The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a U.S. organization (albeit with some international members) charged with creating and maintaining minimum standards and requirements for fire prevention and suppression activities, training, and equipment, as well as other life-safety codes and standards. This includes everything from building codes to the personal protective equipment utilized by firefighters while extinguishing a blaze.

History

The NFPA was formed in 1896 by a group of insurance firm representatives with the stated purpose of standardizing the new and burgeoning market of fire sprinkler systems. The scope of the NFPA's influence grew from sprinklers to include building electrical systems (another new and fast-growing technology), and then all aspects of building design and construction.

Its original membership consisted of, and was limited to, insurance underwriting firms. There was little representation from the industries the NFPA sought to regulate. This changed in 1904 to allow other industries and individuals to participate actively in the development of the standards promulgated by the NFPA. The first fire department to be represented in the NFPA was the New York City Fire Department in 1905. Today, the NFPA includes representatives from many fire departments, insurance companies, manufacturing associations, unions, trade organizations, even average people.

The NFPA today

Headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.A., the NFPA oversees the development and maintenance of over 300 codes and standards. A cadre of over 6000 volunteers representing the fire service, insurance, business, industry, government, and consumers develops these documents. Many state, local, and national governments incorporate the standards and codes developed by the Association into their own law either verbatim, or with only minor modifications. Even when not written into law, the Association's standards and codes are typically accepted as a professional standard, and are recognized by many courts as such. This widespread acceptance is a testament to the broad representation and input received on all the NFPA's projects.

There is a growing controversy regarding the presence of manufacturers on NFPA's committees. Some first responders see the profit motivation of corporate employees as a conflict of interest.

Sparky the Fire Dog

Sparky the Fire Dog

NFPA's official mascot since 1951, Sparky hosts his own Web site to teach children about fire safety and other important safety topics. Sparky has starred in his own series of TV public service announcements.

Issues related to coding standards accepted as law

Coding standards are developed by organizations which have typically charged many hundreds of dollars to obtain these materials. Prior to the creation of the Internet, part of this expense was due to the cost of printing short-run textbooks containing the thousands of pages of information, and for these books to then be checked and verified for accuracy. The high cost was also in part because the people expected to be purchasing the coding standard are going to be industry professionals, and not the average citizen. ^[1]

When a code is accepted as law in a local jurisdiction, a situation develops where people are being held to a standard that they do not know and cannot access without paying someone the privilege of knowing what the law is. Up to the 1980s before the public Internet existed, the local jurisdiction might own a single book they use for their own reference but others desiring access would have to purchase their own copy of this same expensive material from the standards organization. Although the Internet has generally removed the high cost of access, standards organizations have desired to continue to restrict access, stating the material is copyrighted and they have a right to charge an access fee even if it cost almost nothing to copy and view the material via the Internet.

In 2002 the United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals case Peter Veeck / RegionalWeb vs Southern Building Code Congress International determined that once a code has been accepted as law, the code loses its copyright protection and becomes public domain, like all statutory law.^[2] It was also determined that standards organizations can retain copyright so long as the material is just a coding model and is not yet accepted as law by any jurisdiction.

See also

• NFPA 70 - National Electrical Code (NEC)
• NFPA 70B - Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance
• NFPA 70E - Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
• NFPA 72 - National Fire Alarm Code
• NFPA 79 - Restriction of Access to Hazardous Energy
• NFPA 704 - Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response
• NFPA 853 - Standard for the installation of stationary fuel cell power systems
• NFPA 921 - Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations
• NFPA 101 - Life Safety Code
• NFPA 1123 - Code for Outdoor Firework Displays
• NFPA 1901 - Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus
• Fire apparatus
• Fire extinguisher - The NFPA classifies extinguishers into the familiar ABCD use system

References

(Retrieved 23 June 2006, from NFPA website.)

• NFPA Web Site.
• Grant, Casey Cavanaugh, PE. (1996). The Birth of NFPA.
• How the Code Process Works.
• An Overview of NFPA.

External links

• Official website
• SCBA Manufacture Listing Of NFPA Approved SCBA Protection for Fire Fighters
• http://bulk.resource.org/codes.gov/ Complete free downloadable access to various NFPA and other standards from local building codes across the United States. By 2002 appeals court decision, any standard or code accepted as public law cannot be copyrighted and carry no restriction of use for any purpose