Robinson Discusses Sprinkler Project at Risk Management Conference

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Donald Robinson, adjunct professor in environmental health sciences and retired executive director of Environmental Health and Safety, was a presenter at the University Risk Management and Insurance Association’s 49th annual meeting held Sept. 29-Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City.

In the presentation, Robinson and Amy Daley, staff vice president of FM Global, discussed “Effective Assessment and Management of Fire and Life Safety Risk – The Critical Time Factors.”

Robinson detailed the development of the UMass Amherst fire safety enhancement program from 1975 until 2012 when the campus was recognized by the state fire marshal for voluntarily retrofitting all residence halls with full sprinkler protection. The effort included the $27.2 million voluntary retrofit program of 31 buildings begun in 2005. The talk focused on how the installation of automatic suppression systems resulted in a significant improvement in the critical time factor between the onset and extinguishment of a fire.