Over 85 very interested fire marshals and directors, insurance industry representatives as well as many other disciplines associated with the fire safety industry listened and watched the slide presentation prepared and delivered by Phil Ackland. Phil, who is and has been an active member of the NFPA96 Committee for fifteen years, used photos of actual installations to illustrate many issues of fire safety facing inspectors in the field.

George Zawacki, Publisher and Editor of the UP YOUR STACK™.com Newsletter and website opened the Education Session with his presentation of “Finding the Missing Links in Commercial Kitchen Ventilation”. He discussed the lack of communication between the various groups that design, develop, inspect and install commercial kitchen ventilation systems. He challenged attendees to step out of their comfort zone.

Director Bernie Arends of the Glenview, IL Fire Department told us that “The message delivered in our program was right on and exactly what is needed by fire inspectors and other department personnel”. Director Arends in his role as President of the Illinois Fire Inspectors Association (IFIA) has invited Phil Ackland to put on his two day fire inspector training course in Illinois during the month of October. Details will be announced later in both the UP YOUR STACK™.com and IFIA Newsletters.

During Phil’s slide presentation, the audience was introduced to many conditions that presented unsafe installations and in many cases, dangerous conditions that only awaited a spark to develop into major trouble above the filter banks. Phil pointed out conditions of poor duct system cleaning and fire suppression maintenance. One photo clearly showed only a control wire where the fusible link had been removed from the system. Another photo demonstrated a link so caked with grease that it was unrecognizable and useless in the event of a fire.

Actual photos demonstrated Type II hoods and ductwork, penetrated by wood and metal beams and electrical circuits being used illegally as Type I hood systems. Perhaps converted from a Type II use originally, they now present serious fire hazards both to owners and fire department personnel. Phil cautioned the many fire personnel in the audience that “they need to be alert and watch for things you can see from your feet”.

Phil Ackland regularly puts on workshops to educate Fire Inspectors and other AHJ officials around the North American continent. He can be reached through his website at www.packland.ca. While his Albuquerque, NM session is sold out in July, space is available at the Overland Park, KS session on September 21 and 22. This fall he will be conducting his educational and training sessions for fire department personnel in the Chicago area under the auspices of the Illinois Fire Investigators Association (IFIA) and UP YOUR STACK. Watch for more information in future newsletters.