The IFMA Podcast

Show Notes: During the National Association of State Fire Marshals Conference in Orange County, California, we were able to get the thoughts and plans of the IFMA leadership for 2026. Joining us in this conversation are Justin Fianan, current IFMA President, Nick Dawe, current IFMA First Vice President, and Immediate Past President Laurie Christensen discussion partnerships, politics, and code development among other topics. As always, we welcome comments, questions, and suggestions to the email address IFMA@nfpa.org .

NFPA recognizes an IFMA Member as "Fire Marshal of the Year" at the NFPA Conference and Expo every year since 2025. This year's honoree is the Fire Mashal from the Lansing, Michigan Fire Department – Jared Nisch. Fire Marshal Nisch has taken a community and collaborative approach to fire prevention and Community Risk Reduction and shares some of those philosophies with us in this episode. As always, we welcome comments, questions, and suggestions to the email address IFMA@nfpa.org .

Show Notes: We were all excited for the Fire Marshals Association of Minnesota being recognized as the Chapter of the Year back in June at the NFPA Conference and Expo and IFMA Chapters Meetings. They are a small but impressive group of professionals getting it done. Visit their website at www.fmam.org As always, we welcome comments, questions, and suggestions to the email address IFMA@nfpa.org .

Show Notes: We are happy to welcome once more Kelly Ransdell, NFPA's Director of Public Education, to share some updates on that NFPA Division and what's coming up for Fire Prevention Week 2026. Make sure you register for the Fire Prevention Week webinar scheduled for August 13 by visiting www.fpw.org . As always, we welcome comments, questions, and suggestions to the email address IFMA@nfpa.org .

Over the past three years, the IFMA Board of Directors ha ve made effort s to recognize one of the 34 IFMA Chapters from across the US and Canada for their work in supporting the mission of IFMA as well as their members. The process for selecting the chapter to be recognized has been assigned to several of our Past IFMA Presidents, and three of them are here with me today to talk a little more about the Chapter Recognition award and their thought process in selecting the past three award recipients. We not only discuss their criteria for selecting the recipients, but overall benefits of being an IFMA Chapter.

Recent incidents of fuel gas leaking into homes and businesses and the resulting fires and explosions ha s motivated legislatures to take action to monitor for and alert occupants to these hazards. The fuel gas industry saw the need for a new standard that prescribed how to accomplish this goal and NFPA 715 was born. Richard Roberts an Industry Affairs Manager for Honeywell Building Automation and has been involved in the development of NFPA 715 and other documents. He shares his insight into the why and how this standard is developed and what a Fire Marshal should know going forward. You can contact Richard directly at Richard.Roberts@systemsensor.com

IFMA focuses on three things: Code Enforcement, Fire Investigations, and Public Education. In this episode I'm joined by Kelly Ransdell, Public Education Director for NFPA and an Elizabeth Willi from Palm Harbor Fire/Rescue (FL) who was an NFPA Public Education "Rising Star" at the 2025 NFPA Conference and Expo. If you know of a Rising Star in Fire and Life Safety Public Education, you can nominate them to participate in the 2026 Rising Stars Program. Contact your NFPA Regional Director or email me at IFMA@NFPA.org for more information. If you want to connect with Liz, her Instagram handle is @ Liz_onfire.

NFPA 420 – A new standard addressing the unique hazards and environment associated with cannabis growing and processing is anticipated to be published in 2027. Joining me today with a preview of what that standard may be covering is Johnathan Carl, Senior Application Specialist for Fire Protection with Victaulic. Johnathan's fire service background and passion for fire safety led him to be involved in the standards development process, and shares some of his personal insights about this new standard on the horizon. Get in touch with Johnathan by email at Johnathan.Carl@victaulic.com To see the first draft of the NFPA 420 document go to www.nfpa.org/420 Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

Our newest IFMA Chapter is truly International. From the Provence of Quebec, Canada, the Fire Prevention Technicians Association of Quebec is growing thanks to an innovative approach to getting new fire safety professionals in the game. ATPIQ website: www. atpiq.org Don't Chance Safety Campaign: www.dontchancesafety.org Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

California has two IFMA Chapters representing the Northern and Southern regions of the state. Joining me today are Nick Otis and Nicole Pasqueira , the Presidents of their respective Chapters. Check out the YouTube video of the California Battery ESS Symposium here – https://www.youtube.com/live/Q1yZFtaykiA www.firepreventionofficers.org is their website. Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

NFPA Public Education Director Kelly Ransdell joins the IFMA Podcast once again with an update to the Steps to Safety Program and big news about the 2025 Fire Prevention Week theme – how it came to be and exciting new approaches to fire safety. Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

Recently returning from the NFPA Conference and Expo, outgoing Iowa IFMA Chapter President Mike Whitsell talks about some of the legislative issues and succession planning challenges of being a fire marshal. We also discussed the new public awareness campaign "Don't Chance Safety" which was unveiled at the NFPA Conference and Expo just last month. Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

Community Risk Reduction entered the fire prevention terminology more than 20 years ago. What's different about CRR? Karen Berard-Reed, Senior Strategist and CRR Lead for NFPA discusses the differences and what local fire safety advocates can use to meet the NFPA 1300 Standard for CRR Planning and Evaluation. Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

The most recent addition to the International Fire Marshals Association is the Maryland Chapter. Scott Custer is their President and joined me in this episode for conversations about the Federal Fire Service and current legislative challenges facing the fire prevention advocates in Maryland. We also discussed the importance and benefits of involvement with IFMA and other international organizations. Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

Carbon Monoxide is an odorless, colorless, and toxic gas that has been called the silent killer. The National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association is working hard in the codes and standards development areas to improve safety in locations where we may be exposed to this poisonous gas. Richard Robers is the Senior Industry Affairs Manager for Honeywell Fire and is an expert in the codes and standards development arena. Learn more about the NCOAA at www.ncoaa.us Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

In 2022, the IFMA Board of Directors set out on a strategic plan to improve relationships with other similar organizations in order to provide benefits to our members and work towards better outcomes in our fire safety and community risk reduction programs. Those efforts are paying off in 2024 when IFMA will partner with the National Association of State Fire Marshals for their 34 th Annual Fire Prevention and Safety Symposium held July 29 th – August 1 in Kansas City. In this episode, President Ken Tyree and NASFM Executive Director Butch Browning discuss the effort and mutual benefits to our organizations and members. Learn more about the 34 th Annual Fire Prevention and Safety Symposium by visiting www.firemarshals.org Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

Social scientist David Dunning and Justin Kruger published a study in 1999 that examined how people viewed their level of competence compared to their objective levels of competence. Their findings, and the implications in the field of code enforcement are explored in this episode where I speak with Tony Apfelbeck, Director of Building and Fire Safety in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Tony has been involved in code enforcement and development – including fire and building codes – for more than 20 years and is a frequent speaker on leadership within code enforcement agencies. Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

In this Chapter Highlight episode, we hear from the hosts of the longest continuous fire prevention conference in the US – The Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association. In addition to that history lesson, we hear about local challenges with retrofitting sprinkler systems in high rise buildings, and how the code interpretations process works in the Sunshine State. See what the FFMIA is doing today by visiting www.ffmia.org To learn more about either of these great groups, visit www.firepreventionofficers.org Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

California is a large state, and with a Northern California Fire Prevention Officers group and a Southern California Fire Prevention Officers group – both sections of the California Fire Chiefs Association – they are two independent but collaborative IFMA Chapters. To learn more about either of these great groups, visit www.firepreventionofficers.org Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org

Show Notes: During the IFMA Chapter Presidents meeting in June, we were scheduled to have a briefing from NFPA Regional Director Kelly Ransdell on the updated "Remembering When" program that is now "Steps to Safety". Kelly's interview had to be rescheduled due to a schedule change in Las Vegas, but she joined me virtually for this episode to share how the old program has become new again and how communities can prepare to support our aging populations. Any feedback, comments, or questions email IFMA@NFPA.org