By Doug Nelson, State Fire Marshal
October is a Time to Focus on Fire Safety
Welcome to fire prevention month and week! This year’s fire safety focus from the National Fire Protection Association is the hazards associate with lithium-ion batteries. The theme this year is, “Charge into Fire Safety” and focuses on safe products, proper charging, and responsible recycling. Fire prevention week is set in early October each year to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire. For more information on this year's theme and other resources please visit the NFPA at Celebrate NFPA Fire Prevention Week (FPW), October 5-11. Please join us in remembering why fire safety is so important in your communities and help spread the word on how to stay safe from fire today!
World Mental Health Day
Another important day of recognition this month is World Mental Health Day on October 10th. According to the World Health Organization (World Mental Health Day 2025), one in five people will experience a mental health condition after exposure to humanitarian emergencies. Firefighters are not immune to this, and with the continual exposure to emergencies and loss, may be at an even higher risk.
In “Wounds of the Spirit: Moral Injury in Firefighters”, the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (Moral-Injury-White-Paper-2-9-23.pdf) indicated that more than half of all firefighters have suffered mental health injuries. I hope your fire department can take time this month to recognize the importance of mental health, and ensure that we keep our firefighters healthy in all aspects.
Building & Fire Code Updates
The State Building Code adoption and amendment process has reached the next step of identifying amendments that will be included in the 2024 Edition. This process was run by the Department of Commerce and included members from the building construction industry, engineers, architects, local building officials, electrical regulators, other specific regulators, and myself. To learn more about the State Building Code and process, please visit the Department of Commerce at Building Codes | Commerce | North Dakota.
Working to mirror the timeline and process as best we can, our own State Fire Code adoption process is also in swing. This week, local fire marshals from around the state helped us shape what amendments need to be included in the fire code adoption to keep our state and local codes as closely aligned as possible. The next step in this process will be drafting the amendment language and proceeding through the Administrative Rules Process. Our goal is to have the 2024 Edition of the International Fire Code adopted by July 1st, 2026.
Last year our office hosted a lunch and learn on haunted houses, past tragedies, and the importance of ensuring anything like this in your community is done safely. Though we are not covering that topic this year, we do want to ensure that we connect you with the information by visiting our fact sheets here Resources | North Dakota Fire Marshal. Here is hoping that the beginning of the month is filled with fire safety activities, and the end of the month is quiet and safe for everyone on Halloween!