Aug 01 2011
The building and fire safety community says goodbye to Harold E. “Bud” Nelson, a fire protection engineer who made a significant contribution to society over the course of his career.
Nelson was born in Chicago, Illinois, on Feb. 9, 1929. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fire protection and safety engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1950. Drafted by the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Nelson served at the Aberdeen Proving Ground and co-founded the Scientific and Professional Personnel of Aberdeen Proving Ground Society. He held a civilian position at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and served as the chief of the accident and fire protection division at the General Services Administration.
Working in fire research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) until 1992, Nelson addressed fire safety in high-rise buildings and hospitals. He developed the “fire safety evaluation system,” which was later published as NFPA 101A, Guide on Alternative Approaches to Life Safety. He investigated the fire at the DuPont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was one of the first to use fire simulation tools to recreate the fire in order to understand the causes. Nelson also investigated the fire-related contributing factors that led to the collapse of buildings at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001.
A Fellow and past president of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), Nelson received many awards for his professional dedication and advances. Called the 'Father of Modern Fire Protection Engineering' by many of his peers, Nelson was especially proud of the award SFPE presented to him in 1987, which the Society presents annually in his name, the Harold E. Nelson Service Award.
The Institute expresses its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of this dedicated professional. Read the SFPE obituary.
