How to Follow NFPA?

[bod911]

Perhaps this question has been answered before, but here it is.

How do poor VFD's like ours follow NFPA codes when you have to pay for a subscription or pay for the CD's to get them? Are the codes listed somewhere for free? Thanks

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Two words..

Pool resources!

Go in with other Departments, share the updates as they are relesed.

[LTscott351]

You can go to their website, www.nfpa.org, and view the codes.

[dmleblanc]

You can go to their website, www.nfpa.org, and view the codes.

Not quite....to view the codes, you have to pay $$$ for membership...several hundred dollars, I think. The cost would be prohibitive for a financially strapped department.

[KenNFD1219]

Chief:

NFPA allows anyone to view the codes for free.

Take NFPA 1410 for example. Click on "Preview this document" link on the bottom of the page.

While you may look for free, you cannot print, or copy/paste the codes from here.

The subscription servcie is expensive. I think we pay about $750 a year for the CD of the codes plus updates. That is a lot of money to many fire departments.

[DCFDRescue2]

Follow OSHA.

NFPA is mostly a tool for manufacturers to decree obsolesence.

[MemphisE34a]

Exactly DCFD.

To be honest, most departments probably don't follow ALL the NFPA guidlines anyway. I know we certainly don't. We follow the ones that are big and/or convienient.

When purchasing, use manufacturers as resources. For the most part, you cannot spec or purchase anything that is not compliant at the time of sale anyway.

[ullrichk]

I have heard of several folks who got their local libraries to purchase a copy of the NFPA codes and standards. That could be a good way to get pooled resources to work, too, since everyone (public included) can look at them.

[quint1officer]

Thanks Ken, I thought there was a way to do that, but I could never get it to work.

[Steeda83]

if your state adopts nfpa 1 and 101 nfpa will supply your state with all the free books you want, ofcourse if you want it on disk thats up to you to purchase..im speaking of the code books for inspections ofcourse..not sure if that is what you're asking though

[ehs7554]

I would like to see one department that foloows NFPA to a T. I believe it to be nearly if all impossible. Why do would someone want to subject themselves to some of those crazy "GUIDELINES" anyway. NFPA is NOT law.

[SIGNAL99COM]

We all know that NFPA only makes recommendations, and we all have our own opinions on NFPA and what they can do with many of their standards. However, if an injury occurs, you are screwed if you are sued, because in the court room, NFPA is the bible.

[Steeda83]

I would like to see one department that foloows NFPA to a T. I believe it to be nearly if all impossible. Why do would someone want to subject themselves to some of those crazy "GUIDELINES" anyway. NFPA is NOT law.

alot of states have adopted parts of NFPA as law..just to point out that it is law sometimes and as signal pointed out..what do you think the lawyers will use?

[KenNFD1219]

We all know that NFPA only makes recommendations, and we all have our own opinions on NFPA and what they can do with many of their standards. However, if an injury occurs, you are screwed if you are sued, because in the court room, NFPA is the bible.

Does anyone have a citation were failure to follow an NFPA standard resulted in civil liability? I am not looking for a case where NFPA was used along with other evidence of negligance, but rather where non-compliance with a voluntary NFPA standard resulted in a civil liability. I made this request to NFPA several years ago and after a couple of e-mails to clarify what I wanted, I never heard back from them.


As the authority having jurisdiction, my FD has both adopted NFPA standards as written and with modifications. There are approximately 150 NFPA standards that affect fire department operations, from the Life Safety Code to water supply and fire attack to vehicle design. No one department can reasonably be expected to follow all the standards. How can a fire department that cannot even afford to buy the codes be expected to follow them? However, if a city or state adopts an NFPA standard as a law or regulation, compliance is mandatory.

[Res343cue]

Open preview. Go to section you need. Hit "Print Screen", then paste into MS Word. Print.