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David A. Lucht

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David A. Lucht (February 18, 1943 –)[1] is best known as the person who developed and launched the first master of science fire protection engineering degree program in the United States in 1979. He developed and established the first doctoral degree program of its kind in 1991 and the first global distance learning fire protection engineering degree program in 1993.[2] He is the founder and Director Emeritus of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Center for Firesafety Studies (1978–present) and Professor Emeritus of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.[3] Earlier in his career, David Lucht had designed and conducted the first residential testing program for battery-powered home smoke detectors. David Lucht wrote the first fire code for the State of Ohio. Ohio Commerce Director James Shaul appointed him to the position Ohio State Fire Marshal in 1974. President Gerald Ford appointed David Lucht, and the United States Senate confirmed him, as the first Deputy Administrator to lead the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration under the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1975. His was the first presidential appointment to the new agency. President Jimmy Carter re-appointed him to the position, where he served until 1978.[4] He stepped down from that position to start the fire safety engineering program at WPI.

Early years

David Lucht was born February 18, 1943 in Warren Ohio[5] and grew up in Middlefield, Ohio.[6][5]

Family

David Lucht is married to Susannah Baker and has three sons.

Volunteer fireman

At the age of 17, David Lucht began his career in fire safety as a volunteer in a firefighter cadet program offered to the students at Cardinal High School by the Middlefield, Ohio fire department. He was allowed to perform all the duties of a regular fireman except enter burning buildings. Late one October night he was called to a home fire that ultimately took the lives of four children. The home burned to studs and a chimney. David found the remains of the youngest victim while digging through the ashes. He recalled that moment as one of the most memorable of his life, and stated that it influenced the direction of his life's work. Shortly after that experience he applied for, and was awarded, a full four-year scholarship for Fire Protection Engineering Studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology of Chicago.[4][6][7] At that time, it was the only fire protection engineering degree program offered in the United States.

Education

David Lucht earned his Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology of Chicago in 1965.[5] He attended on a full, four-year scholarship from the Western Actuarial Bureau. In 1965, the Chicago chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers recognized Mr. Lucht with its Outstanding Senior Student Award. Mr. Lucht was also elected into the Salamander Honorary Fire Protection Engineering Society in recognition of his high scholastic standing, leadership characteristics and a desire to further the interests of fire protection.[8]

Pilot Research on Installed Residential Smoke Detectors, Ohio State University

During David's junior year of college on November 23, 1963 at 4:45 AM, just 14 hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the deadliest nursing home fire in a decade swept through the Golden Age nursing home in Fitchville, Ohio, United States.[9] The Golden Age Nursing Home fire killed 63 of the facility's 84 residents. Investigators blamed the deaths on faulty wiring and the absence of any evacuation plan.[10] In addition, the telephone wiring had burned before calls to the fire department could be made, and there was no manual fire alarm system.[11] Just five days earlier, a hotel fire in Atlantic City had claimed the lives of 25 people. The Golden Age Nursing Home fire was the second deadliest nursing home fire in American history. The deadliest occurred just six years earlier in Warrenton, Missouri at the Katie Jane Nursing Home, killing 72.[12]

On January 9, 1970, a convalescent home in Marietta, Ohio caught fire, killing 31 of the 46 patients.[10] In the same town on October 10, 1971, a boiler exploded during Sunday school at the First Baptist Church, killing four teenagers and one Bible studies teacher, injuring eleven others with six hospitalized, and forcing the evacuation of 140 young people.[13] With these recent tragic incidents, Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes and fire officials became increasingly concerned about fire safety. Governor Rhodes pushed for legislation to address fire deaths in Ohio.[4]

In 1971, David Lucht volunteered to help the Central Ohio Fire Prevention Association conduct demonstration projects to help the public and as the fire safety industry understand the value of a fledgling technology that was just emerging on the market: affordable, battery-powered smoke detectors that could be installed in minutes by homeowners. He approached Duane Pearsall, the president of Statitrol Corporation for help. Statitrol was the small Colorado company that had recently developed the first affordable, UL-approved, battery-powered home smoke detector. Statitrol was struggling to help the home smoke detector, a product most people had never heard of before, gain awareness and acceptance by consumers and credibility with skeptical fire services. Pearsall donated 200 smoke detectors to the project. David Lucht worked with a team of graduate students to install and maintain the smoke detectors in homes around Columbus, Ohio. Part of the research project sought to provide information on optimal placement in a building to allow residents to be alerted to a fire and make a quick exit. Duane Pearsall considered the project successful in establishing reliable scientific documentation of the potential for home smoke detectors to significantly reduce the number of deaths from fire in the home. Factory Mutual Insurance Company, which has since merged into FM Global, took notice and provided battery powered smoke detectors to all of its own employees to keep in their homes. Duane Pearsall believed the two demonstration projects marked a turning point in the credibility and market acceptance of affordable, battery-powered home smoke detectors.[14][15] By the end of 1996, eighteen states required smoke detectors in new homes, 10 states were considering similar legislation, some 16 manufacturers had sold nine million of the devices, and sales of 12 million more were projected for 1977.[16] Looking back in 2004, Lucht credited the affordable residential smoke detector as, "having had the most profound impact on reducing the U.S. fire death rate—by 50 percent over the past three decades."[17] In 1971, the Columbus Jaycees presented David Lucht with the 10 Outstanding Young Men Award, and the United States Jaycees recognized him with their Distinguished Service Award.

Ohio State Fire Marshal

In 1972, the Ohio Division of the State Fire Marshal hired Mr. Lucht as Chief of the Inspection Bureau. He quickly advanced to First Assistant Fire Marshal and then Chief Deputy Fire Marshal. David Lucht wrote the first Ohio State Fire Code.[18] From 1969 to 1972, Ohio recorded 105 fire deaths in nursing homes as compared to 116 in the rest of the United States.[19] In December 1972, in response to this problem and with strong support from Governor Jim Rhodes, the Ohio General Assembly passed a new law requiring automatic fire sprinklers be installed in all nursing homes, homes for the elderly, and rest homes by January 1, 1975.[20] The need for stronger regulations was punctuated by a January 1972 fire at the Green Nursing Home in Cincinnati that left the charred remains of nine elderly residents in their beds. Eight months earlier, the facility had passed its annual fire inspection with no violations noted. The executive director of the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, Howard Tipton and its chairman Robert Bland arrived from Washington, D.C. to investigate. They noted that the facility had no fire sprinklers and had not conducted fire drills.[21]

The Ohio Nursing Home Association lobbied successfully to block the proposed sprinkler requirement. David Lucht, however, was firmly convinced that fire sprinklers were necessary to effectively reduce fire deaths in nursing homes. Of some 1,260 retirement homes in Ohio,[19] he estimated between 100 and 200 had sprinkler systems. He set up a demonstration for the naysayers. He furnished two identical rooms in an abandoned nursing home with everything found in a typical nursing home room. Both rooms had curtains, carpeting, closets, beds with sheets, cupboards containing clothing, and even greeting cards and stationery. The only difference was that only one of the rooms had a fire sprinkler system. A volunteer, actually a firefighter, dressed himself in a T-shirt and pretended to be sleeping in one of the beds. A fire was lit in the room. As the smoke quickly billowed down from the ceiling, the man pulled the sheets over his head. Before long, he scrambled out on his hands and knees covered in soot. Although unhurt, his wide eyes indicated he feared for his life. The experiment was then repeated in the room equipped with a sprinkler system. The firefighter got wet and then it was over. The demonstration persuaded the Nursing Home Association's lobbyists to become advocates for fire sprinklers, and they worked to make that solution happen.[4]

When Ohio State Fire Marshal Robert Lynch incurred a back injury causing him to resign in November 1972, Commerce Director Dennis Shaul appointed David Lucht as Acting State Fire Marshal.[22] Lucht held that position until February 1973, when James Caldwell was appointed State Fire Marshal.[19] In January 1973, David Lucht held hearings and accepted written commentary on the new Ohio State Fire Code, which he had written.[23]

The new code required all new one, two, and three-family housing units to be equipped with early warning fire detection systems, with the code modeled after the recommendations of the American Insurance Association. At that time, a one-bedroom home could be equipped with a smoke detector for about $50. The code required a detector sensitive to any of the products of combustion to be placed in hallways outside bedrooms, with alarms audible in any bedroom in the house even when the doors are closed. Heat detectors would not satisfy the requirements of the code because a fire caused by a cigarette would not create enough heat to trigger an alarm in time to save the building's occupants. Based on the increased cost of building a new home, the new code received immediate resistance from the Ohio Home Builders Association. The code went into effect in early March.[20] The code required all nursing homes to be equipped with an approved fire alarm system by January 1, 1974, and with fire sprinklers by January 1, 1975.

Beginning in August 1973, Ohio Fire Marshal James Caldwell began a series of mandatory one-day educational seminars for operators of Ohio's 1,260 nursing homes. Every nursing home was required to register one person to attend their fire district's seminar. The first session was held in Toledo for 195 operators in a 13 county area. Caldwell opened each seminar by explaining the role of his office and each the basic requirements of the new law. David Lucht then took the floor and discussed the inspection procedures and the required alarm systems, sprinklers and other necessary equipment. The afternoon sessions covered evacuation plans, and the evening session was for a round-table informal discussion.[19]

In early April 1974, Ohio State Fire Marshal James Caldwell resigned, citing personal reasons. Ohio Commerce Director Dennis Shaul appointed David Lucht to the position of Ohio State Fire Marshal. Mr. Lucht was 31 years old.[24] Despite David Lucht's diplomatic success in persuading the Ohio State Nursing Home Association to accept and even help advocate for the new fire code, some impacted businesses in other industries were far less cooperative. The owners of an eight-story apartment building in Toledo known as the Fischer Building stubbornly refused to comply. City of Toledo fire officials took the building's owners to court seeking to condemn the building. The building was constructed in 1906 and had caught fire sixteen times between 1969 and 1974. The new fire code required the building be retrofitted with fire escapes, smoke detectors and an automatic sprinkler system. David Lucht testified that he estimated $100,000.00 of renovations would be needed to bring the building into compliance. Following several days of testimony from David Lucht and the Toledo fire officials, the city authorities obtained a court order on September 17, 1974 to vacate the building. Prior to issuing the order, the judge toured the building and noted it did not even have one safe fire escape. He declared it a "clear and present danger to life and property" and an "extreme hazard to life and property." Shortly following his order to vacate the building, the owners announced they would appeal the decision. The building managers told the tenants not to move out until the appeal was decided. Some of the tenants moved out and others said they had nowhere to go. As the city officials went through the building posting condemnation notices, someone followed close behind but just out of sight, tearing the notices down. The case went to the Sixth District Court of Appeals on September 22 and a hearing was set for October 1. Of the 44 apartment units in the building, 31 were occupied. Fire officials still had no count of the number of people living in the building. On September 27, while the city inspectors were getting a count of the occupied units they discovered a gas leak in the building and shut off the gas. The gas company fixed the leak late that afternoon and turned the gas back on. About 10:30 pm the night of the 27th, the building caught fire. The building had an open wooden stairwell. One fifth-floor resident stated that as she and her husband were evacuating via an outside fire escape, she could see flames being pulled down from the upper floors through the stairwell in the center of the building. A photograph of the fire in the Toledo Blade shows the building with flames 10–15 feet high coming up out of the roof. The Red Cross was called in to find emergency housing for the displaced tenants.[25][26]

Deputy Administrator, National Fire Prevention and Control Administration

On April 11, 1975 President Gerald Ford announced his nomination of David Lucht to be the first Deputy Administrator of the new National Fire Prevention and Control Administration.[27] At the time of this appointment, Mr. Lucht was 32 years old and a licensed Professional Engineer in both Pennsylvania and Ohio.[18]

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Center for Firesafety Studies

Post-Retirement Involvement in Arts and Literature

Before retiring and before his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, David Lucht began taking art lessons at the Worcester Art Museum. In 2004, he first became an active member of the Princeton Arts Society Portrait Group, with one of his paintings receiving an honorable mention in the 2014 Spring show.[28]

After retiring from WPI in 2005, David Lucht became more active as an artistic painter, writer and storyteller. He has painted more than 500 portraits. His paintings have been displayed in the Briarwood Gallery in Worcester, Massachusetts, and on his website.[29] He served as a Trustee for the Worcester Art Museum as early as 2012.[30][31]

David Lucht's 20" high X 16" wide oil and pastel portrait of Phillip J. DiNenno, his late friend and successor as president of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), was unveiled at the 2015 NFPA convention in Chicago. That is when the first DiNenno prize was awarded. The DiNenno Prize is the “Nobel Prize of public safety.” The award recognizes an important innovation that has had a significant impact on public safety (building, fire, and electrical) [32] The portrait now hangs in the headquarters of Jensen Hughes, Baltimore, Maryland, where DiNenno served as President and CEO from 1996 until his death in 2015.[33][34]

David Lucht remains active in the Artist Guild of Shrewsbury. He cofounded the Grafton Scribblers Group, wrote several dozens of non-fiction biographies, and became an active member of the Worcester Storytellers.[35]

Battle with Parkinson's Disease

In 2010, David Lucht was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Rather than allow depression to set in, as is common for Parkinson's patients, he immediately set about learning everything he could about the disease. He also looked for ways in which he might use his situation to help others. Later he served as a panelist at a Michael J. Fox Foundation event in Boston.

He additionally volunteered for several research studies. One study, done by researchers at Boston University, involved walking and other exercises to strengthen the lower extremities. As late as 2016, as part of the research, he was walking two to three miles per day. The researchers found that staying physically active lessens the disability.

In 2015, David Lucht and nine other Parkinson's patients from the Shrewsbury–Worcester area participated in a study that UMass-Amherst's Department of Communication Disorders conducted. The study successfully tested the theory that singing helps combat vocal weakness caused by muscular rigidity. Singing causes the patient to inhale more deeply, causing them to project their voice and improve their ability to articulate precisely. The Parkinson's singing chorus performed weekly at a local church. The study participants, including David Lucht, enjoyed the chorus so much that they continued it after the study was completed.

Although the disease made his formerly beautiful handwriting smaller, to the point he could no longer sign his name, his painting skills continued to improve.[33]

Publications, Papers and Testimonies

[36]

∗ "Legal Requirements for Fire Alarms in Ohio Dwellings", Fire Journal, NFPA, March 1972.

∗ Ohio Dwelling House Code -- Principal investigator and co-author of this model code for one-, two- and three-family dwellings in the State of Ohio, 1972.

∗ A Study Manual for the Ohio Building Code -- Principal investigator and co-author of this study manual for training Ohio building code officials, revised edition, August 1973.

∗ Ohio Fire Code -- Principal investigator and author of this first Ohio Fire Code, 1973.

∗ "Effective Fire Control for Life Safety", Project Administrator and Technical Director, production of color-sound 2x2 slide tape cassette program for this 20-minute technical documentary on automatic fire suppression systems in health care facilities; Austin Productions, Lima, Ohio; June 1974.

∗ "Fire Eyes", Project Administrator and Technical Director for the production of this motion picture, a 27-1⁄2 minute, 16mm color-sound educational film (cleared for television use); Austin Productions, Lima, Ohio; August 1974.

∗ Ohio Building Code -- Authored major revisions and new text, 1970-75, pertaining to firesafety in industrialized modular buildings; multi-family residential buildings, housing for the elderly; nursing homes; exhibition halls; high-rise structures; and the design, installation and maintenance of building fire protection systems.

∗ Testimony, Views on State Fire Legislation, West Virginia State Legislature, Charleston, West Virginia; December 1975.

∗ "Fire Control in the U.S. -- The Role of the NFPCA", The Building Official and Code Administrator, April 1976.

∗ "Implementing Federal Fire Legislation", Risk Management Magazine, April 1976.

∗ "NFPCA Designed to Assist Local, State Governments", Fire Engineering, August 1976.

∗ Paper, Second Joint Meeting, Panel on Fire Research and Safety, U.S./Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources, Tokyo, Japan; October 1976.

∗ "Education for the Fire Marshal -- A National Perspective", paper presented at Fire Marshals Association of North America Annual Meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio; November 1976.

∗ "Is Our Fire Safety Regulation System Really Working?" Annual Meeting of the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards, Bozeman, Montana; September 1977.[37]

∗ "Is our Fire Safety Regulation System Really Working?" The Construction Specifier, December 1977.

∗ "Is Our Fire Safety Regulation System Really Working?" Building Standards, November/December 1977.

∗ "The Federal Role -- Information, Training and Encouragement", Nation's Cities, March 1978. Address, Fourteenth Biennial Governor's Statewide Safety Conference, Boise, Idaho; March 1978.

  • Lucht, D. A. (1978). An address ... for presentation at the Annual Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association Conference, Troy, Ohio, July 9, 1978. Washington, DC: National Prevention and Control Administration.[WC 1]
  • Lucht, D. A., & United States. (1978). How safe is safe?. Washington, DC: NFPCA.[38]
  • Lucht, D. A., Schaenman, P. S., & United States. (1978). Arson prevention and control strategy. Washington, DC: NFPCA.[WC 2]
  • Lucht, D. A., United States., & Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters. (1978). Arson : a national perspective: An address by David A. Lucht, Deputy Administrator, National Fire Prevention and Control Administration ... before the annual meeting of the Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters. Washington, DC: NFPA.[WC 3]


∗ "The Role of the Systems Concept in Fire Safety", National Academy of Sciences Conference on New Approaches to Evaluating Fire Safety in Buildings, Washington, D.C.; September 1978 (Proceedings published 1980).

∗ "Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering", SFPE Bulletin, June 1979. "Systematic Fire Safety Programs", Building Operating Management, July 1979.

∗ Fire Prevention Planning and Leadership for Small Communities, (book) published by NFPA, 1980.[39]

∗ "Symposium Review and Conclusion", Society of Fire Protection Engineers Symposium on Systems Applications, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland; March 1981. (Proceedings published.)

∗ "Systems Analysis in Fire Engineering", The Building Official and Code Administrator Magazine, November/December 1981.

  • "Fire Science, Engineering and Graduate Programs", Annual Fall Conference, International Society of Fire Service Instructors, Hartford, Connecticut; October 1982. (Rekindle, Volume 12, Issue 2, February 1983)

∗ "Enhancement of the Professional Quality of People Involved in Building Firesafety", Conference on Communication Between the Fire Research Community and Owner - Operators of Buildings, ABBE, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.; November 1983. (Proceedings published.)

∗ "Fire Protection Engineering Graduate Program Takes Hold", Fire Journal, National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 78, No. 2, March 1984.

∗ "Emerging Fire Technology: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?" Chief Fire Executive, Vol. 1, No. 1, April/May 1986.

∗ "An Update on the WPI Graduate Program in Fire Protection Engineering", Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 3, August 1987.

∗ "Fire Protection Engineering: A Career on the Rise", Fire Protection Contractor, January 1988.

∗ "American Cultural Orientation Toward Firesafety", ISFSI National Video Teleconference on Residential Firesafety, Washington, D.C.; February 1988.

∗ "Careers in Fire Protection Engineering", project director, 8-1/2 minute video production; March 1988.

∗ "Fire Protection Engineering at WPI", project director, 10-minute video production; March 1988.

  • "Research Today - Part I", SFPE Bulletin, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, November/December 1988.

∗ "Research Today - Part II", SFPE Bulletin, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, January/February 1989.

  • The initial years of the U.S. Fire Administration: An informal collection of papers(book).1989. Worcester, Mass.: Gordon Library, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.[40]

∗ "Fire Protection Engineering: Facing the Challenge", Fire Journal, National Fire Protection Association, March/April 1989.

∗ "Coming of Age", Journal of Fire Protection Engineering, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Vol. 1, No. 2, April, May, June 1989. [41]

∗ "Challenges of the Future", Minnesota Chapter, SFPE, Minneapolis, Minnesota; April 1990. "Firesafety Design in the 21st Century: Conference White Paper", SFPE, April 1990.

∗ "Fire Protection Engineers and Fire Protection Engineering Technicians: Relationships and Functions", Draft Concept Paper, SFPE, May 1990.

∗ "Perspective on Fire Protection Engineering", Fire News, NFPA, April/May 1991.

∗ "Changing the Way We do Business", keynote paper, Conference on Firesafety Design in the 21st Century, WPI, May 1991.

∗ Congressional Testimony, Federal Fire Safety Act of 1991, House Subcommittee on Science, Washington, D.C.; September, 1991.

∗ "Report on the Conference on Firesafety Design in the 21st Century", Invited Paper, Fall Engineering Seminars, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Montréal, Québec; November 1991.

∗ "Barriers to Technological Advances in Firesafety", Invited Paper, 1991 Fall Meeting, National Fire Protection Association, Montréal, Québec; November 1991.

∗ "Strategies for Shaping the Future", Report on the Conference on Firesafety Design in the 21st Century; March 1992.

∗ Proceedings for the Conference on Firesafety Design in the 21st Century; April 1992.

∗ "Changing The Way We Do Business", Fire Technology, Vol. 28, No. 3, August 1992.

∗ First International Directory, Salamander Honorary Fire Protection Engineering Society, WPI, December 1992.

∗ "America Burning: Chapter 18", The Voice, International Society of Fire Service Instructors, November 1993.

∗ "International Developments in Building Code Concepts", with C.H. Kime and J.S. Traw, Journal of Fire Protection Engineering, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1994.[42]

∗ "International Developments in Building Code Concepts", with C.H. Kime and J.S. Traw, Building Standards Magazine, International Conference of Building Officials, Whittier, CA, Jan/Feb, 1994.

∗ "Changing the Way We do Business", IFCI Fire Code Journal, Vol. 2 No. 4, International Fire Code Institute, Spring, 1994.

∗ "A Report on Performance Based Codes", Invited Paper, Fire Marshals Association of North America Fall Meeting, Toronto, Ontario, November, 1994.

∗ "Strategies for Shaping the Future", Invited Paper and Session Chairman, International Conference on Fire Safety by Design, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, July, 1995 Proceedings.

∗ "Performance-Based Design, Fire Protection and Public Policy", Invited Paper and Session Chairman, SFPE International Conference on Fire Research and Engineering" Orlando, FL., September, 1995.

∗ "Performance-Based Design", (with/B. Meacham), Plant Services, January, 1996. "Fire Protection Engineering at WPI - 1865" Fire Protection Contractor, March, 1996.

∗ "Performance-based Engineering and Public Policy", Invited Paper, Proceedings of the International Conference on Performance-based Codes and Fire Safety Design Methods, Ottawa, Canada, September, 1996.

∗ Testimony, President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection, City Hall, Boston, MA, June 1997.

∗ “Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute”, FPC Trends, Antwerp, Belgium, June 1997.

∗ “The Paradigm Has Shifted”, Keynote Paper, Second Conference on Firesafety Design in the 21st Century, WPI, Worcester, MA, June, 1999. [43]

∗ “Progress in Professional Practice”, Fire Protection Engineering, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Issue No. 3, Summer 1999.

∗ “Regulatory Reform and Fire Safety Design in the United States”, Report on the Second Conference on Firesafety Design in the 21st Century, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, June, 2000.[44]

∗ Editor, Proceedings of the Second Conference on Firesafety Design in the 21st Century, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, June 2000.[WC 4]

∗ “The Role of Post-secondary Education in Advancing Fire Protection Engineering,” Fire Protection Engineering Magazine, SFPE, winter, 2003.

∗ “Cultural Tolerance for Fire Disasters,” testimony at the NFPA Special Hearing on Nightclub Fires, World Trade Center, Boston, March, 2003.

∗ Editor, “Making the Nation Safe from Fire: A Path Forward in Research,” National Research Council report, National Academy of Sciences, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003.[45]

∗ “Lets be Intolerant of Fire Traps,” Op-Ed, Providence Journal, Providence, RI, August 5, 2003.

∗ “Celebrating Fire Consultancy”, FPC Trends, May, 2005
“The WPI Sprinkler Family Tree”, Fire Protection Contractor, July, 2005.

∗ “Issues and Opportunities for the Future of Fire Engineering, Fire Prevention & Fire Engineers Journal, July, 2006.

∗ “Millennials: The New Source of Young Talent”, Fire Protection Engineering Magazine, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Fall 2007.[46]

∗ “The WPI Program: Starting from Scratch”, Fire Protection Engineering Magazine, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Issue No. 53, First Quarter, 2012.

  • "Where There's Smoke", 1 March 2013, NFPA Journal, March/April 2013[47]
  • "Duane Pearsall and the Development of the Home Smoke Detector," March 12, 2013, National Fire Protection Association, YouTube video[48]

Honors and awards

  • Western Actuarial Bureau Scholarship, 1961-65; Four-year full tuition, room and board, Illinois Institute of Technology.[36]
  • Outstanding Senior Student Award, Chicago Chapter, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 1965. Elected to Salamander Honorary Fire Protection Engineering Society, 1965.[36]
  • United States Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, 1971.[36]
  • Columbus Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Men Award, 1971.[36]
  • Honorary Life Member, Middlefield (Ohio) Fire Department, 1974.[36]
  • Distinguished Service Award, Ohio State Arson School, 1975.[36]
  • Colonel and Aide-de-Camp, Governor's Staff, Executive Department, State of Louisiana, 1976.[36]
  • Life Member, North Dakota Firemen's Association, 1976.[36]
  • President's Award, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 1988.[36]
  • Man of the Year Award, Automatic Fire Alarm Association, 1988.[36]
  • Fellow, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 1989.[49]
  • Gold Award, Audio Visual Communicators Association, for the video production "Careers in Fire Protection Engineering" (for Worcester Polytechnic Institute), 1989.
  • Who's Who in Engineering, American Association of Engineering Societies.
  • Harold E. Nelson Service Award, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 1993.[50]
  • Honorary Member, Salamander Honorary Fire Protection Engineering Society, Gamma Chapter, 2000.[51]
  • John J. Ahern President’s Award, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 2000[50]
  • Arthur B. Guise Medal and Prize, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 2002.[50]
  • Person of the Year Award, Automatic Fire Alarm Association, 2004
  • William R. Grogan Award for Support of the Mission of WPI, WPI Alumni Association, 2004[52]
  • Person of the Year Award, New England Chapter, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 2004[50]
  • Elected to The Skull Society of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2005[50][53]
  • David A. Lucht Lamp of Knowledge Award, created by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 2005, to be given annually to individuals and organizations who stand out in support of higher education[50]
  • David Rasbash Memorial Medal, Institution of Fire Engineers (London), 2006[50]
  • John L. Bryan Mentoring Award, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 2013[2]
  • Cardinal Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2015[6]

Quotes

"We don't as a society take fire safety that seriously."[54]—Billboard Magazine, Feb 28, 2004, page 14

When asked in 2003 why the United States had the worst fire loss record in the industrialized world, David Lucht replied, "We are not smart with our fire safety investments. We pile one reaction to a disaster on top of another without stepping back and looking at the big picture from an engineering point of view."[17]

"Americans are constantly surrounded with readily ignitible materials and multiple sources of ignition. Our unique attitudes, behavior patterns and lifestyles contribute to the bringing together of ignition sources with fuel. And thus, the fires occur as the result of a complex set of social and physical factors. Our fire problem is very much an integral part of the American way of life and it will not be easily changed. Despite the total aggregate effort of the public and private sectors throughout history, the United States has allowed itself to become the worst industrialized nation in the world with respect to per capita fire deaths and economic losses."[55]—An address given by David Lucht at the Second NFPCA Fire Protection Seminar, "Design for Fire and Life Safety: Responsibility of the Architect, the Engineer and the Fire Chief," March 5, 1976

In telling how he took inspiration from others battling terminal diseases, David smiled and mentioned his son, Doug Lucht of Arizona, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer five years earlier. “When the doctors told him that the typical patient only survives about two years, he said, ‘I’m not the typical patient.’ That inspires the hell out of me. I know you can’t cure yourself by your attitude, but it does help. Mind over matter is a reality. If you will yourself strong enough, you can overcome a lot.”[33]

References

  1. ^ Warren, Gerald. "White House Press Secretary" (PDF). Ford Library Museum. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b "David A. Lucht to Receive the SFPE 2013 John L. Bryan Mentoring Award". SFPE blog. Society for Fire Protection Engineers. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  3. ^ "David A. Lucht". Worcester Polytechnic Institute Faculty. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d King, Stephen (29 May 2014). "Two Minutes With . . . David Lucht". Worcester Magazine. Worcester Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Warren, Gerald. "White House Press Release" (PDF). Gerald Ford Museum Library. U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Cardinal Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame 2015". Cardinal High School. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Ten Burning Questions for David Lucht". WPI Transformations (Winter 2004). 16 December 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Salamander Alpha Chapter Initiates, in numerical order". Chicago SFPE. Retrieved 8 July 2016. #194 David A. Lucht
  9. ^ Russ, Bob (22 November 2013). "JFK, Nursing Home Fire Made for Sad Day". Sandusky Register. Sandusky Register Staff. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  10. ^ a b Associated Press (3 October 2014). "Some of the Deadliest Nursing Home Fires in the US". Washington Times, LLC. The Washington Times. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  11. ^ Russ, Bob (22 November 2013). "JFK, nursing home fire made for sad day". Sandusky Register. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  12. ^ Robinson, Kathleen (1 January 2013). "Long Time Coming". NFPA Journal (January/February 2013). Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Five Killed in Blast in Marietta, Ohio". Observer-Reporter. Associated Press. 11 October 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  14. ^ Pearsall, Duane (December 2009). My Life Unfolded. Highlands Ranch, Colorado: unpublished memoir.
  15. ^ Lucht, David (March 1, 2013). ""Where There's Smoke "". NFPA Journal. , (March/April 2013). Retrieved 26 June 2016.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  16. ^ Jones, Clayton (8 June 1977). "Fire Officials Want Better Safety Codes". Beaver County Times. Monitor News Service. p. 16. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  17. ^ a b ""10 Burning Questions for David Lucht"". WPI Transformations Journal (Winter 2004). 2004. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  18. ^ a b National Fire Prevention and Control Administration Briefing Handbook (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. September 1976. p. 6. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  19. ^ a b c d "Fire Hazards Target of Nursing Home Plan". Toledo Blade. 25 July 1973. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  20. ^ a b UPI (12 January 1973). "Propose Restrictive New Fire Rulings". The Bryan Times. p. 19. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  21. ^ Beitler, Stu. "Cincinnati, OH Nursing Home Fire, Jan 1972". Gendisasters.com, Events that touched our Ancestors' Lives. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  22. ^ "Fire Marshal Quits Due to Back Injury". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. 3 November 1972. p. 4. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  23. ^ "New Fire Marshal Named for State". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. 9 April 1974. p. 2. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  24. ^ "New Fire Marshal Named for State". Toledo Blade. 9 April 1974. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  25. ^ "Fischer Building Fire". Toledo Blade. 28 September 1974. p. 4. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  26. ^ "Evacuation was Ordered by Judge". Toledo Blade. 28 September 1974. p. 4. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  27. ^ "Ford to Name Lawyer to Head Fire-Control Unit". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. 12 April 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  28. ^ Mellor, Beth. "Congratulations to all PAS Spring Show Winners!". Princeton Arts Society. Princeton Arts Society. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  29. ^ "David A. Lucht Paintings and Works on Paper". David A. Lucht Paintings and Works on Paper. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  30. ^ "2012 Annual Report, Worcester Art Museum" (PDF). Worcester Art Museum. Worcester Art Museum. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  31. ^ "Worcester Art Museum Trustees and Corporators". Worcester Art Museum. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  32. ^ National Fire Protection Association. "NFPA – DiNenno Prize". National Fire Protection Association. NFPA.org. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  33. ^ a b c Thompson, Elaine. "Painting Going Strong for Parkinson's Patient". Worcester Massachussetts Telegram & Gazette, www.telegram.com. Gatehouse Media LLC. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  34. ^ Lucht, David. "Phillip J. DiNenno". David A. Lucht Paintings and Works on Paper. David Lucht. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  35. ^ "David Lucht Features at Worcester Storytellers!". Facebook/Worcester Storytellers. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lucht, David. "David A. Lucht, P.E, FSFPE" (PDF). Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  37. ^ Lucht, David A. "Is our fire safety regulation system really working?". WorldCat. publisher not identified. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  38. ^ Cite error: The named reference WorldCat2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  39. ^ Lucht, David A. "Fire Prevention Planning and Leadership for Small Communities". WorldCat. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  40. ^ Lucht, David A. "The Initial Years of the U.S. Fire Administration: an informal collection of papers". WorldCat. Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  41. ^ Lucht, David A. "Coming of Age". Journal of Fire Protection Engineering. Sage Publications. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  42. ^ Lucht, David; Kime, Charles; Traw, Jon (1 Nov 1993). "International Developments in Building Code Concepts". Journal of Fire Protection Engineering. 5 (4). Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  43. ^ Lucht, David A. "The Paradigm Has Shifted (a.k.a. Conference White Paper)". WorldCat. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Center for Firesafety Studies. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  44. ^ Lucht, David A. "Regulatory reform and fire safety design in the United States : project report on the Second Conference on Fire Safety Design in the 21st Century, convened June 9-11, 1999, on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA". WorldCat. Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  45. ^ Lucht, David A. "Making the Nation Safe from Fire". WorldCat. National Academies Press. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  46. ^ Lucht, David A. "Millenials: The New Source of Young Talent". SFPE.org. Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  47. ^ Lucht, David A. "Where There's Smoke". NFPA Journal. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  48. ^ Lucht, David. "Duane Pearsall and the Development of the Home Smoke Detector". YouTube. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  49. ^ "SFPE Expo and Conference 2015". Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  50. ^ a b c d e f g "Fire Protection Engineering; David A. Lucht –WPI". Worcester Polytechnic Institute. WPI. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  51. ^ "Salamander Fire Protection Engineering Society" (PDF). Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  52. ^ ""Lucht, Professor David A."". textlab.io. Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  53. ^ "Around Campus". WPI Archive December 16, 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  54. ^ Carli, Peter. "FIRE SAFETY AND CODE ISSUES IN PUBLIC VENUES". radiationroom.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  55. ^ Lucht, David (5 March 1976). "An address given by David Lucht at the Second Fire Protection Seminar, "Design for Fire and Life Safety: Responsibility of the Architect, the Engineer and the Fire Chief". Fire Files Digital Library. Retrieved 8 July 2016.


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