As we’ve noted on the podcast a few times recently, standard development organizations and safety professionals are facing several significant challenges right now. In statehouses, lawmakers are increasingly passing bills that alter, delay, or even erase safety codes; fire marshals and other safety professionals say their voices are being increasingly marginalized; and court decisions involving copywrite protection threaten to disturb the century-old system under which safety standards are created and maintained. However, at last week's NFPA Conference & Expo, Jim Pauley, NFPA's president and CEO, unveiled an aggressive new public awareness campaign to try and reverse those trends. The day after the announcement, Pauley sat down with Jesse Roman to discuss the assault on safety and what NFPA and others are doing to combat these significant challenges.

The interview was recorded live on June 17 at the 2025 NFPA Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.

Links:
Visit dontchancesafety.org to see the new awareness ad, read about the campaign, and learn how you can make a difference.

As summer weather begins in the Northern Hemisphere, we revisit this very relevant episode from 2023. Heatwaves aren't just uncomfortable, they are deadly for millions of people around the globe each year. Recognizing this growing threat, governments and safety departments are starting to reconsider their vulnerabilities to heat and are taking action to protect their populations and infrastructure. Today on the podcast, we talk to Eleni Myrivili, who was appointed as the first ever World Chief Heat Officer by the United Nations in 2022. Her job is to help cities think harder about heat and come up with plans to mitigate its effects (3:30).

Then, on a new Code Corner, engineer Val Ziavras answers specific questions about how to calculate occupant load in the Life Safety Code· (47:00).

LINKS

Read the heat action plans for Ahmedabad, India and Miami-Dade County

Heat action platform to help create a heat action plan in your community

Tribal nations and native communities across North America are consistently one of the highest-risk population groups for a range of health and safety issues, including fire incidents and casualties. And yet, developing and implementing community risk reduction programs in native communities can be daunting, especially for non-native fire departments that don’t understand native traditions, sensitivities, or histories. 

Our guest today, Monte Fronk, has been the lone fire safety expert in his native American tribe, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, for over 30 years. On today’s podcast, I talk to Monte about his job, the challenges of poverty, generational trauma, and mistrust among native communities, and how he is working to turn the tide in his community one program and one conversation at a time.

Links:

Read the NFPA Journal Perspectives article featuring Monte Fronk

Learn about Fronk's upcoming presentation at the NFPA Conference & Expo

Check out new Summer 2025 issue of NFPA Journal