Hello FSSA Members,
Are you attending the upcoming NFPA 2024 Conference June 17-19 in Orlando? If so, we invite you to join us for the following FSSA sessions:
FSSA PFAS TASK FORCE MEETING Monday, June 17 | 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | B-Line Diner (9801 International Dr. - in the Hyatt Regency across from the Orange County Convention Center)
The PFAS Taskforce was created with the purpose of:
- Educating the industry by providing scientifically based information and resources on the future of fire suppression agents that may be impacted by PFAS regulations.
- Providing updates to members surrounding ongoing changes to the landscape.
- Advocating with various regulators on the behalf of FSSA membership and the fire suppression industry.
We hope to see you at this meeting to discuss the latest news and updates on PFAS.
PFAS FSSA/INDUSTRY PANEL DISCUSSION Tuesday, June 18 | 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. | W224EFGH (Level 2, Orange County Convention Center) T02 - Halogenated
Clean Agents and PFAS – an FSSA/Industry Panel Discussion: Human & Environmental Health and Related Regulatory Development
Presented by:
- Joan Leedy, Former Chair of NFPA 11, Dyne Fire Protection Labs, a division of NFPA Global Solutions
- John Mackey, FSSA PFAS Task Force Member, The Mackey Group
- Paul Rivers, FSSA PFAS Task Force Member, FSSA Honorary Member
Join us for this panel session to discuss recent regulatory developments (international and national) and the decision by a major US manufacturer to cease the production of chemicals broadly defined as PFAS, which has created concern among Fire Suppression Systems Association (FSSA) members and various stakeholders about the future use and application of halocarbon clean agents (HCAs) to protect crucial facilities and high-valued assets against fire. FSSA members include the manufacturers and designer-installers of automatic special hazard fire suppression systems.
PFAS are used in a vast array of products including life-saving medications, rechargeable batteries, catheters and pacemakers, semiconductors, cell phones, automobiles, renewable energy technologies, and many more. While some of these PFAS (like those found in AFFF) are truly persistent, bio accumulative, and toxic (PBT), HCAs are not PBT. Nevertheless, HCAs are being swept up along with the PBT PFAS in regulatory frameworks, which are under the influence of a media and politics frenzy surrounding the PFAS issue.
In a fact-based panel format, the FSSA will clearly define the regulatory issues surrounding the firefighting and human and environmental health concerns for halogenated clean agents facing scrutiny. Our goal is to provide fact-based information and guidance, useful to NFPA members who are involved in deploying and maintaining HCAs as safe critical firefighting tools for the present and into the future.
