National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control
# National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control

The U.S. National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control was a Presidential Commission appointed by President Richard Nixon in June 1971. It submitted its final report, America Burning, in May 1973.

## Background

The Fire Research and Safety Act of 1968 provided a mandate for a Presidential Commission to be established for research into the hazards of death, injury, and property damage caused by fire. Public Law 90-259 authorized a twenty-member commission to conduct a two-year study aiming to determine effective measures for reducing the destructive effects of fire.

## Activities

During 1972, the Presidential Task Force conducted regional hearings across the United States surveying communities with regards to flammable incidences. The Presidential Commission concluded their study on May 4, 1973, submitting a report to President Nixon entitled America Burning: The Report of The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control. On July 12, 1973, President Nixon released a presidential statement commending the National Commission on their analysis and findings related to fire safety and the fire loss dilemma in the United States.

## Commissioners

Nixon appointed commissioners for the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control in June 1971.

| NCFPC Commissioner | Occupation | Affiliation |
| - | - | - |
| Richard E. Bland | Commission ChairmanProfessor of Engineering | Pennsylvania State University |
| W. Howard McClennan | Commission Vice ChairmanPresident | International Association of Fire Fighters |
| Howard D. Tipton | Executive Director | National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control |
| Ernst R.G. Eckert, Ph.D. | Professor of Mechanical Engineering | University of Minnesota |
| Peter S. Hackes | Media Correspondent | National Broadcasting Company |
| John L. Jablonsky | Vice President | American Insurance Association |
| Ann Wight Phillips, M.D. | Burn Specialist | Harvard Medical SchoolMassachusetts General Hospital |
| Dorothy Duke | Consultant | National Council of Negro Women |
| Albert Hole | Fire Marshal | State of California |
| Baron Whitaker | President | Underwriter Laboratories |
| Percy Bugbee | Honorary Chairman | National Fire Protection Association |
| Roger Freeman Jr. | President | Allendale Mutual Insurance Co. |
| Tommy Arevalo | Lieutenant | El Paso, Texas Fire Department |
| Keith E. Klinger | Chief Emeritus | Los Angeles County Fire Department |
| Robert A. Hechtman, Ph.D. | President | R.A. Hechtman & Associates |
| Louis J. Amabili | Director | Delaware State Fire School |
| William J. Young | Fire Chief | Newington, New Hampshire Fire Department |
| John F. Hurley | Fire Commissioner | City of Rochester, New York |
| John A. Proven | Director | Fire Equipment Manufacturers' Association |
| Frederick B. Dent | Presidential Cabinet Member | Secretary of Commerce |
| James T. Lynn | Presidential Cabinet Member | Secretary of Housing |
