NFPA's annual conference to colocate with new expo

The National Fire Protection Association Conference & Expo will be held in Chicago in 2013, from June 10 through 12.

And the NFPA just announced that it will be colocating the annual event with a brand new expo, one featuring information and products designed to improve safety for people with disabilities. For a conference that's all about how to save lives, it sounds like a great match. Here's more from an NFPA press release on the event, to be held at Chicago's McCormick Place:

The inaugural Accessibility Expo: Beyond the ADA will colocate with the annual. The three-day event will inform building designers, builders, managers and safety executives, and promote the idea of moving beyond the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“With each passing day I marvel at new innovations and advancements, particularly those that improve access to information, communications and the ability of people with disabilities to be more empowered with respect to their own safety,” said Allan Fraser, NFPA's senior building code specialist.� “It's time to shine a light on innovations so that building designers, suppliers, facility and safety managers, and first responders can connect and interact.”

Conference sessions will address life safety in five categories of disability, including mobility, vision, hearing, speech and cognitive, as well as creative and common sense best practices and solutions. The exhibition will feature enhanced alarm systems, directional sound devices, voice-to-text/text-to -voice devices, video phones for American Sign Language users, power wheelchairs, accessibility training and employer preparedness programs.

The NFPA Conference & Expo is the premier industry event for fire protection and life safety and attracts more than 5,000 professionals whose work involves code compliance, fire, building and life safety. To learn more, visit www.nfpa.org/conference.