A Message to NFPA Members About Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Updated 12:30 PM CT on June 23, 2020]

View COVID-19 resources for NFPA members here.

With the recent travel bans, event cancellations, and school closings, concerns about Coronavirus are top of mind for everyone. During this time of uncertainty, NFPA and its partners are monitoring developments and taking steps in accordance with CDC recommendations to ensure a safe and healthy environment for members, instructors, students, and other industry guests who plan to participate in upcoming events hosted or supported by NFPA.

Due to circumstances surrounding some of our partner organizations, such as schools, a number of events organized or supported by NFPA have been affected:

NFPA Programs & Events

• Session 2 of the NFPA Executive Leadership Program, scheduled for May 20-21 at the Kellogg School of Management, will be held virtually instead of in-person.
• NFPA/FPIC Regional Conference, scheduled for June 4, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be held virtually instead of in-person.
• Session 3 of the NFPA Executive Leadership Program, scheduled for August 9-10 at the Industry & Economic Outlook Conference, will be held virtually August 24-25 instead of in-person.
• The 2020 Industry & Economic Outlook Conference, scheduled for August 10-12, 2020 in Oak Brook, Illinois, will be held virtually August 11-13 instead of in-person.

Fluid Power Action Challenge Events

• Price Engineering Fluid Power Action Challenge, scheduled for March 13, 2020 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has been postponed until further notice.
• Master Pneumatic Fluid Power Action Challenge, scheduled for March 26, 2020 at Macomb Community College, has been postponed until further notice.
• Wojanis Fluid Power Action Challenge, scheduled for March 26, 2020 at Carlynton Junior/Senior High School in Pennsylvania, has been postponed.
• SMC Fluid Power Action Challenge, scheduled for April 3, 2020 at the Carpenters’ Training Center, has been canceled.
• Cleveland Community Fluid Power Action Challenge, originally set to take place in April, may take place virtually.
• Komatsu Fluid Power Action Challenge, scheduled for May 12, 2020 at Rocky Grove Firehall, has been canceled.
• Union Grove Fluid Power Action Challenge, originally set to take place in May, has been postponed until school resumes.

Other Workforce Events

• The FIRST Robotics season has been suspended, and both FIRST Championships have been canceled.*
• National Robotics League (NRL) competitions taking place in March & April have been canceled or postponed. Updates regarding the National Championship scheduled May 15-16 TBD.*
• Fluid Power Careers Information Session, scheduled for April 2, 2020 at Purdue University, has been canceled.
• The Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, scheduled for April 15 -18, 2020 at Bimba/IMI in Littleton, Colorado, will be held virtually instead of in-person.
• The CCEFP Summit, originally scheduled for May 19-21, 2020 at the University of Minnesota, has been postponed to September 22-24, 2020.

Standards Meetings

• U.S. TAG to SC 4 Meetings, scheduled for March 23, 2020 in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, will be rescheduled for September 2020.
• U.S. TAG to SC 6 Meetings, scheduled for March 24, 2020, will be rescheduled for September 2020.
• ISO/TC 131 Meetings, scheduled for the week of June 22 in London, are to be held virtually.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep members informed of event suspensions, cancellations, and other changes.

*The NFPA 2020 Robotics Challenge Scholarship will still be awarded, even though FIRST^® Robotics  and NRL robotics competitions have been canceled/postponed due to COVID-19. Teams that built their robot with pneumatics on it can apply for this scholarship.

Eric Lanke
President/CEO
National Fluid Power Association