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The role of the united states fire administration (usfa) in promoting electrical safety in the home, or at the workplace

The Role of USFA (United s Fire Administration) in promoting electrical safety in homes or at the workplace The United s Fire Administration is an entity of the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The prime objective of the USFA is to achieve significant reduction in the loss of life and property caused due to fire while fostering a solid foundation in prevention, preparedness and response to the local fire and emergency services. 1Of the various causes of fire, Electrical Fire is caused due to electrical system failures, appliance misuse, overloaded circuits or incorrectly installed wiring and accounts for a significant proportion of fire accidents. The USFA has been playing a vital role in promoting the electrical safety in homes and workplaces by conducting researches, spreading awareness about the causes of electrical fire and the safety precautions. According to the research data collected by USFA, the electrical home problems alone account for 67800 fires each year claiming 485 deaths and $868 millions in property loss. 2
Providing the basic software to enable the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) to be executed at the state levels has been a major contribution of the USFA. 3The NFIRS is a three tiered information system working at three levels – local fire departments, state fire agencies and the federal government and aims at promoting the fire incident reporting and tracking fire fighter fatalities. The software provided by the USFA empowered the state level execution of the NFIRS which is faster, cost- effective and more accurate in detecting the cause of fire, which is primarily due to electrical malfunctioning. The organization funds the National Fire Information Council (NFIC) through a series of cooperative agreements to promote fire incident reporting. The United States Fire Administration along with National Fire Academy also sponsors NFIRS program management course. Using a hierarchical sorting based on Ignition factor, the USFA smartly investigates the cause of fire and states the electrical distribution and appliance misuse as the major causes of electrical fire. The curtailed number of electrical fire accidents in the recent times can be accredited to USFA for the widespread use and awareness of the NFPA 70, National Electric Code.
The USFA has been a pioneer agency involved in encouraging people to safeguard against the electrical fire by maintaining and sharing data as well as setting standards for the appropriate electrical wiring and appliance specification systems. The organization has been proactively involved, in not just spreading the awareness against safety precautions, but also in guiding the public and the legislatives regarding the choice of proper smoke alarm based on the building size and location. The mission of the USFA is to provide leadership, coordination and support to the fire prevention and control by assisting the first responders and health care leaders to be educated and trained to react to hazards efficiently. USFA programs involve data collection, public education and awareness, training and research. 4Evaluating the scene for the safety hazards in case of electrical fire is a major part of the training. 5
The USFA has played a significant role in spreading the concept of residential fire sprinklers and initiating every household to understand the usefulness of the same. Encouraging household and workplace owners about taking safety precautions like checking for overloaded circuits, replacing worn electrical cords, hiring licensed electricians to ensure proper installation of cables has been a task of the USFA. The USFA in partnership with NIST (National Institute of Science and Technology) has laid the foundation of Thermal Imaging Technology to enhance the safety of fire fighters. 6The organisation has also been involved in promoting the use of potential life saving technology such as Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI) right from the home building process. AFCI are next generation in circuit breaker technology and provide a higher level of protection by shutting off the electrical circuits before an actual fire results. 7USFA along with ESFI encourages good safety habits against lethal hazards of electric fire by using AFCI. 8
Bibliography
“ ESFI encourages Consumers to install AFCIs,” Electrical Safety Foundation International Press Release (2007) http://www. earthtimes. org/articles/show/news_press_release, 192862. shtml (accessed January 12, 2009).
Real Impact of an Electrical Fire NEMA http://www. afcisafety. org/files/realcostelectricalfire. pdf (accessed January 12, 2009).
USFA, NIST Complete Study of Thermal Imaging Tech, November 4, 2008, HIS http://engineers. ihs. com/news/2008/usfa-nist-thermal-imaging-110408. htm (accessed January 12, 2009. )
Kruger L. G., “ United States Fire Administration: An Overview” CRS Report for Congress : 2008 http://assets. opencrs. com/rpts/RS20071_20081010. pdf (accessed January 12, 2009).
“ On the Safety Circuit: A Factsheet on Home Electrical Fire Prevention” http://www. usfa. dhs. gov/downloads/pdf/fswy5. pdf (accessed January 12, 2009).
Arthur E. Cote, “ Part 1” Organizing for Fire and rescue services: A Special edition of the Fire Protection Handbook, 40 (Jones and Barlett Publishers, 2003) http://books. google. co. in/books? hl= en&lr=&id= M8NZeVI6eZUC&oi= fnd&pg= PA441&dq= USFA+initiatives+for+promoting+electrical+safety+&ots= g8DnBwMi8J&sig= daMHoe1ih0srz0DCdgmqwUsNcQ8#PPA40, M1 (accessed January 12, 2009).

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