In this article we will explain what the NFPA is, provide a brief history, and highlight their purpose.
By reading this article you will come away with a basic but sufficient understanding of NFPA’s significance, legacy, and overall mission. So, let’s get into it.
The National Fire Protection Association
What is the NFPA?
The National Fire Protection Association or NFPA is a worldwide nonprofit organization that focuses on minimizing the negative effects of fire and electrical hazards.
History of the NFPA
The National Fire Protection Association was originally founded in 1896 by a small group of insurance professionals who wanted to resolve an issue with fire sprinkler installation. They realized that even locally, there were inconsistencies in safety and fire prevention that were disruptive for plumbers, electricians, building managers, and others as well. As a result, a few professionals met together to discuss a solution and ended up releasing a document that later became known as “NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems.”
These initial meetings led to the group voting to start a formal organization dedicated to improving and standardizing fire safety. Since then, the non-profit has released hundreds of fire safety standards and spent over 125 years promoting research, training, education, and outreach regarding fire safety.
Purpose of the NFPA
While the National Fire Protection Association is known for many things, they are most recognizable for establishing more than 300 safety codes for fire safety. These safety standards cover a wide range of topics including fire sprinklers, fire extinguishers, electrical safety, and more.
The NFPA has standards issued to cover virtually any subject relating to fire safety. Because of this, the organization has become a prominent voice and influence in the world of fire safety. They are generally seen as the front runner for industry best practices, news, and training.
What You Need to Know About the NFPA & Compliance
The National Fire Protection Association isn’t a formal government agency, and therefore doesn’t have legal power to inflict fines for violations. In other words, compliance with their standards is voluntary.
However, it is a well recognized organization, and is often seen as promoting the best practices in fire and life safety. Because of this, many groups still make it a goal to to follow their standards – not out of a legal obligation but rather out of a desire to implement generally accepted fire safety measures and solutions.
While compliance with NFPA standards isn’t government-mandated, many of the organization’s guidelines are closely related with OSHA standards which are legally required for compliance. Additionally, the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) may enforce compliance with NFPA standards. Given these facts, it can be highly beneficial to be familiar with NFPA standards and closely follow their guidance.
How Can I Comply With NFPA Standards?
Sometimes NFPA standards can be challenging to break down and understand, but InspectNTrack offers fire and life safety inspection software that is intentionally designed to support NFPA compliance efforts. It is built around dozens of different NFPA standards and includes preconfigured equipment templates with proper timing and questions for recommended inspections and maintenance tasks. InspectNTrack does the heavy lifting for you, offering a plug-and-play platform that makes sure you get it right.
The following comparison show just how dramatically different NFPA compliance efforts can be based upon the method used.
| Standard Process | InspectNTrack Process | |
|---|---|---|
| Following NFPA standards | Purchase individual NFPA standards, invest in heavy reading, try to understand, write own inspection questions | Upload assets into InspectNTrack and select preloaded, fully compliant equipment profiles including inspection questions |
| Recording Inspections & Maintenance | Keep assets in a spreadsheet, write inspection questions on top, have technicians fill out spreadsheet each month | Follow the in-app route list, scan asset tags, tap screen to answer NFPA compliant questions with results auto-recorded |
| Demonstrating NFPA Compliance | Open dozens of inspection spreadsheets, cut and paste data together to form timeline reports | Open the InspectNTrack web portal and print on-demand reports from centralized database to include specified information |
| Managing NFPA Standard Updates | Re-purchase standards every four year. Read them, look for differences, and update spreadsheets and written documentation | InspectNTrack reviews NFPA standard updates and offers revised inspection questions and equipment profiles when needed |
Conclusion
The National Fire Protection Association or NFPA is an organization dedicated to furthering fire prevention and safety through training, research, and their expansive collection of fire safety codes. The organization has been around for over a century and has already left quite a mark on the fire safety industry. Though not a government agency, it is a beacon for industry best practices. Anyone working in a field related to safety can benefit from being familiar with their codes or investing in related software solutions.
