Mission & Journalism
As I began to write this issue’s First Word, I paused to think a little about what it takes to produce NFPA Journal.
We all tend to take it for granted. Every two months, this plethora of information shows up in our mailboxes in the form of a magazine. I have heard from many of you about the value of the information provided between the covers and how Journal has moved into topics that are relevant and timely in our industry. Wildfire disasters, the Grenfell tragedy, fire hazards in marijuana processing facilities, active shooter events, the impact of the opioid crisis on responders—NFPA Journal has covered it all with a high degree of professionalism and journalistic integrity. The magazine strikes the right balance between technical information, first-hand accounts, and engaging storytelling. In addition to coverage of these critical issues in the magazine, Journal is more aggressively creating stories in digital formats, providing more ways to see and hear about the issues impacting fire and life safety.
The great work has been noticed by readers outside the fire and life safety community, too. In 2018, the Journal team has garnered many awards. In June, the industry group Association Media & Publishing presented Journal with seven of its Excel Awards, given annually for the best association publishing work nationwide. Journal won gold for design excellence and best feature article, silver for general excellence, best editorial/op-ed, feature article layout, and best feature article, and bronze for best single-topic issue. (NFPA also took home a gold award for the podcast series “The Survivors.”) The winning pieces from Journal were among 300 finalists selected from 841 entries.
In October, the NFPA Journal team of journalists was recognized with the President’s Award for Journalism from the American National Standards Institute in Washington, D.C. This award honors those whose work helps to illuminate the role that standardization and conformity assessment activities play in improving the health and safety of Americans, and in strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. business in a global marketplace. I was proud to escort the Journal team to the stage as they accepted the award.
NFPA Journal is a key part of the NFPA information and knowledge machine, and we are proud of the great work that is done by the team. Congratulations to Scott, Jesse, Angelo, Doug, and Adrienne. Well done!