Science Advisory Committee

Charter

The role of the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) is to assist the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) in formulating positions and making political decisions by providing sound scientific and technical background and advice on issues as requested. NASFM is grateful and proud to have access to many of the best minds in fire protection through the SAC.

Individuals are invited to serve a three-year term based on their field of expertise defined by NASFM's needs at the time of appointment. SAC members hail from both the public and private sectors, and work for government, academia, industry and consultancies. SAC members are experts in a wide range of scientific and technical fields, including fire protection engineering, combustion performance, codes and standards development, performance-based design, risk assessment, toxicology, historic preservation and mechanical and chemical engineering. SAC members volunteer their time for the good of NASFM and its members, and must agree to put their political and organizational affiliations aside while serving in their capacity as SAC members.

The SAC meets as needed at the call of the Chairman or the request of the NASFM Board of Directors. The SAC also from time to time forms ad hoc task groups that may include individuals from outside of the SAC membership to work on specific projects.

Issues may be introduced as possible SAC assignments from outside NASFM, from within the NASFM membership or from the SAC members themselves. Regardless of where the issues originate, they will be "filtered" first through the NASFM staff in consultation with NASFM's SAC Liaison and then through the NASFM Board, which will make the final decision on which issues are assigned to the SAC. In consideration of members' time constraints, Board assigns only those issues of national or international scope, or those that affect a significant number of NASFM members.

Issues that the SAC is currently dealing with include emerging fire safety standards for products such as cigarettes, candles, information technology equipment, home appliances, upholstered furniture, mattresses and bedding; the development of a guide for State Fire Marshals on the accreditation of fire testing laboratories; assessment of questions about the efficacy, cost, availability and need for a device known as arc-fault circuit interrupters, which are designed to prevent fires in electrical wiring; quality control issues pertaining to automatic fire sprinklers; and the characterization of fire hazards present in such diverse places as today's classrooms, automobiles and commercial buildings.