practices are ADA violations. Most existing extinguishers are code compliant and new installations need to comply with the original intentions of all applicable regulations, including ADA and NFPA 101. This document is intended to clarify the requirements and dispel some misinformation that is circulating among the industry. The 2010 ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) have two heights for installing protruding objects on walls. They relate to people with sight disabilities. The upper height is 80 inches above the walking surface to avoid a head injury from running into the object. The lower limit is 27 inches above the walking surface. This means that any protrusion that extends to a point 27 inches or less from the walking surface complies with the ADA rules regarding protrusions from walls. This rule is intended to accommodate the sight-impaired population.

A sight-impaired person with a cane can detect a protruding object mounted on a wall with a cane and walk around it. An extinguisher with the bottom at 27 inches or less off the floor can be detected with a cane. Installing the extinguisher hanger so that the bottom of the extinguisher is 27 inches or less from the finished floor is ADA compliant.

Extinguishers Installed on Hangers and in Surface Mounted Cabinets
Surface mounted extinguisher cabinets follow the same rules as extinguishers on hangers. Where the bottom of the extinguisher or the bottom of the surface mounted cabinet is 27 inches or less above the floor, the ADA 4-inch protrusion rule does not apply because ADA permits the extinguisher or cabinet to protrude any distance from the wall. Extinguishers that are not in the circulation path (a circulation path is a way of passage for pedestrian travel such as walks, hallways, ramps, stairways, landings, platform lifts and courtyards) are exempt from these ADA protrusion rules.

Extinguishers Installed in Semi-Recessed and Recessed Extinguisher Cabinets
One reason semi-recessed and recessed cabinets are selected is for aesthetics (they look nice). Another reason is where an extinguisher bottom needs to be higher than 27 inches from the floor. These cabinets are used because they comply with the ADA 4-inch protrusion rule.

NFPA 101 and Extinguishers
NFPA 101, Life Safety Code establishes rules for people to leave buildings safely during evacuations. The current rules establish a maximum protrusion limit of 4 ½ inches where extinguishers are normally installed in the path of egress (e. g. corridors). Extinguisher cabinets are commonly used for compliance. Some extinguishers installed on hangers are within the 4½inch limit, but they may pose unnecessary obstructions. Installing recessed and semi-recessed extinguisher cabinets in the path of egress achieves the desired result of removing obstructions from the egress route. These projection requirements pertain to all objects and fixtures, including extinguishers and extinguisher cabinets.

Some sales and marketing information relating to this issue may be misleading or not complete. We are providing this information to clarify the actual requirements. Your knowledge of these rules will support code compliant installations and potential savings for the end users.

Kidde has recalled fire extinguishers with plastic handles due to failure to discharge and nozzle detachment. One death has been reported.
The fire extinguishers can become clogged or require excessive force to discharge and can fail to activate during a fire emergency. In addition, the nozzle can detach with enough force to pose an impact hazard.
View the complete recall notice from the Consumer Product Safety Commission here.

The Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions was recently released and a long-in-development combustible dust rule (RIN: 1218-AC41) at OSHA was absent on the list of active actions. According to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, “this Agenda represents the beginning of fundamental regulatory reform and a reorientation toward reducing unnecessary regulatory burden on the American people. By amending and eliminating regulations that are ineffective, duplicative, and obsolete, the Administration can promote economic growth and innovation and protect individual liberty.” According to Bloomburg BNA, business leaders in industries affected by the potential combustible dust rule, which would have offered additional protections for worker safety against a particularly troublesome hazard, cited it as too burdensome.

Sources: www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaMain, www.bna.com/trumps-osha-slashes-n73014462036/