Howard Hopper, Regulatory Services Program Manager at UL, has been named the recipient of the 2017 Excellence in Fire & Life Safety Award.
The award, sponsored by the International Code Council (ICC) and the Fire & Life Safety Section (FLSS) of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), honors those who have dedicated themselves to saving lives and property through the development of codes, fire-prevention practices and leadership techniques.
Howard has demonstrated leadership in numerous fire safety initiatives, including being a principal contributor on the California SFM smoke alarm and building insulation flammability working groups, chairing an IAFC working group on cooktop safety, which produced a much referenced report of findings, and helping develop and update the IAFC smoke alarm position paper.
He has also chaired Fire Code Action Committee working groups that developed IFC code requirements on critical fire safety topics including:
- Energy storage systems (ESS), including lithium-ion battery and fuel cell systems
- CO2 and simple asphyxiant protection requirements
- Door locking arrangements for classrooms
- Carbon monoxide and smoke detection requirements
- Development of a comprehensive set of gas detection system requirements
- Maintenance of fire resistive construction
Howard served on the initial International Fire Code drafting committee, three cycles on the IBC Fire Safety Committee, and two cycles on the International Fire Code committee. He also serves on several NFPA 101 technical committees, and was an active participant on the Joint Fire Service Review Committee and the Fire Code Action Committee.
In addition to his code development activities Howard has served on the IAFC’s FLSS Board of Directors since 2003. He devotes considerable personal time on fire safety initiatives and mentoring fire prevention personnel.