National Fire Protection Association

National Fire Protection Association

Abbreviation	NFPA
Formation	1896 (1896)
Headquarters	Quincy, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°13′49″N 71°01′33″W / 42.230178°N 71.025925°W / 42.230178; -71.025925
Region served	United States, Canada
Volunteers	6000+
Website	nfpa.org

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a United States trade association, albeit with some international members, that creates and maintains private, copyrighted standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments. The association was formed in 1896 by a group of insurance firms. Its purpose was to standardize the then-new fire sprinkler systems. It reports to have 65,000 members.^[1]

Codes and standards

The association's codes and standards are published online. In 2013, the association, with others, filed suit against Public.Resource.Org for publishing the full texts of various codes. PRO claims that, since these codes form part of US or state law, they are not eligible for copyright. In 2017, the courts granted a motion for summary judgment filed by a number of standard development organizations (SDOs), including NFPA, ASTM International and ASHRAE. The court’s ruling permanently enjoins the infringer from its previous systematic infringement of numerous SDO copyrighted codes and standards. The ruling vindicates the longstanding public-private partnership pursuant to which government entities may, if they choose, incorporate by reference high quality safety codes and standards. NFPA has provided free access to all of its codes and standards for more than a decade.

See also

• NFPA 70 — National Electrical Code
• NFPA 70B — Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance
• NFPA 70E — Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
• NFPA 72 — National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
• NFPA 101 — Life Safety Code
• NFPA 704 — Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response (four-color hazard diamond)
• NFPA 921 — Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations
• NFPA 1001 — Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications
• NFPA 1123 — Code for Fireworks Display
• NFPA 1670 — Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents
• NFPA 1901 — Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus

References