In a post-Hurricane Katrina world, what can NFPA do to assist those tasked with coordinating recovery efforts?
First, we can work hard on behalf of emergency responders. One of the problems is that the emergency responder community does not get the support they need. They don’t have the staffing or the resources to respond appropriately to many disasters. When we have a huge disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina, it is clear how essential it is to have trained people with adequate equipment and support to do their job. It is vital to fight for the support they need for disasters and terrorist attacks, but also for the more common events such as fires. There has not been enough done since 9/11 to respond to the threat of terrorism. We work hard, along with other organizations, to focus attention on this problem and it will continue to be a priority for NFPA. In 2005, NFPA reconfirmed the reliability of sprinklers when statistical information showed sprinklers significantly reduce home fires. Discuss the importance of residential sprinklers and NFPA’s role in this area. We have been very active wit
