Registration Now Open for the 8th Annual SFPE Greater Atlanta Fire Safety Conference

Registration is now open for the 8^th Annual SFPE Greater Atlanta Chapter Fire Safety Conference. This informative conference will be held March 12-14, 2012 at the Gwinnett Center located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, GA. The conference will offer several partial, full, and two-day seminars to choose from and will include important topics such as:

• Principals in Fire Protection Engineering;
• Fire & Evacuation Modeling using Pryrosim (FDS) and Pathfinder;
• Understanding & Applying the Revised ADA Requirement 2012 and Beyond;
• Fire Protection Engineering PE Exam Preparation: Content and Problems;
• NFPA101 – Life Safety Code Basics for Building Design;
• Symposium of Fire Protection Topics; and
• Design, Selection, Installation, and Testing of Fire Pumps.

Professional development and NICET hours will be earned for attending seminars and will benefit engineers, architects, contractors, insurance & risk managers, fire inspectors, fire safety designers, fire chiefs, loss prevention consultants, and building officials. There will also be an exhibitor showcase so attendees can learn more about the latest and greatest in fire safety technology.


To find out more go to https://www.sfpeatlanta.org/events_annual_conference.htm.

Guylène Proulx Memorial Scholarship Fund Campaign

Dr. Guylène Proulx was a Senior Researcher in the Fire Research Program at the National Research Council of Canada. She had a Ph.D. degree in Architectural Planning from the University of Montreal.  During her career Dr. Proulx had developed a unique expertise in human behavior studies in emergency situations including response to alarm bells and evacuation movement.


She was selected by NIST to lead the research on the occupant response and evacuation into the World Trade Center Investigation. She served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and taught fire protection engineering at Carleton University and at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.


The SFPE Education and Scientific Foundation has launched a campaign to fund a scholarship program to honor Dr. Proulx for her contributions to the fire protection engineering profession.


Scholarships will be given to a senior or graduate student for a project that is directly related to the field of human factors in fire protection engineering or related to the integration of human factors into fire protection engineering.  Specific requirement for the applicant will be developed.


When you review your plans to make contributions to further  the fire protection engineering profession, please consider the Guylene Proulx Memorial Scholarship Fund as a way of assisting development of the profession.  Contributions can be made by check or credit card to the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 7315 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 620E, Bethesda, MD 20814 or call Allan Freedman at 301 915-9723. If you questions, you can contact  via email L. Jeffrey Mattern, Chair-Fundraising Committee, SFPE Educational & Scientific Foundation at ljslm221@hotmail.com.

SFPE Task Group on Human Behavior plans to revise the SFPE Engineering Guide to Human Behavior in Fire.

The SFPE Task Group on Human Behavior is developing guidance for conducting tenability analyses.  If you would like to participate in this activity, please submit an application to join the task group to mhurley@sfpe.org (available from http://www.sfpe.org/Portals/sfpepub/docs/pdfs/About-Us/committee-application.pdf).

New Specification for Fire Protection Engineering PE Exam in 2012

The next Fire Protection Principles and Practice of Engineering Examination (PE) exam is set for October 26, 2012. This exam will have a new test specification.

The new test specification was developed through a Professional Activities and Knowledge/Skills (PAKS) study. A PAKS study refers to procedures designed to obtain descriptive information about the professional activities performed on a job and the important knowledge/skills needed to competently perform those activities. The study identified the important professional activities and knowledge/skills necessary for competent performance.

For the Fire Protection Examination the test specification has five major categories: 

Fire Protection Analysis – 20%

Fire Protection Management – 5%

Fire Dynamics – 12.5%

Active and Passive Fire Protection Systems – 50%

Egress and Occupant Movement – 12.5%

To see the complete test specification go to http://www.ncees.org/Documents/Public/Exam%20specifications/PE%20Fire%20Oct%202012.pdf

James A. Milke Takes Office as President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers

University of Maryland Professor to Lead Fire Protection Engineering Society in 2012

           SFPE President James A. Milke             

            Professor James A. Milke takes office as President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) for 2012. Milke is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland.

 

 

            Milke has served on the Society’s Board of Directors since 2004 and is an SFPE Fellow. SFPE Fellows represent a distinguished group of members who have attained significant stature and accomplishment in engineering. In 2009 he received the SFPE John L. Bryan Mentor Award and the Harold E. Nelson Award in 2002.

“At the University of Maryland Milke has made significant contributions to the profession of fire protection engineering by advancing the science and technology that makes people and property safe from fire,” said SFPE Engineering Program Manager Chris Jelenewicz. “He is widely recognized throughout the world for his work in structural fire protection and smoke management systems.”

In 1981 Milke became a faculty member at the University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering and was promoted to Department Head in 2011.  Over this time he has co-authored two books on the design of smoke management systems and has authored chapters in the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering in subjects related to smoke management and the fire resistance of structural steel.

            Milke holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and B.S. degree in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland.  In addition, he has a B.S. degree in Physics from Ursinus College.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer who is licensed in the State of Delaware.

Call for Papers -- SFPE 2012 Annual Meeting

SFPE is now accepting abstracts for educational presentation for its two-day Engineering Technology Conference being held October 15 – 16, 2012 in Savannah, GA. Deadline for submission is March 30, 2012. For submission guidelines or the most up-to-date conference information, visit http://www.sfpe.org/Portals/sfpepub/docs/pdfs/2012%20ETC%20Guidelines%20for%20Abstracts.pdf.

SFPE Fellow Nominations

SFPE is now accepting Fellow Nominations for 2012. If you wish to nominate a Professional Member of SFPE to the Fellow Grade, please submit the completed nominations package to Sean Kelleher at skelleher@sfpe.org by January 30, 2012.


For the nominations forms or more information, visit http://www.sfpe.org/GetInvolved/Membership/NominateaFellowHonoraryMember.aspx.