1301 Atwood Avenue
P.O. Box 7500 Johnston, RI 02919 USA
T: 401 275 3000 F: 401 275 3029 www.fmglobal.com
For Immediate Release
June 29, 2007
For More Information Contact
Jamie J. Pachomski, Media Liaison
Phone: (401) 275-3000, ext. 1895
E-mail: Jamie.Pachomski@fmglobal.com
Insurer FM Global Donates US$135,000 to the
University of Maryland’s Clark School of Engineering to
Advance Fire Protection Research
JOHNSTON, R.I. – Fire protection engineering students and researchers at the University of
Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering will soon be able to conduct fire experiments
in a new, one-of-a-kind laboratory, so one day the world’s largest companies won’t get burned.
A US$135,000 gift from FM Global, one of the world’s largest business property
insurers, will establish the lab in the Clark School’s Department of Fire Protection Engineering.
The work conducted by students and faculty in the new lab will help advance the field of fire
science and engineering to help reduce risk and improve prevention of fire, the leading cause of
commercial and industrial property destruction worldwide. The new lab is expected to open in
April 2008.
FM Global’s gift also will create a new FM Global Welcome Center that will serve as the
department’s main entrance and reception area, featuring an interactive wall to give fire
protection engineering greater prominence as a profession and field of study, and help to recruit
prospective students. Fire protection engineering is a highly specialized field, and the Clark
School’s Department of Fire Protection Engineering is the only accredited undergraduate fire
protection engineering program in the country. The reception area is expected to be completed
by September 2007.
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“The students who come to the FM Global Welcome Center and work in the lab will
become the next generation of fire protection engineers and fire scientists,” said Louis Gritzo,
vice president and manager of research for FM Global. “The better tools and insight they have,
the more effectively they can move the field forward.” Gritzo added, “As for FM Global’s
insured clients, the research will lead to even better ways to protect their operations from fire
threats.”
“FM Global’s contributions are truly exceptional and come at a pivotal moment in our
history,” said Marino di Marzo, professor and chair of the fire protection engineering
department. “FM Global’s support will leave a tremendous imprint on our research and
recruitment programs for many years to come.”
FM Global’s support of university research and education play a key role in the
company’s research activities. For more than 170 years, many of the world’s top corporations
have relied on FM Global’s (www.fmglobal.com) unmatched engineering expertise and
scientific research to better understand the nature and causes of fire, natural disasters and other
perils to prevent damage to their properties, and maintain continuity in their business operations.
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