It is no secret that electricity can have a significant impact on the fire industry, and this is not just something that is restricted to a single country.
Daily, we see the devastation that improper electrical wiring and defective products can have on a global scale. Personal injury, property loss, and death can all wreak havoc on those working within the fire service and other first responders, not to mention the significant impact on the entire community where the events take place.
steps to minimize electrical incidents
Some steps can be taken to minimize the number of these horrific electrical incidents.
Research from NFPA® that highlights home electrical fire statistics shows that U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 46,700 home fires involving electrical failure or malfunction each year between 2015 and 2019. An additional 16,390 non-residential electrical fires required a response and were tracked between the years 2012 and 2016, indicating just how burdensome electrical fires are on the fire service.
However, some steps can be taken to minimize the number of these horrific electrical incidents. The implementation and utilization of current electrical codes and standards is a foundational piece in beginning to minimize these issues from arising.
Triad of codes and standards
NFPA has a triad of codes and standards that focus on mitigating risk and injury associated with electricity which has become known as the Electrical Cycle of Safety™ (ECoS™). When used collectively and properly, NFPA 70®, National Electrical Code® (NEC®), NFPA 70B, Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance, and NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®, provide an alliance for achieving holistic electrical safety.
By utilizing the documents that make up the ECoS, businesses, and communities can help to mitigate electrical fires and injuries that put significant strain on the limited resources available to the fire service.
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| NFPA has a triad of codes and standards that focus on mitigating risk and injury |
Electrical Cycle of Safety
The Electrical Cycle of Safety starts with an installation that is grounded in the requirements of the NEC
The Electrical Cycle of Safety starts with a proper electrical installation that is grounded in the requirements of the NEC. This could be the initial installation for a brand-new building, an addition to an existing building or new equipment being installed within a building. Regardless of what type of installation is taking place, it is important that, where applicable, proper electrical permits have been filed by the licensed contractor performing the work in the municipality where the building is established.
This should then include having the appropriate inspections performed by a qualified electrical inspector throughout each stage of the installation. Having all electrical work done and inspected by the applicable NEC requirements is the appropriate first step in assuring electrical safety that protects both people and property.
Electrical equipment and systems
After any installation has been done, electrical equipment and systems must be maintained to ensure that they remain safe for those who service the equipment, as well as those who may be utilizing the equipment, such as production line workers or, in some cases, even the general public.
An example of this might be keeping an electric vehicle charger in proper, safe working order so that citizens who need to use it are not exposed to any electrical safety risks, like shock hazards. NFPA 70B provides electrical equipment maintenance requirements and should be used in conjunction with any specific manufacturer maintenance requirements for electrical equipment.
Safe working practices
Maintaining equipment not only helps ensure electrical safety but also helps to preserve its reliability.
Maintaining equipment not only helps ensure electrical safety but also helps to preserve its functionality and reliability. In the case of electric vehicle chargers, utilizing Chapter 33 of NFPA 70B can help to establish a maintenance plan for community-based public chargers that will keep them safe and functional for users, while minimizing the need for first responder actions.
NFPA 70E is about establishing safe working practices to protect those who engage with electrical systems and equipment while on the job through either installing or servicing them or utilizing the equipment in performing their assigned work tasks. As is well established, there are many risks associated with electricity, such as electrical shock and arc flash incidents, that can put individuals at a significant risk of injury.
Safe and healthy working conditions
Not only is there a moral obligation as an employer to keep employees safe on the job, but there is often a legal one as well. For example, in the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established with a mission to assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.
OSHA and NFPA 70E work in harmony to help ensure that employers are providing safe places of employment for their workers. OSHA establishes and enforces its requirements around how employers must establish electrical safety in their place of business and, in most cases, NFPA 70E provides the means on how to accomplish those requirements.
fire service and other first responders
First and foremost, it means that the community as a whole becomes safer
Together, the ECoS establishes a way in which electrical safety can be provided to communities that minimize the number of responses that are required of the fire service and other first responders. First and foremost, it means that the community as a whole becomes safer.
Furthermore, in a day and age where resources continually become more and more limited, alleviating the need to respond to a higher number of incidents also helps ensure that those valuable resources can be utilized where they are most needed.
Knowledge to raise awareness of the ECoS
So, how can the ECoS be utilized to help support the fire service and other first responders? As with many things, it begins with gathering knowledge to raise awareness of the ECoS and establish a starting point. Moving forward, this knowledge can be shared with others who have an impact on electrical safety across industries within communities.
Understanding the equal importance of safe electrical installations, maintenance, and worker safety in electrical applications will make it easier to have a dialogue with the specific groups or individuals that can impact those areas. Just as the ECoS works in unison to achieve overall electrical safety, it takes everyone working together collectively to do the same.
