| National Fire Protection Association | |
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| Abbreviation | NFPA |
| Formation | 1896 |
| Headquarters | Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°13′49″N 71°01′33″W / 42.230178°N 71.025925°W |
| Volunteers | 6000+ |
| Website | www.nfpa.org |
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a United States trade association (albeit with some international members) that creates and maintains private, copywrited, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments. This includes publications from model building codes to the many on equipment utilized by firefighters while engaging in hazmat response, rescue response, and some firefighting.[citation needed]
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Contents
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History
The NFPA was formed in 1896 by a group of insurance firms 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 and fire extinguishers to include building electrical systems (another new technology), and then into almost all aspects of building design and construction.
Its original membership was limited to insurance underwriting firms and there was no representation from the industries the NFPA sought to control. This changed in 1904 to allow other industries and individuals to participate in the development of the standards to be promulgated by the NFPA. The first fire department to be represented in the NFPA was the New York City Fire Department in 1905, though their participation has declined steadily since then. Today, the NFPA includes representatives from some fire departments, many fire insurance companies, many manufacturing associations, some trade unions, many trade associations, engineering associations,and a few self-proclaimed "experts."[citation needed]
The NFPA today
The mission of the international nonprofit NFPA, established in 1896, is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.
The world's leading advocate of fire prevention and an authoritative source on public safety, NFPA develops, publishes, and disseminates more than 300 consensus codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks.
NFPA membership totals more than 70,000 individuals around the world.
Codes and Standards NFPA is responsible for 300 codes and standards that are designed to minimize the risk and effects of fire by establishing criteria for building, processing, design, service, and installation in the United States, as well as many other countries. Its more than 200 technical code- and standard- development committees have over 6,000 volunteer seats. Volunteers vote on proposals and revisions in a process that is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Some of the most widely used codes are:
- NFPA 1, Fire Code: Provides requirements to establish a reasonable level of fire safety and property protection in new and existing buildings.
- NFPA 54, National Fuel Gas Code: The safety benchmark for fuel gas installations.
- NFPA 70®, National Electric Code®: The world's most widely used and accepted code for electrical installations.
- NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®: Establishes minimum requirements for new and existing buildings to protect building occupants from fire, smoke, and toxic fumes.
Public safety education Sponsoring a variety of life-saving campaigns and training programs, the NFPA devotes much of its efforts to protecting lives and property through education. The organization provides many resources for fire, electrical, and life-safety instructions.
The outreach programs of NFPA include:
- The annual Fire Prevention Week in October, a national campaign for which NFPA has been the official sponsor since 1922;
- Remembering When®, a program developed to address the leading causes of injuries and death among older adults;
- Risk Watch® and Learn Not to Burn®, programs developed to address the leading causes of injuries and death among children;
- A variety of programs that focus on high-risk outreach;
- and the resources and activities associated with Sparky the Fire Dog®, the official mascot of NFPA.
Advocacy NFPA oversees the operations of several advocacy campaigns dedicated to increasing fire safety and awareness, including the Fire Sprinkler Initiative, Bringing Safety Home; Electric Vehicle Safety Training Program; the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes™; Firewise Communities/USA; and the Alliance to Stop Consumer Fireworks.1545465
Sparky the Fire Dog
NFPA's official mascot since 1951, Sparky hosts his own website[1] to provide materials for others (mostly the fire service) to teach children about fire safety. Sparky has been featured in his own series of television public service announcements.
Access to NFPA codes and standards
The complete text of all NFPA standards documents are available (with restriction) for viewing, but not printing, by concerned citizens, intersted manufacturers and others with computer access. NFPA codes and standards are widely adopted because they are developed using an open, consensus-based process. All NFPA codes and standards are developed and periodically reviewed by approximately 7,000 volunteer committee members with a wide range of professional expertise. As part of its commitment to enhancing public safety through the adoption and enforcement of key ANSI codes and standards, NFPA makes all of its codes and standards available for review online by the public.
The NFPA provides 'free' but restricted access to view its documents on the NFPA website. nfpa.org</ref> Document access requires the reader to first register and identify themselves to the NFPA, and requires the acceptance of a license agreement that states, in part:
- GRANT OF LICENSE. NFPA grants you, the NFPA visitor, a nonexclusive and nontransferable license to view online the content of the Online Document. The Online Document is designed to be viewed online only;— there are no "print," "save," or "cut and paste" options — and the license granted to you by this agreement does not include the right to download, reproduce, store in a retrieval system, modify, make available on a network, use to create derivative works, or transmit the content of the Online Document in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise.
See also
- NFPA Standards (partial list):
- NFPA 70 — National Electrical Code (NEC)
- NFPA 72 — National Fire Alarm Code
- NFPA 704 — Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response
- NFPA 921 — Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations
- NFPA 101 — Life Safety Code
- NFPA 1001 — Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications
- NFPA 1901 — Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus
References
(Retrieved 23 June 2006, from NFPA website.)
- NFPA Web Site.
- Grant, Casey Cavanaugh, P.E. (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
- Fire Equipment Manufacturers' Association Web site
- NFPA code list at Piping-Designer.com
- Instrumented mannikin work wear burn test video on Youtube.com
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article National Fire Protection Association.
