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Fire Alarm Basics | Prometheus

Today we run through recent action in fire safety best practice literature.  Even though fire safety technologies comprise about 2-4 percent of a new building budget, the influence of the fire safety culture dominates all aspects campus safety; cybersecurity of public safety communication technology for example.

A small sample of the issues we have tracked in the past: (2002-2023).  Items in RED indicate success in reducing cost with no reduction in safety (i.e. successful rebuttal, typically market-making by incumbents)

  • Limiting vendor lock-in (promote interoperability) in building additions.
  • Limiting the tendency to lowball first cost in order to achieve vendor lock-in later in the facility life-cycle
  • Dormitory kitchen fire safety

Fire Safety of University Dormitory Based on Bayesian Network

  • Clarification of mixed-occupancy classifications (occupant loading)
  • Fixed interval (rather than risk-informed) inspection, testing and maintenance of fire alarm and protection system components
  • Fire alarm system upgrades during renovation

Gamification Teaching in School Fire Safety

  • Mixed zone and addressable alarm system wiring
  • Wireless initiation devices
  • Integrated fire protection systems (NFPA 3&4)
  • Portable fire extinguishers (NFPA 10)

Hospital Evacuation under Fire

  • Alarm system re-set procedures
  • Sprinkler system coverage for animals in research
  • Scalability of fire safety professional certification
  • Sprinklering of off-campus student housing
  • Advocating central (or campus district) fire pump systems

One of the newer issues to revisit over the past few years is the fire safety of tents.   Many colleges and universities are setting up large commercial tents outside buildings (within range of Wi-Fi) for students to congregate, study and dine.  We are also seeing back and forth on fire safety in theatrical performance venues in the International Code Council building safety catalog.

We approach these titles with an eye toward driving risk-informed, performance requirements that reduce risk and cost for the user interest; while recognizing the responsibility of competitor stakeholders.   It is not a friendly space for the user-interest who seeks to optimally resolve the competing requirements of safety and economy.   Vertical incumbents completely dominate this domain.

Prepared Hero Fire Blanket

Relevant NFPA Titles:

NFPA 10 Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers

    • Public Input Closing Date: June 1, 2023

NFPA 13 Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems

NFPA 25 Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems

NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code®

    • Public Comment Closing Date: May 31, 2023

NFPA 75 Standard for the Fire Protection of Information Technology Equipment

NFPA 76 Standard for the Fire Protection of Telecommunications Facilities

NFPA 92 Standard for Smoke Control Systems

    • Public Comment Closing Date: January 4, 2023

International Code Council Group A 2021/2022 Code Cycle

Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

More

NFPA Report: Structure Fires in Dormitories, Fraternities, Sororities and Barracks 

ASTM Committee E0% on Fire Standards

Standing Agenda / Prometheus

Key Updates on Fire Safety Standards

Why do Humans Stare at Fire? : Scientific aspects of primal magic of fire

Laboratories 400

ASHRAE Laboratory Design Guide, Second Edition

Classification of Laboratory Ventilation Design Levels

ISO/DIS 22544Laboratory design — Vocabulary (Under Development)

The Haldane Principle § “On Being the Right Size” J.B.S Haldane

We break down our coverage of laboratory safety and sustainability standards thus:

Laboratories 100 covers a broad overview of the safety and sustainability standards setting catalogs; emphasis on titles incorporated by reference into public safety laws.

Laboratories 200 covers laboratory occupancies primarily for teaching

Laboratories 300 covers laboratories in healthcare clinical delivery.

Laboratories 400 covers laboratories for scientific research; long since creating the field of environmental health and safety in higher education and a language (and acronyms of its own: CSHEMA)

In the most recent fiscal year, the National Institutes of Health had a budget of approximately $47.7 billion. A substantial portion of this budget is allocated to research at colleges and universities. Specifically, about 83% of NIH’s funding, which translates to roughly $39.6 billion, is awarded for extramural research. This funding is distributed through nearly 50,000 competitive grants to more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions across the United States​

The cost to build a “standard” classroom runs about $150 to $400 per square foot; a scientific research laboratory about $400 to $1200 per square foot.

Laboratories 500 is broken out as a separate but related topic and will cover conformity and case studies that resulted in litigation.  Both Laboratories 200 and 400 will refer to the cases but not given a separate colloquium unless needed.

At the usual time.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

Standards February: Discovery & Invention

 

February 27, 2023

Research findings related to laboratory safety:

  1. Identifying and Evaluation Hazards in Research Laboratories
  2. “Evaluating the Efficacy of Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tools for Risk Management in Academic Research Laboratories” – This study from 2021 evaluated the effectiveness of various laboratory hazard assessment tools in academic research laboratories, and found that a combination of tools and approaches may be most effective for managing risks.
  3. “A Framework for Assessing Laboratory Safety Culture in Academic Research Institutions” – This 2020 study developed a framework for assessing laboratory safety culture in academic research institutions, which can help identify areas for improvement and promote a culture of safety.
  4. “Enhancing Laboratory Safety Culture Through Peer-to-Peer Feedback and Coaching” – This 2020 study found that peer-to-peer feedback and coaching can be an effective way to enhance laboratory safety culture, as it encourages open communication and feedback among colleagues.
  5. “Assessing the Effectiveness of Laboratory Safety Training Programs for Graduate Students” – This 2019 study evaluated the effectiveness of laboratory safety training programs for graduate students, and found that interactive and hands-on training was more effective than traditional lecture-based training.
  6. “Improving Laboratory Safety Through the Use of Safety Climate Surveys” – This 2018 study found that safety climate surveys can be an effective way to improve laboratory safety, as they provide insight into employee perceptions of safety culture and identify areas for improvement.
  7. Chemistry laboratory safety climate survey (CLASS): A tool for measuring students’ perceptions of safety

These recent research findings suggest that laboratory safety culture can be improved through a variety of approaches, including hazard assessment tools, peer-to-peer feedback and coaching, interactive training, and safety climate surveys.  Some of these findings will likely set the standard of care we will see in safety standards incorporated by reference into public safety regulations. 

Related:



November 29, 2021

Today we break down the literature setting the standard of care for the safety and sustainability of instruction and research laboratories in the United States specifically; and with sensitivity to similar enterprises in research universities elsewhere in the world.  We will drill into the International Code Council Group A titles which are receiving public input until January 10, 2022.

Join us by clicking the Daily Colloquia link at the upper right of our home page.

The original University of Michigan Workspace for [Issue 13-28] in which we advocate for risk-informed eyewash and emergency shower testing intervals has been upgraded to the new Google Sites platform: CLICK HERE

Related:

September 20, 2021

 

Today we break down the literature setting the standard of care for the safety and sustainability of instruction and research laboratories in the United States specifically; and with sensitivity to similar enterprises in research universities elsewhere in the world.

Classification of Laboratory Ventilation Design Levels – ASHRAE

ASHRAE Laboratory Design Guide 

Join us by clicking the Daily Colloquia link at the upper right of our home page.

May 10, 2021

Today we will poke through a few proposals for the 2021/222 revision of the International Code Council’s Group A Codes.  For example:

IFC § 202 et. al | F175-21| Healthcare Laboratory Definition

IBC § 202 et. al | E7-21| Collaboration Room

IBC § 1110.3 et. al | E143-21| Medical scrub sinks, art sinks, laboratory sinks

. . .

IFGC § 403, etl al| G1-21| Accessibility of fuel gas shut off valves

IBC § 307 Tables  | G36-21| For hazardous materials in Group B higher education laboratory occupancies

IBC § 302.1 et. al |  G121-21| Separation from other nonlaboratory areas for higher education laboratories

And about 20 others we discussed during the Group A Hearings ended last week.  We will have until July 2nd to respond.  The electrotechnology proposals will be referred to the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which is now preparing responses to this compilation by Kimberly Paarlberg.

March 15, 2021

Today we break down action in the literature governing the safety and sustainability of instruction and research laboratories in the United States specifically; but also with sensitivity to similar enterprises in research universities elsewhere in the world.  “Everyone” has an iron in this fire:

International Building Code Chapter 38: Higher Education Laboratories

ASCE Structural Engineering Institute (so that the foundations and “bone structure” of laboratories survive earthquakes, floods and other Force majeure mayhem)

National Electrical Code Chapter 5: Special Occupancies

ASHRAE Laboratory Design Guide

NFPA 45  Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals

IEEE Electrical Safety in Academic Laboratories

…and ISEA, AWWA, AIHA, BIFMA, CLSI, LIA, IAPMO, NSF, UL etc. among ANSI accredited standards developing organizations…

..and addition to NIST, Federal code of Regulations Title 29, NIH, CDC, FEMA, OSHA etc

…and state level public health regulations; some of them adapted from OSHA safety plans

Classroom and offices are far simpler.  Laboratories are technically complicated and sensitive area of concern for education communities not only responsible for the safety of instructional laboratories but also global communities with faculty and staff that must simultaneously collaborate and compete.  We have been tip-toeing through the technical and political minefields for nearly 20 years now and have had some modest success that contributes to higher safety and lower costs for the US education community.

Colloquium open to everyone.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

Source: NACUBO.ORG

More

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

National Institutes of Health

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NFPA Fire Code requirements for laboratories at colleges and universities

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute

National Conference of Standards Laboratories

National Institute of Standards and Technology/Information Technology Laboratory

The NELAC Institute

Laboratory Safety Guidance

Biosafety Cabinetry

 

The Science of Fire

Health & Safety Executive: Science and research facilities

GOV.UK: Fires in e-bikes and e-scooters 20255

Fire Safety

Key Updates on Fire Safety Standards

Quadrivium: Autumn

We are in process of curating this post — which appears every day — thus its spareness.  Much of the content — dating back five years — will be archived.  We will roll out updates over the next few weeks.

As always, we are on line every day at 11 AM Eastern time for videoconferencing or telephone calls.

University of Bern: Lunar Tides in the Earth’s Atmosphere

Amazon (October 2): No more NDA’s and $1B into data center communities

October 1: University of Michigan × Los Alamos Research Computing Center “Town Hall”

ANSI Standards Action October 2, 2026 | Bulletin Board

 “All things on earth point home in old October”
Thomas Wolfe, Of Time and the River

§

Charlevoix Middle High School | Charlevoix County Michigan

Evergreen


https://standardsmichigan.com/music-almanac-of-the-western-tradition-autumn/

Bulletin Board

DOE — Bulk-Power System Security RFI | October 9

Massachusetts Fire Safety Advisory Meeting October 14

RFI: Electromagnetic Fields, Radiofrequency Radiation & Wireless Radiation Exposure | October 21

NIST RFI: Medical Metrology and Standards | November 30

NIST SP 800-239 — AI Data Center Security Analysis | September 25

Public consultation on NERC computational-load standard open until September 18

NIST SP 800-209 Rev. 1 — Security Guidelines for Storage Infrastructure | September 8

NFPA 70 | TIA from AHRI on GFCI protection on HVAC equipment | September 6

“Labor omnia vicit improbus” (trans. ‘Steady, unyielding labor conquered all things’)

Georgics, Book I — Publius Vergilius Maro

Standards exist to sustain the ordinary rhythms of civilization.  Behind every meal, classroom, laboratory, concert, hospital, farm, playing field and family home stands a network of standards that quietly enables daily life. Our work is to understand, improve and explain those standards in service to the educational settlements they support. ANSI Standards Action



NIST | USPTO | ANSI | IEEE | ICC | ASTM | ASHRAE | UL | TIA | ASME | ASCE | AGA

Michigan Standards Developers : NSF | ACI | NETA | ASABE | HL7 | RIA | JCSEE | BIFMA | PJRFSI | SAE

Global: SA | BSA | NSAI | CSA | CEN & CENELEC | ISO & IEC*

 

APPA was founded at the University of Michigan| See our ABOUT

 

 

* ISO and IEC have opted out of the X-social media platforms.  FYI: X is 13 times the size of BlueSky in terms of scale and reach.

Life Safety Code

Today at the usual hour we sort through the NFPA stack for fire safety system aspects during renovation, alteration, or rehabilitation of buildings.  Two sections come to mind:

Chapter 43 (NFPA 101): Building Rehabilitation

 

NFPA 241: Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations
Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

Educational and Day-Care Occupancies (July 23, 2025 Second Draft Transcript)

The Life Safety Code addresses those construction, protection, and occupancy features necessary to minimize danger to life from the effects of fire, including smoke, heat, and toxic gases created during a fire.   It is widely incorporated by reference into public safety statutes; typically coupled with the consensus products of the International Code Council.   It is a mighty document — one of the NFPA’s leading titles — so we deal with it in pieces; consulting it for decisions to be made for the following:

(1) Determination of the occupancy classification in Chapters 12 through 42.

(2) Determination of whether a building or structure is new or existing.

(3) Determination of the occupant load.

(4) Determination of the hazard of contents.

There are emergent issues — such as active shooter response, integration of life and fire safety systems on the internet of small things — and recurrent issues such as excessive rehabilitation and conformity criteria and the ever-expanding requirements for sprinklers and portable fire extinguishers with which to reckon.  It is never easy telling a safety professional paid to make a market for his product or service that it is impossible to be alive and safe.  It is even harder telling the dean of a department how much it will cost to bring the square-footage under his stewardship up to the current code.

The 2021 edition is the current edition and is accessible below:

NFPA 101 Life Safety Code Free Public Access

Public input on the 2027 Revision will be received until June 4, 2024.  Public comment on the Second Draft 2027 Revision will be received until March 31, 2026.

 

Since the Life Safety Code is one of the most “living” of living documents — the International Building Code and the National Electric Code also move continuously — we can start anywhere and anytime and still make meaningful contributions to it.   We have been advocating in this document since the 2003 edition in which we submitted proposals for changes such as:

• A student residence facility life safety crosswalk between NFPA 101 and the International Building Code

• Refinements to Chapters 14 and 15 covering education facilities (with particular attention to door technologies)

• Identification of an ingress path for rescue and recovery personnel toward electric service equipment installations.

• Risk-informed requirement for installation of grab bars in bathing areas

• Modification of the 90-minute emergency lighting requirements rule for small buildings and for fixed interval testing

• Modification of emergency illumination fixed interval testing

• Table 7.3.1 Occupant Load revisions

• Harmonization of egress path width with European building codes

There are others.  It is typically difficult to make changes to stabilized standard though some of the concepts were integrated by the committee into other parts of the NFPA 101 in unexpected, though productive, ways.  Example transcripts of proposed 2023 revisions to the education facility chapter is linked below:

Chapter 14 Public Input Report: New Educational Occupancies

Educational and Day Care Occupancies: Second Draft Public Comments with Responses Report

Since NFPA 101 is so vast in its implications we list a few of the sections we track, and can drill into further, according to client interest:

Chapter 3: Definitions

Chapter 7: Means of Egress

Chapter 12: New Assembly Occupancies

Chapter 13: Existing Assembly Occupancies

Chapter 16 Public Input Report: New Day-Care Facilities

Chapter 17 Public Input Report: Existing Day Care Facilities

Chapter 18 Public Input Report: New Health Care Facilities

Chapter 19 Public Input Report: Existing Health Care Facilities

Chapter 28: Public Input Report: New Hotels and Dormitories

Chapter 29: Public Input Report: Existing Hotels and Dormitories

Chapter 43: Building Rehabilitation

Annex A: Explanatory Material

As always we encourage front-line staff, facility managers, subject matter experts and trade associations to participate directly in the NFPA code development process (CLICK HERE to get started)

NFPA 101 is a cross-cutting title so we maintain it on the agenda of our several colloquia —Housing, Prometheus, Security and Pathways colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

 

Issue: [18-90]

Category: Fire Safety, Public Safety

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Josh Elvove, Joe DeRosier, Marcelo Hirschler

More

ARCHIVE / Life Safety Code 2003 – 2018

 

Fire and Life Safety in Stadiums

Current Issues & Recent Research

“The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena,

it will make more progress in one decade

than in all the previous centuries of existence.”

—  Nikola Tesla

​​

Data Centers and Grid Impacts for State Regulators – 2026

IEEE P4200: Data Center Interconnection (Active PAR June 4, 2026)

MPSC Case U-21990 In the Matter of the Application of DTE Electric Company for Approval of Special Contracts

Restore NESC Cross-Reference to the Front End of the NEC

Electrical Power System Research

NFPA Electrical Standards Landing Page  Ω NFPA Standards Council  Ω NFPA Fire Safety Landing Page

ASHRAE Landing Page |  ASTM Electrical & Electronics | IES Illumination

Draft IEEE Paper Abstracts | Mike Anthony Short Biography | Electrotechnology OEMS

 IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee Recent Meeting Minutes 

Michigan Stadium Scoreboard Tour | March 18

NEC & NESC Crosswalk

Ω

IEEE Southeastern Michigan Section Welcome August 2024

 

 

IEEE & SWE Student Tour of Michigan Stadium Scoreboard | April 2024

IEEE SEM Student Activity 2025

Trending

Electrical Power System Research

NFPA Electrical Standards Landing Page  Ω NFPA Standards Council  Ω NFPA Fire Safety Landing Page

ASHRAE Landing Page |  ASTM Electrical & Electronics

Draft IEEE Paper Abstracts | Mike Anthony Short Biography | Electrotechnology OEMS

We examine the proposals for the 2028 National Electrical Safety Code; including our own. The 2026 National Electrical Code where sit on CMP-15 overseeing health care facility electrical issues should be released any day now. We have one proposal on the agenda of the International Code Council’s Group B Committee Action Hearings in Cleveland in October. Balloting on the next IEEE Gold Book on reliability should begin.

“Tomorrow’s Girls” | Donald Fagan

Policy:

OUTERNET: Crossing over data gap using cubesats

Department of Energy Portfolio Analysis & Management System

Department of Energy Building Technologies Office

FERC Open Meetings | (Note that these ~60 minute sessions meet Sunshine Act requirements.  Our interest lies one or two levels deeper into the technicals underlying the administrivia)

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Federal Communication Commission Michigan Public Service Commission

December 2025 Open Meeting

 December 18 Open Meeting December 5 Open Meeting
August 7 Open Meeting
July 24 Open Meeting July 25 Open Meeting
June 16 Open Meeting January 22: Newly Appointed FCC Chairman Announces Staff Changes June  12 Open Meeting
May 15 Open Meeting May 15 Open Meeting
April 17 Open Meeting April 24 Open Meeting
March 20 Open Meeting
February 20 FERC Open Meeting March 3 Open Meeting
January 16 FERC Press Conference February 27, 2025 Open Meeting

January 23: NARUC Congratulates New FERC, FCC and NRC Chairs

January 22: Newly Appointed FCC Chairman Announces Staff Changes | Related: Falsus in uno, Falsus in omnibus

January 6: City of Ann Arbor Postpones Phase II Study to Municipalize DTE Energy distribution grid

January 27, 10 AM Low-Income Energy Policy Board Meeting: Michigan Public Service commission

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: January 16, 2025 Open Meeting

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Notice of Request for Comments (Posted November 25, 2024)

Interregional Transfer Capability Study: Strengthening Reliability Through the Energy Transformation Docket No. AD25-4-000

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | November 21, Open Meeting

Press Conference

Michigan Public Service Commission Meetings

Michigan Public Commission Meeting  February 27, 2025

MPSC DTE CMS Electric Power Reliability Case No. U-21305

Michigan Electrical Administrative Board Meeting February 13, 2025

FCC Open Meeting | November 21 

[Mike Anthony Opinion] on the gales of innuendo against limited federal government voices in federally financed National Public Radio

National Infrastructure Advisory Council: Addressing the Critical Shortage of Power Transformers to Ensure Reliability of the U.S. Grid

H.R. 9603 (September 16): To amend the Federal Power Act to prohibit the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from issuing permits for the construction or modification of electric transmission facilities in a State over the objection of the State, and for other purposes.

Technical: (Also Electrical Power System Research)

Empower Pre-Trained Large Language Models for Building-Level Load Forecasting

Uptime Institute (via NEXT DC) : AI Inference in the Data Center

Majorana Nanowires for Topological Quantum Computing

Linearized Data Center Workload and Cooling Management

Oxford Researchers Discovered How to Use AI To Learn Like A Genius

Lex Fridman: DeepSeek, China, OpenAI, NVIDIA, xAI, TSMC, Stargate, and AI Megaclusters 

IEEE: Experts Weigh in on $500B Stargate Project for AI

IEEE: AI Mistakes Are Very Different Than Human Mistakes .  We need new security systems designed to deal with their weirdness

High-Performance Tensor Learning Primitives Using GPU Tensor Cores

Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York

Causes and Consequences of Widespread Power Blackout Across Taiwan on 3 March 2022: A Blackout Incident Investigation in the Taiwan Power System

Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan

 

First Draft Proposals contain most of our proposals — and most new (original) content.  We will keep the transcripts linked below but will migrate them to a new page starting 2025:

Electrical Safety

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-1

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-2

Public Input Report CMP-3

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-4

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-5

Public Input Report CMP-6

Public Input Report CMP-7

Public Input Report CMP-8

Public Input Report CMP-9

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-10

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-11

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-12

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-13

Public Input Report CMP-14

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-15

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-16

Public Input Report CMP-17

2026 NEC Standards Michigan proposals | Public Input Report CMP-18

Related:

2026 National Electrical Code

N.B. We are in the process of migrating electric power system research to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers bibliographic format. 

Recap of the May meetings of the  Industrial & Commercial Power Systems Conference in Las Vegas.  The conference ended the day before the beginning of the 3-day Memorial Day weekend in the United States so we’re pressed for time; given all that happened.

We can use our last meeting’s agenda to refresh the status of the issues.

IEEE E&H Draft Agenda 28 May 2024

On site conference agenda:

IEEE E&H Conference Agenda 21 May 2024

NESC & NEC Cross-Code Correlation

We typically break down our discussion into the topics listed below:

Codes & Standards:

While IAS/I&CPS has directed votes on the NEC; Mike is the only I&CPS member who is actually submitting proposals and responses to codes and standards developers to the more dominant SDO’s — International Code Council, ASHRAE International, UL, ASTM International, IEC & ISO.  Mike maintains his offer to train the next generation of “code writers and vote getters”

Performance-based building premises feeder design has been proposed for the better part of ten NEC revision cycles.  The objective of these proposals is to reduce material, labor and energy waste owed to the branch and feeder sizing rules that are prescriptive in Articles 210-235.  Our work in service and lighting branch circuit design has been largely successful.  A great deal of building interior power chain involves feeders — the network upstream from branch circuit panels but down stream from building service panel.

Our history of advocating for developing this approach, inspired by the NFPA 101 Guide to Alternative Approaches to Life Safety, and recounted in recent proposals for installing performance-based electrical feeder design into the International Building Code, appears in the link below:

Access to this draft paper for presentation at any conference that will receive it — NFPA, ICC or IEEE (or even ASHRAE) will be available for review at the link below:

Toward Performance-Based Building Premise Feeder Design

 

NFPA 110 Definitions of Public Utility v. Merchant Utility

NFPA 72 “Definition of Dormitory Suite” and related proposals

Buildings:

Renovation economics, Smart contracts in electrical construction.  UMich leadership in aluminum wiring statements in the NEC should be used to reduce wiring costs.

Copper can’t be mined fast enough to electrify the United States

Daleep asked Mike to do a Case Study session on the NEC lighting power density change (NEC 220-14) for the IAS Annual Meeting in October.  Mike agreed.

Exterior Campus & Distribution:

Illumination.  Gary Fox reported that IEEE 3001.9 was endorsed as an ANSI accredited standard for illumination systems.

2024-ICPSD24-0012 PERMANENT DESIGN OF POWER SYSTEMS Parise

This paper details primary considerations in estimating the life cycle of a campus medium voltage distribution grid.   Some colleges and universities are selling their entire power grid to private companies.  Mike has been following these transactions but cannot do it alone.

Variable Architecture Multi-Island Microgrids

District energy:

Generator stator winding failures and implications upon insurance premiums.  David Shipp and Sergio Panetta.  Mike suggests more coverage of retro-fit and lapsed life cycle technicals for insurance companies setting premiums.

Reliability:

Bob Arno’s leadership in updating the Gold Book.

Mike will expand the sample set in Table 10-35, page 293 from the <75 data points in the 1975 survey to >1000 data points.   Bob will set up meeting with Peyton at US Army Corps of Engineers.

Reliability of merchant utility distribution systems remains pretty much a local matter.  The 2023 Edition of the NESC shows modest improvement in the vocabulary of reliability concepts.  For the 2028 Edition Mike submitted several proposals to at least reference IEEE titles in the distribution reliability domain.   It seems odd (at least to Mike) that the NESC committees do not even reference IEEE technical literature such as Bob’s Gold Book which has been active for decades.  Mike will continue to propose changes in other standards catalogs — such as ASTM, ASHRAE and ICC — which may be more responsive to best practice assertions.  Ultimately, improvements will require state public utility commission regulations — and we support increases in tariffs so that utilities can afford these improvements.

Mike needs help from IEEE Piscataway on standard WordPress theme limitations for the data collection platform.

Mike will update the campus power outage database.

Healthcare:

Giuseppe Parise’s recent work in Italian power grid to its hospitals, given its elevated earthquake risk.  Mike’s review of Giuseppe’s paper:

Harvard Business School: Journal of Healthcare Management Standards

Mike and David Shipp will prepare a position paper for the Harvard Healthcare Management Journal on reliability advantages of impedance grounding for the larger systems.

The Internet of Bodies

Forensics:

Giuseppe’s session was noteworthy for illuminating the similarity and differences between the Italian and US legal system in handling electrotechnology issues.

Mike will restock the committee’s library of lawsuits transactions.

Ports:

Giuseppe updates on the energy and security issues of international ports.  Mike limits his time in this committee even though the State of Michigan has the most fresh water international ports in the world.

A PROPOSED GUIDE FOR THE ENERGY PLAN AND ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF A PORT

Other:

Proposals to the 2028 National Electrical Safety Code: Accepted Best Practice, exterior switchgear guarding, scope expansion into ICC and ASHRAE catalog,

Apparently both the Dot Standards and the Color Books will continue parallel development.  Only the Gold Book is being updated; led by Bob Arno.  Mike admitted confusion but reminded everyone that any references to IEEE best practice literature in the NFPA catalog, was installed Mike himself (who would like some backup help)

Universities with Quantum Computing Facilities

Papers in Process:

Impedance Grounding Papers 1 and 2 with David Shipp.  Previous Discussion:

https://ieeetv.ieee.org/channels/ieee-region-events/uc-berkeley-s-medium-voltage-grounding-system

Over Coffee and Beers:

Mike assured Christel Hunter (General Cable) that his proposals for reducing the 180 VA per-outlet requirements, and the performance-base design allowance for building interior feeders do not violate the results of the Neher-McGrath calculation used for conductor sizing.  All insulation and conducting material thermal limits are unaffected.

Other informal discussions centered on the rising cost of copper wiring and the implications for the global electrotechnical transformation involving the build out of quantum computing and autonomous vehicles.  Few expressed optimism that government ambitions for the same could be met in any practical way.

Are students avoiding use of Chat GPT for energy conservation reasons?  Mike will be breaking out this topic for a dedicated standards inquiry session:

GPT Power Grid

Education & Healthcare Facility Electrotechnology Committee

Workspace IEEE 1366: Guide for Electric Power Distribution Reliability Indices

Largest U.S. Electric Utility Companies Ranked by Generation Capacity  For IEEE 493 update we seek outage data from the 100 largest campus power system experts.

Higher Education Laboratories

The International Code Council (ICC) introduced dedicated provisions for higher education laboratories in 2018. This includes Section 428 in the International Building Code (IBC) (laboratory suites in Group B occupancies) and the new Chapter 38 in the International Fire Code (IFC).  These provisions allow colleges/universities to use “laboratory suites” (instead of stricter control areas) with higher maximum allowable quantities (MAQs) of hazardous materials, without triggering a high-hazard (Group H) occupancy classification, provided enhanced fire safety, separation, ventilation, emergency power, and other requirements are met.
§
The 2027 revision of the IBC is in production and will be released for public use in early 2027.  

Update: October 25, 2025

 

2024 GROUP A PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES: Complete Monograph (2658 pages)

Note the following changes in the transcript above:

Section 702 (Rated Construction), FS44-24 Installer Qualifications (typical marketmaking), Section 3801 (Materials exceeding the Maximum Allowable Quantity), F59-24 (Battery Containment Areas), F81-24 (Health Care Facility Plugs), F112-24 (Lithium Ion Battery Labs), F197-24 (Market making, laboratory oven protection study), F235-24 (Hazardous Materials Classifications & quantity limits).


Safety and sustainability concepts for research and healthcare delivery cut across many disciplines and standards suites and provides significant revenue for most research universities.  The International Code Council provides free access to current editions of its catalog of titles incorporated by reference into public safety law.  CLICK HERE for an interactive edition of Chapter 38 of the 2021 International Fire Code.

During today’s colloquium we will examine consultations for the next edition in the link below:

2021 International Fire Code Chapter 38 Higher Education Laboratories

We encourage our colleagues to participate directly in the ICC Code Development process.   The next revision of the International Fire Code will be undertaken accordingly to next ICC Code Development schedule; the timetable linked below:

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

We encourage directly employed front-line staff of a school district, college or university that does not operate in a conformance/compliance capacity — for example, a facility manager of an academic unit — to join a committee.  Not the Fire Marshall.  Not the Occupational Safety Inspector.  Persons with job titles listed below:

  • Fire Safety System Designer
  • Fire Alarm Technician (Shop Foreman)
  • Building Commissioner
  • Electrical, Mechanical Engineer
  • Occupational Safety Engineer

These subject matter experts generally have a user-interest point of view.

Contact Kimberly Paarlberg (kpaarlberg@iccsafe.org) for information about how to do so.

 

Related:

 2021 International Mechanical Code

2021 International Plumbing Code

2021 International Energy Conservation Code

Issue 16-69

Category: Fire Safety, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Joe DeRosier, Josh Elvove, Mark Schaufele

Archive / Higher Education Laboratories

Meeting Point

Danse de recherche sur le cancer

* Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey

print (“Hello World!”)

Data Points (2025 Estimates for 193 countable nations):

Global Gross Domestic Product (GGDP) ~ $118.35T

Anglosphere (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) ~ $39.2T (or ~33% of GGDP)

United States GDP $30.8T (or about 26% of GGDP)

 

“Livres des Merveilles du Monde” 1300 | Marco Polo | Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

Today we break down consultations on titles relevant to the technology and management of the real assets of education communities in the United States specifically; but with sensitivity to the global education markets where thousands of like-minded organizations also provide credentialing, instruction, research, a home for local fine arts and sport.

We steer away from broad policy issues and steer toward technical specifics of public consultations presented by national member bodies of the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Organization for Standardization, the International Telecommunications Union and the American National Standards Institute.  If there is a likelihood that the titles published by these workgroups will be incorporated by reference into public safety or sustainability legislation; or integrated into the cost structure of education communities in any other way, we will listen carefully and contribute meaningfully where we can.

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations | 1961 

Bretton Woods: A World of Common Rules

 
“Even apart from the instability due to speculation, there is the instability due to the characteristic of human nature that a large proportion of our positive activities depend on spontaneous optimism rather than on a mathematical expectation, whether moral or hedonistic or economic. Most, probably, of our decisions to do something positive, the full consequences of which will be drawn out over many days to come, can only be taken as the result of animal spirits — a spontaneous urge to action rather than inaction, and not as the outcome of a weighted average of quantitative benefits multiplied by quantitative probabilities. Enterprise only pretends to itself to be mainly actuated by the statements in its own prospectus, however candid and sincere that prospectus may be. Only a little more than an expedition to the South Pole is it based on an exact calculation of benefits to come. Thus if the animal spirits are dimmed and the spontaneous optimism falters, leaving us to depend on nothing but a mathematical expectation, enterprise will fade and die; — though fears of loss may have a basis no more reasonable than hopes of profit had before.”

“The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money” 

— John Maynard Keynes, 1936

International Standard Classification of Education

American National Standards Institute

2026 World Standards Week TBD.  NEMA will host

World Standards Week 2023

Setting the standard: Grange members can be voice of rural users in standardization system

ISO/IEC/ITU coordination – Listing of New Work Items (New: Passwords Required)

New ANSI Education Initiative Supports the Next Generation of Standardization Leaders

International Code Council

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE (3/17/2023)

International Zoning Code

International Electrotechnical Commission

International Electrotechnical Commission | CDV Consultations

IEC Open Consultations: 20 December

USNC/IEC  Current Winter 2023

IEC 87th General Meeting | Cairo, 22 – 26 October

Results from IEC General Assembly 2022 | San Francisco

Going All-Electric

Extended Versions  Certain standards are required to be read in tandem with another standard, which is known as a reference (or parent) document. The extended version (EXV) of an IEC Standard facilitates the user to be able to consult both IEC standards simultaneously in a single, easy-to-use document.

Elettrotecnico Lingua Franca

International Telecommunications Union

The case for standardizing homomorphic encryption

Outcomes of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference

World Radiocommunication Conference

International Standardization Organization

How ISO codes connect the world

New partnership for ISO and ICC

Must-have skills for the green economy

Building Environment Design

A partial list of projects with which we have been engaged as an active participant; starting with the original University of Michigan enterprise in the late 1990’s and related collaborations with IEEE and others: (In BOLD font we identify committees with open consultations requiring a response from US stakeholders before next month’s Hello World! colloquium)

IEC/TC 8, et al System aspects of electrical energy supply

IEC/TC 22 Power electronic systems and equipment

IEC/TC 34 Lighting

IEC/TC 62 Electrical equipment in medical practice

IEC/TC 64 Electrical installations and protection against electric shock

IEC/TC 82 Solar photovoltaic energy systems

IEC/SYC Electrotechnical Aspects of Smart Cities

SyC Smart Energy

Standards Michigan Workspace for IEC/ITU Consultations

ISO/IEC JTC 1 Information Technology, et. al

ISO/TC 205 Building environmental design

ISO/TC 215 Health Informatics

ISO/TC 229 Nanotechnologies

ISO/TC 232 Education and Learning Services

ISO/TC 251 Asset Management

ISO/TC 260 Human Resource Management

ISO/TC 267 Facility Management

ISO/TC 268 Sustainable cities and communities

ISO/TC 274 Light and Lighting

ISO/TC 276 Biotechnology

ISO/TC 301 Energy management and energy savings

ISO/TC 304 Healthcare organization management

ISO/TC 336 Laboratory Design

We collaborate with the appropriate ANSI US TAG; or others elsewhere in academia.   We have begun tracking ITU titles with special attention to ITU Radio Communication Sector.

main( ) {
        printf("hello, world\n");
}

We have collaborations with Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Sapienza – Università di Roma, Universität Zürich, Universität Potsdam, Université de Toulouse. Universidade Federal de Itajubá, University of Windsor, the University of Alberta, to name a few — most of whom collaborate with us on electrotechnology issues.  Standards Michigan and its 50-state affiliates are (obviously) domiciled in the United States.  However, and for most issues, we defer to the International Standards expertise at the American National Standards Institute

ANSI INTERACTIVE MAP: INTERNATIONAL TRADE & DEVELOPMENT

Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

 

 

These three regions make up 50% of world GDP

 

More

Data Point: Global Construction Market is Expected to Reach $11 trillion by 2031

General Public Participation in ANSI ISO Activities

March 2021 edition of the TMB Communiqué.

ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1

ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, Consolidated ISO Supplement

International Electrotechnical Commission Annual Report 2019

ISO Update  2021-02-09

ANSI Education & Training Overview

ANSI Guide for US Delegates

ITU Digital Technical Standards

* A “Hello, World!” program generally is a computer program that outputs or displays the message “Hello, World!”. Such a program is very simple in most programming languages (such as Python and Javascript) and is often used to illustrate the basic syntax of a programming language. It is often the first program written by people learning to code. It can also be used as a sanity test to make sure that a computer language is correctly installed, and that the operator understands how to use it.

 

 

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888-748-3670

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