Remarks from Chair Paul Fitzgerald at 2009 NFPA conference

As First Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, I will now present the report of the Board to the Association’s membership.

My report will cover three general areas: The financial and operating health of the Association; recent strategic initiatives the Association has taken; and the areas future focus.

First, the financial and operating health of the Association. This subject can probably be summarized in a single sentence: Namely, your Association is financially very strong … in fact, the strongest it has ever been. In recent years, I’m sure you have noticed from the annual report to the membership published in NFPA Journal®, the marked improvement in our Association’s assets. In large part, this growth in financial stability can be attributed to its employees who remain as dedicated, efficient and enthusiastic about NFPA, its mission and its future as at any time in its history.

For many years, NFPA had been almost totally dependent on publications sales to support its codes and standards and public education mission. Today, the Association’s publication revenues are still, and likely always will be, the major source of income. In recent years, the Association has worked to diversify its revenue investments. One example has been the development of NFPA’s headquarters, Batterymarch Park. NFPA was uniquely positioned to take advantage of efficiencies and overall improvements to the Park by having the entire property under one management and completion of this plan will provide NFPA with a stable, valuable income stream in the future.

Similarly, in response to member requests NFPA expanded its educational programs. These well-attended sessions have helped members and the public access and use NFPA Codes and Standards while at the same time meeting customer demands for technical and public education courses.

The continued improvement in the NFPA web site has not only made our codes and standards more accessible, it has greatly improved the efficiencies associated with the acquisition of all NFPA publications and educational materials. It is also a powerful tool to communicate with technical committee members, the public at-large and, most importantly, to you, the membership. The continuous improvement in the use of technology to gain operating efficiencies has been a critical part NFPA’s strategy in both improving membership value and its asset base.

While it is incredibly important to ensure NFPA is financially and operationally stable to achieve its crucial mission of reducing the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards, it is not the whole story. In a few minutes, you will hear from our President, Jim Shannon, about some of NFPA’s many accomplishments.

One of the Board’s major responsibilities is to monitor the Codes and Standards development process. As you know, the Board delegates the overall administration of the process to the Standards Council…and what a job they have always done on our behalf…a task for which the Board is eternally grateful. Through NFPA’s consensus process, we bring the broadest group of interests together; we harness the best thinking and the latest proven technologies; and we have the most up-to-date research available …all of which is necessary to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our times.

The resulting 300 codes and standards influence every building, process, service, design and installation in the United States and in countries throughout the world. These codes, covering critical issues such as fire and electrical safety, equipment standards, building construction and life safety, fire alarms and automatic sprinklers -- just to name a few -- provide the critical blueprints for engineers, architects, building owners, insurers and first responders, including those who must respond in areas struck by disasters.

Throughout its long and rich history, NFPA has facilitated improved safety not only within the code process but also in the arena of public education. NFPA is the leading advocate for improved fire and electrical safety. There is no better illustration of that advocacy leadership than NFPA’s work on the fire-safe cigarette issue which I’m sure Jim will touch upon.

Through accepting sole sponsorship of Fire Prevention Week and the many outreach activities directed at our children, our senior citizens, to the physically impaired and other people in need, NFPA has demonstrated its capabilities to affect change and reduce the risk of death and injury by fire. Strategically, the NFPA Web site is a critical tool in this regard. For example, the site provides a unique, friendly way to communicate with our technology-savvy children…and children are one of our most important…if not most important…outreach audiences. If you haven’t taken your children or grandchildren to the NFPA Web site, you should do so soon and try out some of the games. Not only will the child learn about fire safety, he or she will also have fun…and so will you.

We should all be grateful for the imaginative efforts by staff to address these public education issues and these hard working people have the full support and gratitude of the Board for a job well done.

As for the future, the Board is reviewing several strategic initiatives to further accomplish NFPA’s mission. One such area is research. Several years ago, Jim Shannon assembled a task force of staff, Board members and the Standards Council to review NFPA’s role in research primarily in the development of NFPA Codes and Standards.

The task force agreed that the right research done in a timely fashion and to the highest technical proficiency was vital to the Codes and Standards development process. The task force also concluded that the Research Foundation was the right vehicle to help foster this research. Since then, under the direction of the Trustees of the Research Foundation and under the skilled leadership of Kathleen Almand, the Foundation has undertaken several projects aimed at supporting the needs of various Technical Committees.

Because of the positive results to-date and the great promise of future Foundation activities, the Board is reviewing how to further assist the Trustees and Kathleen in their important work. I am confident you will hear more of this strategic initiative as the year progresses.

Although there is a lot to be proud of in the financial and organizational stability of NFPA and in its implementation of its mission, the Board is continuously working with management and staff in other areas. One such area is Membership. Today there are more than 80,000 members around the world. We must maintain and grow that strong membership base. Our Members are a very powerful voice when needed most to promote an important safety message. Even with the growth experienced in the last several years, the Board has observed the annual retention of members has remained essentially unchanged during that time.

NFPA Staff has made several initiatives to improve retention increasing the value equation of NFPA membership. This is important because involved, committed members are the lifeblood of any Association like ours.

For example, the entire consensus codes and standards area is totally dependent on the voluntary participation of technical experts across a wide spectrum of backgrounds and interests. When the Standards Council issues a call for technical committee members from various interest groups or individual expertise, it is important that these openings be filled. There is certainly an opportunity for every member to become involved in this vital process. If you are not currently a member of one or more technical committees and you have the knowledge and interest to contribute to a specific committee, I urge you to become involved now. You will find the work not only interesting but also you will learn from others and broaden your experience in your field.

We all use and benefit from the great work of NFPA. Every member of the Board of Directors is tremendously proud and honored to be a part of all this organization does to make the world safer and to save lives. Even if you are not a technical expert, every NFPA member can contribute in some way by participating in NFPA’s work. If you are not an NFPA member, join in and become one. Member or not, you can submit proposals to a codes and standards committee…and you should do so when you believe you can improve or clarify particular provisions. Public education is everyone’s responsibility, so share your ideas with NFPA staff. Carry NFPA’s safety messages to your town, city, state or province. Fire departments, public education officials and other civic leaders will appreciate your concern and the help you can and are willing to provide to them in making their communities a better place to live.

And finally, regardless of where you make your contribution, it is important and will ultimately help reduce the toll of fire in our homes and places of work…and that is something you will be proud of the rest of your lives.

That concludes the report of the Board of Directors.

Thank you.