NFPA FOREWORD
NFPA Conference and Expo Returns to Las Vegas Olga Caledonia NFPA
Olga Caledonia is NFPA Executive Director, International Programs For further information, go to www.nfpa.com ASIA PACIFIC FIRE
Time to plan your trip to the annual NFPA Conference & Expo – the year’s most important internationally-recognised, comprehensive event for the fire, life safety, and electrical industries – where you can join NFPA experts and industry professionals from around the world. And this year it is back in fabulous Las Vegas between 11th and 14th June.
T
he event combines an unrivalled educational conference and an exhibition with more than 300 participating companies. You will want to take advantage of the convenient networking opportunities and gain up-to-date knowledge on the codes and standards many of which are used as worldwide practice or adopted by many governments around the world. The Conference includes an impressive list of internationally recognised industry experts and new sessions focusing on changes to the 2012edition codes. The education sessions are a valuable resource for new information that you cannot get anywhere else. With over 130 education sessions that will include many case studies, code updates, and results from various research projects. Topic areas are covered in 12 targeted tracks that include: Building & Life Safety; Codes & Standards; Detection & Notification; Electrical; Emergency Preparedness/Business Continuity; Fire & Emergency Services; Fire Protection Engineering; Fire Suppression; Green; Loss Control/Prevention; Public Education and Research. In 2011 the event attracted more than 4,000 professionals from the US and approximately 77 countries, including an important number of delegations from Asia Pacific. We are already processing visa invitation letters for many of our constituents from China, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand! This is a unique opportunity for NFPA to gather the many volunteers and supporters of NFPA codes and standards in one place. The networking opportunities are endless and as Director of International Programs I would like to extend a special invitation to the Asia Pacific Fire readership. Every quarter we have the opportunity to visit with you through this impressive industry journal. During my travels I look forward to meet many of you in person and maybe greet a few of you in Las Vegas. The three-day expo will showcase many of the latest technologies and services from more than 300 of the top solution providers. Knowledgeable
representatives from these companies, many of them global corporations, will be available to answer your questions and offer solutions to your most pressing challenges. The exposition provides attendees the ideal location to see, touch, and try products, and to meet with a company’s technical staff. As always, the expo is free when you register in advance. Please mark your calendars as the deadline for free registration is June 1st. I would also like to highlight the value of the one, two or three-day individual seminars. This year we will be offering 20 comprehensive pre- and post-conference seminars. Some of these will be available only in Las Vegas. Besides the characteristic code seminars, a few of our popular offerings among our international constituents include: ● Behind the Scenes Tour: Fire Protection at Mandalay Bay. ● Special Suppression Systems. ● Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs (NFPA 1600). ● Public Assembly (NFPA 1). ● What Fire Safety Professionals Should Know, and Do, About Stairway Usability and Safety. Between the conference and its 12 distinctive tracks, the new code certificate programs and the one, two or three-day individual programs, our audience can personalise their education and exchange with other professionals the latest in Asia Pacific, information that is critical to our mission and to professionals who care about doing things correctly. I would also like to encourage everyone to become more active in the Conference and Expo blog and social media outlets. We want to hear from you! It is essential for our international constituents to become active in these mediums. You can visit our blog site at nfpa.typepad.com/ conference. You can also follow us on Twitter at NFPAConf and like us on Facebook. You can always go to www.nfpa.org/conference for up to APF date information. 7