Obtituaries
George H. Tryon
George H. Tryon, an internationally recognized authority on fire safety, died on May 25. He was 62.
He retired in 1977 as assistant vice president of the National Fire Prevention Association and since then was director, education services, for the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, of which he was a charter member.
For much of his 32-year career with the NFPA, Tryon served as its technical secretary responsible for the development of the association’s codes and standards. Among his special concerns was aircraft life safety, and as administrative secretary of the NFPA Committees on Aviation, he played a significant role in developing procedures for increased life safety in in-the-air and on-theground aircraft operations, and in aircraft rescue and fire fighting methods.
Tryon was editor of the 12th and 13th editions of the Handbook of Fire Protection and originated and edited Fire Journal and Fire Technology.
James G. Rosser
James G. Rosser, chief of the Hapeville, Ga., Fire Department, died on June 20 after a long illness. He joined the department in 1945 and was appointed fire marshal in 1949. He advanced to assistant chief in 1962 and was appointed chief in 1972. Rosser was a past president of the Metro Atlanta Fire Chiefs Association.
Episcopal Churches Set Up Fire Prevention Program
Fire prevention will be a major part of a new church risk management program being undertaken by Episcopal churches throughout the country. Five pilot dioceses of the church—Long Island, Olympia, Oregon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D. C.—launched the program in the summer of 1978 while the remaining dioceses over the country will join in early 1979.
Local Episcopal churches will be contacting fire departments, fire prevention bureaus and fire marshal’s offices with requests for assistance in evaluating fire prevention measures within their structures. The program is designed to reduce hazards through fire prevention inspections. It envisions the possibility of quantity purchases of fire and smoke detection equipment as well as other fire protection devices. Safety and security will also be stressed in the program.
Church-wide implementation will be guided by local risk management committees in each diocese and by a national advisory council which has representatives of nationwide organizations, including the National Fire Protection Association and the National Safety Council, as members. Visual training aids and printed material will be used in seminars to acquaint local church representatives with the program. The Church Insurance Company of the Episcopal Church is assisting in the development of the material and is coordinating local efforts.
