The nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently announced that it will develop the NFPA Building Code, rounding out its Consensus Codes set, a full set of codes and standards for the built environment.
“For some time now, we have been evaluating whether or not it would be necessary for NFPA to provide a full set of codes, and specifically a building code,” said NFPA President George D. Miller. “We have heard from NFPA members, our other constituents, and legislative and agency officials that they want NFPA to develop a building code utilizing our full open consensus process.”
At its March 2000 meeting, the NFPA Board of Directors voted unanimously to go forward and directed the NFPA Standards Council to establish a new project for a consensus building code at its April 2000 meeting. In addition, the Board also committed to addressing firefighter safety in the development of the code.
On April 3, 2000, the NFPA Standards Council announced its provisional approval of the NFPA Building CodeTM project, and has issued a public notice soliciting the following information: opinions on the need for the NFPA Building Code; available resources for the subject matter; individuals interested in participating on the project, if established; and other organizations actively involved with the subject. All comments should be submitted to NFPA no later than May 5, 2000.
The NFPA Building Code will be issued in 2002. “Our position has been clear and firm from the very beginning,” Miller continued. “We will not compromise NFPA’s ANSI-approved, open consensus process, and we intend to work with our existing partners and other organizations to ensure their expertise forms the basis of each document in the Consensus Codes set.”
The NFPA Building Code, one of two key documents or “bookends” of the Consensus Codes set (the other being the National Electrical Code), will be developed in the NFPA consensus process and will be based upon the EPCOT Building Code, promulgated by Reedy Creek Improvement District, whose requirements cover everything from dwellings to public occupancies to power generation facilities. The EPCOT code was established nearly 30 years ago.
NFPA will continue to collaborate with its existing partners in development of the Consensus Codes set, including the American Gas Association (AGA), with whom NFPA jointly publishes NFPA 54, National Fuel Gas Code; the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), with whom NFPA signed a cooperative memorandum of understanding (MOU) in August 1999; and the Western Fire Chiefs Association, with whom NFPA recently signed an MOU to produce a joint NFPA 1/Uniform Fire Code. Additional partnerships are being actively pursued.
For the latest information on related activities, visit the NFPA Building Code Web site at http://buildingcode.nfpa.org.
