The Fire Prevention and Control Act transformed American fire safety 50 years ago by establishing critical measures to protect lives and property. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) examines the significance of this act, along with a recent special publication from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, “A Legacy of Fire Safety,” in its latest podcast episode.

Dick Gann, a fire researcher and co-author of the publication, discusses the legacy of this legislation, and explores several of the research achievements—many of which Gann himself was directly involved with—that have dramatically improved fire safety in the United States over the last half century. The episode also looks at the evolution of NIST, from its founding days when it was known as the National Bureau of Standards, and how it has served as a pioneering agency in fire safety and fire science.

Access the recent NFPA podcast or read the NFPA Journal article by Jesse Roman about why the Fire Prevention and Control Act is still more relevant than ever.