January 24, 2014 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Board of Directors appointed three new members to serve on the NFPA’s Standards Council for a three-year term effective Jan. 2014: Kenneth E. Bush of Easton, Md., James R. Quiter of San Francisco, Calif., and Chad E. Beebe of Lacey, Wash.
Kenneth E. Bush, FSFPE, has served as a Senior Fire Protection Engineer with the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office since his graduation from the Fire Protection Engineering Program at the University of Maryland in 1976. He is largely responsible for the review of both construction and fire protection system plans, as well as the inspection of new and existing homes in seven eastern shore counties in Maryland. During his 37-year career, Bush has been a member of NFPA Life Safety Code® project since 1978, and numerous other NFPA technical committees and member sections. He also remains active in local fire service, serving as a contract instructor for both the National Fire Academy and Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute.
James R. Quiter has more than 30 years of experience as a fire engineer and is recognized as a leader in Fire Protection Engineering in North America and globally. He is currently the San Francisco Group Leader for Arup. His experience blends an excellent understanding of fire protection engineering and performance-based codes with wide recognition as an expert in the US codes and their applications. As a result of his active participation in the code-change process and participation on major projects throughout the world, Quiter is well renowned within the US and International code community. He has been a major participant in the US approach to performance – based codes. He chaired the NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) Task Force that developed the performance-based design option that is now an integral part of the code. Currently, he is the Chair of the NFPA Building Code Correlating Committee and the NFPA High Rise Building Safety Advisory Committee. He was also Chair of the SFPE Task Group, which authored a Guide to Fire Protection in Very Tall Buildings. Quiter is also a member of the National Construction Safety Team Advisory Committee, a Fellow and a past President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, and a Life member of NFPA. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. Quiter is a registered Professional Engineer in 11 states and is a LEED Accredited Professional.
Chad E. Beebe, along with being a registered architect, certified fire protection specialist, healthcare facility manager, and building official, has maintained several positions over the course of his career. From 1999 to 2001, Beebe served as the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) for the Washington State Department of Health, managing its construction review services program. He is currently director of codes and standards for the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association. For his efforts, Beebe was awarded the ASHE’s Regional Leader Award, becoming the first AHJ to earn a leadership award from the American Hospital Association. He also serves on a number of national panels and committees that create regulations for the design and construction of health care facilities.
In addition to adding three new members, the Standards Council also appointed current member Kerry Bell of UL LLC as the new Council chair. Current Council members Richard Owen of Oakdale, Minn., and Daniel O’Connor of Aon Fire Protection Engineering were each reappointed for three-year terms starting January 1, 2014, and also current member James Milke of University of Maryland was appointed for a one-year extension, also beginning on January 1, 2014.
The NFPA Standards Council, a 13 member body appointed by the board of directors of NFPA, is charged with overseeing the NFPA codes and standards making process. Generally, the duties of the Council include supervising activities related to NFPA codes and standards development, acting as administer of rules and regulations, and serving as an appeals body.
About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building, and life safety. The mission of the international nonprofit organization founded in 1896 is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. NFPA develops more than 300 codes and standards to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other hazards. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed at no cost at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.
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Contact: Lorraine Carli, Public Affairs Office: +1 617 984-7275