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Pallet C e nt ral • May -Ju ne 2 0 26 27 greater—from any property line, and at least 0.75 times their height from any on-site building. Stack heights must not exceed 20 feet. Good housekeeping rounds out the prevention picture. A clean, orderly site reduces fire risk by keeping debris away from work areas and reinforcing a culture of care and accountability. Fire emergency response plans detail how emergencies are reported, outline evacuation procedures, and establish protocols for fire drills. Preparing every team member in advance ensures swift, coordinated action when it matters most. Security plans extend beyond fire prevention to protect the entire operation. For fire safety purposes, they should identify designated security personnel, outline monitoring systems such as cameras and motion detectors, and address safeguards unique to each facility. Education: The Best Defense Ultimately, fire safety in pallet operations comes down to awareness and preparation. When site managers identify potential risks, work proactively to mitigate them, and ensure their teams are trained and ready, the likelihood of a catastrophic event drops significantly. Proactively working through all these different aspects of fire safety with your local fire officials will also lead to better outcomes across the board. William Koffel's appearance at the California Fire Prevention Institute reflects Woodpack Global's broader commitment not only to developing best practices but also to actively sharing them with the communities and regulators who depend on them. We may not be able to control drought conditions or the path of a wildfire, but we can control the safety of individual operations. If fire risk is a concern in your region, start with the fundamentals: get your plans in place, educate your teams, and engage with industry professionals to stay current on best practices. FIRE SAFETY CONT. Brad Gething is the Vice President of Science & Technology for Woodpack Global and the Executive Director of the Pallet Foundation. He can be reached at brad@woodpackglobal.org. A Resource Built For The Industry When the 2018 editions of NFPA 1 and the International Fire Code introduced revised requirements for outdoor storage of wood and composite wood pallets, William Koffel was instrumental in shaping them, ensuring the framework prioritized sound operating practices over rigid mandates. To help pallet manufacturing facilities navigate compliance, Woodpack Global published its Fire Code Compliance Manual for Outdoor Storage of Wooden Pallets. The manual covers all four required plans and includes ready-to-use templates and checklists to simplify drafting and documentation. Even where revised requirements aren't yet locally in effect, the manual helps facilities get ahead of coming changes and manage fire risk proactively. Available at WoodpackGlobal. org >> Advocacy >> Fire Code Safety.

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